How to Water Your River Birch Tree

The Facts About How to Water Your River Birch Tree

The truth is you can never over water a River Birch! We’ve been growing, selling, planting, and enjoying Birch trees for over thirty years and no one has ever drowned one. No matter what you may think, a River Birch can happily soak up gallons upon gallons of water per month.

In reality, during the Summer months, you’re probably not watering your birch tree enough. And when it rains? You still should water your birch tree. Think of rainfall from thunderstorms or heavy showers as a water bonus for your tree, rather than a replacement for its regular watering.

Birch Trees are known for their water-guzzling habits (we're lookin' at you River Birch!), so it is essential to increase your watering for those trees during the summer. If you see the leaves on your Birch, begin to turn yellow, water water water! When using the Bower & Branch Water Element, our growers recommend filling it every 3-5 days.

This allows the pressure within the bag to maintain, so water is continuously dripped at a rate in which the Birch will receive a sufficient amount of water.

Here is How To Keep Your River Birch Healthy And Happy

1. Water the river birch tree once every 3 to 5 days in the spring. Using a trickling hose - water the tree slowly over a one to two hour period. The river birch likes moist soil and should receive between 30 and 40 gallons of water a month, rainfall included.
   
   
2. During the heat of summer months, it is essential to water daily! Watering is crucial during those heat waves!
   
   
3. To protect the tree's shallow roots and reduce weed competition, spread a 2 to 4-inch layer of organic mulch around the tree every spring. This will improve the soil and help to retain moisture.
   
   
4. Feed your newly planted tree Bower & Branch Elements™ Plant Food for optimum growth. Spread the granular fertilizer evenly over the tree's entire root zone.
   

 If You Think Your Birch Tree Needs Water, It Does.

Birch planters, listen please, your newly planted Birch requires extreme amounts of water in the first year of growing. We must water deeply; sufficient water is probably the most critical factor in maintaining a healthy birch tree. This could require hours of slow drip hose watering on your tree, repeated 3 to 4 times weekly through the summer months. 

You will not kill your tree from overwatering in any way. Your tree wants to grow, it wants to thrive today - the only limiting factor is available water deep in the ground where your roots are.

Turn on your hose today, your Birch tree needs you!