Hi, everyone. This is my first posting and I've got an interesting situation.

I installed 5, 5 gallon, Pinyon Pines and 3, 15 gallon, Italian Cypress trees at a home in 29 Palms, CA, this spring. Both trees are growing in the area and seem to be doing just fine. I amended the soil (sandy) with about 20% Fox Farm soil amendment so that it would hold a bit of moisture for the new roots. All the holes were dug about 3X the diameter of the root balls but no deeper. Water application is controlled by a timer and applied using 0.6 gph inline emitters in both an "X" across the root ball and a circle under the drip line. Watering is once per day for 30 minutes and this means each tree is getting around 5+ gallons per day. The cypress trees actually have a little more drip line around them, so they get a bit more water plus they are mulched around the base. The pines have no mulch. There is a little bit of puddling when the emitters are running, but no real runoff. Everything seems to be going straight down into the soil.

Question 1: Are the trees getting enough water for full sun in 100+ weather?

Now, it gets strange. The homeowner decided that since it was hot, the trees needed more water. She did not mention anything about needle drop, or browning, or sagging branches - just that she felt they weren't getting sufficient water. The watering schedule is now 4X per day for a total of around 90 minutes of run time!

Question 2: Is this over-watering? If so, can it damage the trees?

My concerns are that the trees can actually suffer from too much water given they are adapted to dry climates, and with so much water there is no incentive to start sending their roots out wide and deep for the future. I have advised the homeowner that I disagree with what she is doing, but it seems the neighbor across the street is now advising her. I'm hoping she will listen to people who know how to garden.

Thanks for your help.

Rolf