D.C. has been nicknamed the “City of Trees” and we want to keep it that way. One critical piece of this is to water your street trees, especially if you have a young tree outside your house or apartment. The city plants hundreds of trees a year but many of them die because of lack of water.
Select Your Tree:
DDOT has developed a tree watering map where you can choose a tree to water and record it, that way others can see what has been watered. The green dots are saplings that need the most care. They also have a “help my tree” option where you can inform the city of any issues your tree might have.
When To Water Your Tree:
Casey Trees recommends young trees receive 25 gallons of water per week for the first three years while it develops a healthy root system. The best time of day to water is early morning or late evening to avoid heat evaporation. This should be done from early spring until late fall.
How To Water Them:
Ideally, you would leave a hose trickling on the base of the tree for about 30 minutes. It is important to water slowly, since it will run off if poured too quickly. But, you can also use one of these tree ooze tubes, which you can just fill and forget about.
If you want to take it the extra mile, you can sign up for Casey Trees Watering Pledge, and they will remind you when it's time to water your tree!
