FINDING WATER Before You Buy Land

Many emails from viewers ask us what is the biggest concern to address before starting a homestead. The Answer is making sure you can find water on the land you purchase. Don't purchase land without having multiple sources of water on it.

One easy way to find water on your land is to look for certain trees that require moderate or extreme amounts of water to survive. IF YOU CAN FIND A SYCAMORE on potential land, YOU HAVE WATER and usually lots of it.

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[DouglasLee]

Love how you went straight into it. Hit the point and spoke clearly. I wish all YouTubers did that.

[chadfinley]

This man is correct. I am a second generation water well driller for 30 years in the State of Ohio. I took over my fathers business in 1985 with his 1950 Saunders Cyclone model 40 cable tool rig. My prepper/survivalist mindset always paid attention to what I saw above ground to what my bailings proved what was below.

[moman]

Absolutely correct. I learned this from my grandpa. We had a existing well on our home property but we were going to need to drill a new well because the old casing was caving in on it. There was a beautiful sycamore on the other side of the house by the old garage so gramps said to drill there. The existing wells are 100 to 300 feet in the county so we hired a well driller and hit bed rock at 15 foot and at 25 foot we hit more water than the drill rig could pump. That was 45 years ago and the well has a 1 horse submersible pump in it now since the 1/2 horse finally gave up. It can pump to a 3/4 inch line and three hundred feet to the barn and it looks like a fire hose working.

[sfetterly]

I'm in negotiations for a small (3 acre) homestead, plenty of water. Zach, your information over the last few years has really prepared me for this ... thank you!!!

[spsmith]

I have heard from a very knowledgeable self-described "hillbilly" that tulip poplar is a very good indicator of springs. I have some at my house and there is a spring there.

[artrunningbear]

In the southwest, Arizona, and New Mexico we always look for cottonwood trees because they are water trees, the pioneers always followed the trees through the land to be able to find water. The ones that knew anyway

[theversatileartist]

Totally solid advice, I always tell my wife when we drive around the country side that the bigger the trees the closer the water source, it's common sense but like you said, overlooked by many.

[mhiggins]

When I was growing up we had a well on top a hill and gravity fed it to the house so we always had water pressure with no power or pumping

[jacelandadventures]

I have a plethora of sycamores on my property, which happens to be on top of a mountain. The water is plentiful where they reside. Great video! 👍🏼

[roncattrell]

Another good tree to watch out for is the Weeping Willow. they are always found near plentiful water sources.

[offgridgetawaycamp]

Great tip. My property has no sycamore trees, but it is surrounded by wet lands, a swamp and a lake nearby. So plenty of water nearby.

[offgridsweden]

You are so right. Water is essential. On the land that I bought I got a well for drinking water, a cold water hole to water my garden and also a creek that I dont use right now. Water is important.

[darleneclark]

This would have been good information before we purchased 25 acres. But it wouldn't have helped us much because our land was timbered before we found it. Still quite a few nice trees and lots of small ones that will thrive now that they have room to. Luckily we have two existing wells, a beautiful creek and a natural spring that bubbles up. Can't wait to start developing it. We have to sell our current home up north first.

[jonijonijoni]

I just love this guy. When things start hitting the fan in this world (and you know what I mean by that...)this man will be ready!

[daleanderson]

One of the best, most straight-forward and easy to understand videos on this topic, well done! Very glad to be a subscriber.

[johnlord]

You are in the South and East for sycamores. In the West and Pacific NW, we look for alders, willows, cascara, and hemlocks (small pines), all softwoods. Yes, notice the trees on the land, and they will tell you the geology, hydrology, and soil ph of the area. You have the option with the sycamore limbs (bowed down, not the trunk) to tap into that tree for sugar syrup. Less % sugar content than sugar maple, but 400 gallons/day is nothing to sneeze at. Or tapping a sycamore limb will also provide emergency sterilize survival water.

[MrRain-hkzi]

Absolutely. If you don't have water you will only enjoy your land for three days...then die of thirst. Thanks Zac!

[nathanhatcher]

I definitely agree with this homesteader! After COVID hit my wife and I decided it is time to secure some raw land well out of city life but look for land that welcomes you and nothing does that better than water! with the lord's help we found 13 beautiful acres with a spring fed stream along the property, that was are sign! My only regret is that I wish I would have done it much sooner after COVID raw land here in SC nearly tripled in price! Thanks for sharing bro!

[obadiahscave]

you can create electric, you can create a waste water system.. and you can create heat.. but water is the one resource you must have and you got to get it, somehow... its most important. thanks for the video...!

[terris]

I usually look at tree branches to see where the the water is flowing. (a gentle dip means a little water, several layers of branches turned down means more water, though in town, where I live, it usually means water pipes). I knew larger trees indicated water, but I didn't think to look for sycamores. Thanks for the info!