On 8/29/2014 3:47 PM, Hypatia Nachshon wrote:

This is about a Santa Rosa plum and a Blenheim Apricot.

Planted same time; about 4-5 years ago. I assumed that at that age they would be living on ground water, but gardener told me contrary today! Horrified! Mea Culpa! Mea Maxima Culpa! Is he right?!

Plum is healthy-looking; well leafed-out. Apricot no; looks puny; suckers galore.
I remove; they return.

Went on-line but nothing relevant to my question. They discuss baby trees but don't talk about watering 4-5 years old.

This is So Calif coastal. Anybody Up Here or Down There offer any wisdom?

Tx

HB


With the drought, there is likely NO ground water for your trees.
Create a basin around each tree with an inner berm about 1-2 feet from
the trunk and an outer berm aligned with the outermost branch ends.
Flood the basin to a depth of about 2-3 inches about once each week;
this should likely fall within your allowance for water usage.

The suckers on your apricot might indicate extreme stress on the tree.
Suckers should be removed completely, not cut away but pulled off at the
point where they sprout from the roots or rootstock.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary