As the weather hots up and the summer holidays approach, it’s important to make sure your young trees have the water they need. Depending on your tree growing set up, your water needs will be different: trees in cells or containers will require more regular watering than trees in raised beds or the ground; rainfall will vary depending on your location; and different species have different water needs.
Whatever systems you use, it’s important that you consider your watering needs, put plans and schedules in place and consider the team members who can support this.
Hand watering
If you plan to hand water with hoses and watering cans over the summer, it is important to ensure you have sufficient capacity to ensure regular, consistent watering. Additionally, ensure that anyone responsible for watering knows to water deeply to make sure the water reaches penetrates into the soil, supporting deeper root growth and less evaporation. If growing in containers or cells, you can also put capillary matting under them. This will feed into a water reservoir and waters containers through wicking – requiring less frequent checking and topping up, depending on the size of the reservoir.
Auto irrigation
Whether you’re using mains water or rainwater harvesting, you can buy tools and equipment that will automatically provide regular watering. These are often used in conjunction with other equipment such as drippers or soaker hoses to spread water across raised beds or a number of pots. Solar irrigation systems have pumps so they can be used in conjunction with rainwater butts and tanks to provide the pressure needed.
We will be sharing more in depth advice resources and guides in the coming months. However, if you think you need help or advice to support your watering over summer or have any questions, get in touch. Email growingtogether@treecouncil.org.uk.
Our friends at the Community Tree Nursery Collaborative are hosting an online event on this theme on Wednesday 24 June 2026 at 6:30pm. For more information, and to sign up, click here.
