What is the best way to water my Bristlecone hemlock?
If you decide to water your Bristlecone hemlock, you will be happy to find that it is a straightforward task. One of the easiest ways to water this tree is by simply turning on your garden hose and using it to soak the soil slowly. Your garden hose is the ideal watering tool to use for mature Bristlecone hemlock trees, as large specimens may need a high volume of water during each watering. However, for smaller trees, you may get by by using a watering can or some other smaller watering tool. Also, you should try to avoid overhead watering as excessive moisture on this plant’s leaves can lead to disease, especially when the tree is young.
What should I do if I water my Bristlecone hemlock too much or too little?
At times, overwatering can be the result of poor soils. Mainly, if the soil in which your Bristlecone hemlock grows does not allow water to drain effectively, the plant will likely begin to decline. If this is the case, you should either amend the soil to improve its drainage characteristics or transplant your Bristlecone hemlock to a more favorable growing location. If you grow your Bristlecone hemlock in a pot, this can also mean you may need to repot your plant with looser soils in a container that allows for better drainage. An overwatered plant may also contract diseases, which you should try to treat immediately. For an underwatered Bristlecone hemlock, the remedy is quite simple. Begin watering more often, and soon your plant will bounce back and return to full health. The easiest way to tell if you have overwatered your Bristlecone hemlock is to observe the plant’s foliage. Specifically, looking at the new growth will give the clearest sign of whether this plant suffers from too much moisture. An overwatered Bristlecone hemlock may produce new growth, but that new growth may be discolored or prone to easy breakage. Another sign that the soil for your Bristlecone hemlock is too moist is if you notice standing water or that water is not draining quickly in your plant’s growing area. Underwatered Bristlecone hemlock trees will also have symptoms present in the foliage. In this case, the leaves may become sparse, brown. Usually, Bristlecone hemlock can grow well with rainfulls. If you see such symptoms on your plant, you should consider if there has been too much rain recently or constantly high temperatures, which will help you to make the correct judgment.
How often should I water my Bristlecone hemlock?
A mature Bristlecone hemlock does not need much water at all. In most instances, this tree will become drought tolerant and survive off of nothing more than rainfall. At most, you’ll need to water this plant about once per week during the hottest months of the year, but during other seasons, you probably won’t need to water it at all. The exception to that rule is if you are dealing with a plant that has been newly planted. If that is the case, you should water regularly to maintain consistent soil moisture and help the roots establish themselves. With that said, the most important thing to remember when watering Bristlecone hemlock is that this species does not tolerate standing water. As such, when in doubt, you should err on the side of not watering your Bristlecone hemlock rather than risking watering it too much.
How much water does my Bristlecone hemlock need?
The height of summer is one of the few times that you’ll need to water your Bristlecone hemlock. At that time of year, it is typical to give this plant about one inch of water per week. However, that amount can change depending on how much it has rained. If it has rained one inch or more that week, you won’t need to give any water to your Bristlecone hemlock.newly planted Bristlecone hemlock will need more water during the establishment period. Typically, this amounts to watering about once every one to two weeks for the first few growing seasons.
How should I water my Bristlecone hemlock through the seasons?
The Bristlecone hemlock tree will need the most water during the summer months when the weather is the hottest. At that time, you should give this plant water about once per week in the absence of rainfall. During other times of the year, this plant will often survive with no water at all. In spring and fall, you might need to provide some water if the weather is exceptionally hot, but this is rare. Unlike many other plants, the Bristlecone hemlock does not enter full dormancy in winter, which means that it will continue growing, during the coldest months. Still, the water needs during winter will remain quite low as the cool temperatures will not cause the soil to dry out quickly..
How should I water my Bristlecone hemlock at different growth stages?
Young Bristlecone hemlock trees need significantly more water than those that are established. A newly planted tree should receive water at least weekly to ensure that the soil remains moist to facilitate root development. After the first growing season, your Bristlecone hemlock should be well-adapted to its new growing location and should need much less water. At this time, you can begin following the standard instructions for watering this species, providing supplemental water about once per week during summer when it does not rain. Beyond that, there is no other time at which you’ll need to alter your watering habits based on the growth stages of the Bristlecone hemlock tree.
What's the difference between watering Bristlecone hemlock indoors and outdoors?
It is far more common to grow the Bristlecone hemlock in an outdoor growing location. However, it is also possible to grow this plant indoors in a container. In that scenario, one gardener often raise the Bristlecone hemlock as the bonsai plant. Whether you grow this plant indoors or outdoors, you can expect its water needs to remain relatively similar. The one difference is that you may need to water an indoor Bristlecone hemlock tree a bit more. Indoor plants won’t have access to rainfall during the summer. Also, indoor areas are often much drier than outdoor growing locations, and the size of the pots limits the water-retainability, which can lead to higher water needs.