Watering a cherry sapling

As with any plant, watering your cherry trees is an important consideration. Once you’ve planted your trees, you’ll want to keep them consistently watered, but not soaked, for the first year. About an inch of rain every seven to 10 days is sufficient. Use a practical rain gauge to make it easy to keep track of this.

If you don’t get enough rain, you can water once a week. Don’t over-saturate the roots, because dry roots are healthier than soaked ones. A good soaking once a week during dry spells is plenty.

For established trees, give them a deep soak when the top few inches of the soil are dry. The best method for this is to let a garden hose trickle slowly around the root zone. Use a soaker hose to water multiple trees. Give the trees enough water to soak the ground all around the roots.

Above all, don’t overwater your tree. Waterlogged roots are the worst state for cherries.

If you’ve mulched, that will help keep the soil around the roots moist and cool. Don’t forget to give your cherries extra moisture going into winter, especially after a dry fall.

Tip: Early morning is the best time of day to water your cherry trees. Avoid watering during the evening or night.

How often do you water your cherry trees? Please tell us your schedule and criteria for watering your trees.