One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture AnsweredWickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Science
One Thousand Questions in California Agriculture Answered
Wickson, Edward J. (Edward James)
Agriculture -- California
Looking through an orchard of 18-year-old prune trees on riverbottom
land, I found a number of the trees had died. A well bored in the
orchard strikes water at about 15 feet. I find no apparent reason far
the death of these trees unless it is that the tap roots reach this body
of water and are injuriously affected thereby.
We do not believe that water at 15 feet depth could possibly kill a
prune tree. It is more likely that owing to spotted condition of the
soil, gravel should occur in different places, and with gravel three or
four feet below the surface a tree might actually die although there was
plenty of water at a depth of 15 feet. There is more danger that the
trees died from lack of water than from an oversupply of it, and it is
quite likely also that you could pump and irrigate to advantage large
trees which did not seem to be up to the standard of the whole place, as
manifested by lack of bearing, smallness of leaves, which would be apt
to turn yellow too early in the season.
Possibly Too Much Water.
My trees are four years old and are as follows: Peach, fig, loquat,
apple, apricot and plum. Last year they had plenty of blossoms, but I
got no fruit. I always watered them twice a week in summer.
You are watering your trees too much; stimulating their growth too much,
and this, while a tree is young, is apt to postpone its fruit bearing.
Give the soil a good soaking about once a mouth, unless you are situated
in a sandy or gravelly soil, in which more frequent applications may be
necessary.
Too Little Water After Dynamiting.
In planting almonds on a dry hard soil I dynamited the holes and ran
about 200 gallons of water into each hole before planting. About 95 per
cent of the trees started growth, but seem now to be in a somewhat
dormant state, the leaves of some being slightly wilted. All the trees
were watered since planting. I have been told I made a mistake by
throwing water in the dynamited holes. When the holes were watered the
ground was very dry and the water disappeared in a few minutes.
You have used too little water rather than too much. Dry soil of fine
texture can suck up an awful lot of moisture, which can be drawn off so
far, or so widely distributed, that there will not be enough for the
immediate vicinity of the roots. The dynamiting tended to deep drying
and necessitated much more irrigation.
Irrigating Young Trees.
We have just put out 50 acres to walnuts. The party who put them out
wants me to have some boxes or troughs made 15 inches long with a 3-inch
opening, and put in on the slant so as to have the water hit the roots.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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