 Re: Tree Spacing For Colo. Spruce
I try to get irrigators to place sprinkler heads in such a way as to spray away from the trees instead of at the trees - if that makes sense.
Absorbing roots start several inches to several feet away from the trunks of trees (depending upon the size of the tree.)
A sprinkler head should be placed 2 to 3 feet from the trunk and directed to spray away from the tree. Sprinklers which spray tree trunks cause a variety of problems which I treat as a professional arborist every day.
If you think about it, when it rains on a golf course, people head for the trees - because it's drier beneath the trees. As it rains harder, they move closer to the trunk where it stays driest , longest.
Timing? I'll disagree with Erik here in that I think the optimum time starts at sunrise and ends around 10 to 10:30 AM. Stomata in the needles (or leaves of angiosperms) are photo sensitive and open when the sun comes up. Plants most efficiently absorb water during daylight hours.
Pat Wentworth
Austin, Texas |