How much do I water??

[lynn]

I recently planted 7 crepe myrtle trees and 2 bradford pears. I know I need to water them well to establish roots, but I have no idea how often or how much. They all have mulch rings around them to help hold water. I live out in the country and have sporatic water pressure so I need to know an amount of water as opposed to an amount of time to water. Thanks for any help!

[drchelo]

Is there any way that you could apply a "soaker hose" to your new trees? It is so difficult with the present heat and dry condition to know just how much is enough with new trees. If you cannot water at a low, constant rate, I would think that watering as deeply as possible is the best way...crepe myrtles are relatively drought tolerant once they are established, I don't know anything about Bradford pears.
My best suggestion is to not let the soil under the mulch dry out..

[lynn]

Thanks for the reply. A soaker hose isn't really an option. I don't mind being outside watering, I just wasn't sure if I could be overwatering. I have been leaving the hose on until there is a pool of water in the mulch ring and then moving on to the next tree and have been watering every day since we planted the trees about 2 weeks ago.