Well, to me, it's not about the tree, it's about the soil. I have sandy soil, and because of that it would be impossible to over water ANYTHING in my soil. That's what the tree farmer, who I live next door to, said to me when I first started planting.

I saturate my plants fully for about 15 minutes, with the water at full force, every day that it hits 78 degree or more. That's about 75 gallons of water. The water drains so fast that by the time I put the hose on the next tree, the water from the previous tree has fully drained. And in 15 minutes it looks barely wet!

Sandy soil just needs more water, because it doesn't hold the moisture in.

ilove,
I hear you.
Oh well, I will water as much as I can, I did mulch it real good. If it does well, it does well.
If it doesn't, I'll get something else.
Sandy soil sucks.
But I'm used to it now, I just have to buy the correct plants and trees for it thats all.
Survival of the fittest at my place.
LOL!

I have acidic sandy soil and have a sweetbay in full sun in quite a dry area. I don't water it ever. Of course, a newly planted tree is an entirely different story. And since zone 8 varies from the Pacific northwest to Texas, it's hard to know what kind of conditions you face.

sand is the ABSOLUTE best soil for trees ... its all about drainage ... as alluded to above ... all trees and shrubs.. want a drink.. and then near total drainage ... not many want to be standing in damp soil ....

and one thing for sure.. do NOT water them like annuals nor perennials ...

learn how to water properly ... see link

ken

Here is a link that might be useful: link

My rather simplistic mind thinks that, although sandy soil does drain faster and dry out faster, it's increased air capacity and friability means that root systems are typically more extensive and expansive (both outward and downward) so the trees somewhat make up for the lack of wate rholding capacity by being better equipped to take up whatever water is there.

Furthermore, sand absorbs the water faster than clay or loam, so there's less runoff and more water actually gets to the roots in a torrential summer downpour.

Finally - water sinks in deeper. An inch of rain on sand might penetrate a foot down, where on clay it may only go 4" or so.

All this means that, depending on species of course, a tree doesn't necessarily need more water on sand than on clay or loam, at least once it is established.

Lacey, Thank you so much. It's good to know that this tree won't need constantly wet soil, I just want it to live. I have to admit, I love magnolias.
I am in South Carolina, in the sand hills.
Ken, thanks for encouraging words.
You know hairmetal, what you wrote made sense.
I'll see if it lives alright, we got alot of rain lately, and it looks pretty happy, I will make sure it gets water this year though. It'll take awhile for it to root in.

Regular mulching (or mulch mow grass clippings regularly) will lead to higher organic matter % in the soil that will hold more water capacity.