I swore by a deep root watering spike for my new oak, but the soil test told a different story

I put one of those long metal spikes on my hose and gave a 3-year-old pin oak a solid 20-minute soak twice a week all summer, thinking I was getting water way down. A soil probe yesterday showed the water was barely past 8 inches, just encouraging shallow roots. What's your go-to method for getting a deep soak on a new transplant without wasting water?

3 comments

3 Comments

richardr4515d ago

Slow drip from a soaker hose works better for me.

ryan95215d ago

Yeah, that slow drip method is key. Read an article about how it gets water deep down to the roots without wasting any on the surface. Makes a lot of sense for keeping things healthy during a dry spell.

jamiegreen3h ago

Oh man, I tried that and just made a mud pit. Guess I'm better at drowning plants than watering them.