Just how often should you water new shrubs—particularly during their first year in your landscape—so that you can be sure they’ll thrive? From the variety and size of the new plant in question, to your specific climate and soil type, there are a few different factors to consider. Even the hardiest of shrubs need a little TLC when they’re first planted! This article will provide guidelines on how much water your new shrub will require. The steps you take now will help it to hold its own during dry periods and put down strong roots to survive the winter.

The importance of watering newly planted shrubs

Making sure your new tree or shrub gets enough water is important because you want its root system to become well-established in your soil. Whether you have bare-root stock, a wrapped root ball, or a gallon pot, how often and how thoroughly you water will impact long-term plant health.

If you get watering depth and frequency right, you’ll encourage more rapid and profuse root spread. When your plant’s roots go deeper into the ground, it’s more likely to find needed moisture and nutrients. This, in turn, improves its ability to survive periods of drought, severe cold, insect pest infestations, and other stressors.

Soil type impacts on watering needs

A plant’s surrounding soil type can greatly influence its water requirements. Imagine what happens when you dump a bucket of water on poor quality, hardpan soil versus loamy earth that’s rich in organic matter. While most of the water will run off of the hardpan surface, it can easily penetrate the loamy soil and stay for a while. Soil type and overall health affect how deeply the water applied will go and how quickly it drains away.

How the timing of planting affects watering needs

How often should you water new shrubs and how much water you should you give them? Those answers partly depend on the time of year that you plant. Plant in the summer and you may have to water twice as often to compensate for extreme heat and drought. Plant in early spring, and Mother Nature may assist you by dumping inches of water at at time. Even fall plantings—especially for newly planted evergreens and deciduous trees—will require some wintertime watering when temperatures are above 40°F (5°C).

Creating a basin around the plant to target irrigation

By creating a deep watering berm around your new shrub or tree, you can trap water where you want it to remain and give the water extra time to penetrate the soil and reach your plant’s roots. While digging out the planting hole for your new addition, set the excavated soil aside. After planting, move it around the plant to create a roughly three-inch-high berm encircling the planting area. You may need to bring in some fresh compost or soil to do this. The berm’s outer edge should align with the top of your new plant’s canopy.

How to water deeply and thoroughly

Usually on the heels of “How often should you water new shrubs?” is the question “What’s the best way to water?” I usually just use my hose and patiently provide a deep watering to the base of the plant. Instead of that traditional overhead sprinkler, use a drip irrigation system or soaker hose to provide shrubs with a slow and steady drink. A targeted, in-ground sprinkler system can work to deliver water thoroughly, too.

No matter which option you choose for automated watering, consider attaching a water flow rate meter to your garden hose to ensure you don’t overwater.

How often should you water new shrubs in clay soils?

Keep in mind that heavy clay soils stay wet longer, so just-planted shrubs or trees may not need to be watered more than two to three times per week. Ideally, you should check the top six to eight inches of soil to feel how moist it is before watering again.

How often should you water new shrubs in sandy soils?

Soil that contains lots of sand doesn’t hold as much water as heavier soils do. Sandy soils also have speedier drainage rates. That means you may initially need to water newly planted shrubs almost every day.

How much water to add

You should apply enough water to be able to penetrate the entire root area—usually about one foot below the soil surface for small trees or six to eight inches below ground for small shrubs.

Here’s a simple way to estimate the number of gallons of water you may need to give new trees. Go six inches up the trunk from the ground level. At that point, measure the distance across your tree’s trunk. Every inch in diameter translates to roughly one gallon of water. So, if your tree’s trunk is three inches across, you’ll need to make sure it receives at least three gallons of water per watering session.

Also, be sure to take into account any recent heavy rainfall. I love when all my perennials and shrubs get a thorough soaking from a good rain storm. Water from nearby automatic sprinklers you may have set up could also impact your shrub’s watering needs, reducing the amount of water you’ll need to provide.

Sun vs shade watering considerations

Watering frequency for new shrubs becomes more complex when other environmental factors are added to the mix. For instance, young trees planted on a sunny, windy hilltop may lose more soil moisture than others installed in a more sheltered, shady spot. When watering in very sunny areas, you should do so early in the morning. This will reduce potential evaporation. So will using drip irrigation rather than simple overhead watering.

For shrubs planted in the shade, you may find that they don’t need to be watered as frequently.

Additional pro tips for success

Besides the frequency of watering new shrubs to get the very best results, you could also consider putting some of these extra tips into practice:

• Weed out the competition: Remove turf grass and other shallow-rooted plants from the one- to two-foot area immediately surrounding your new shrub or tree.
• Mulch your planting beds: Minimize water loss by adding two inches of dried pine needles, leaves, or a bark mulch product on top of the soil in an even, flat layer over the root zone.
• Keep your distance: Mulching and watering too closely to tree trunks can contribute to decay. Relegate mulch and water to the one- to two-foot area immediately surrounding your new shrub or tree. And please, no mulch volcanoes!

Additional advice for shrub care

• The best time of year to plant trees and shrubs
• How and when to plant hydrangeas
• How to plant roses
• When to trim boxwoods
• When to cut back roses
• When to trim boxwoods
• What to do if your rhododendron leaves are yellowing
• Fertilizing azaleas
• Fertilizing blueberry bushes
• Winter shrub covers