I travel a lot so if it doesn't rain the trees do not get watered. A few months ago I came across these tree diapers. I bought one (expensive) to experiment with. The one I bought was 24 in. I had to soak it in water for an + or - an hour to fill in the whatever they use inside. I placed it around a burr oak seedling. We had an exceptionally dry December. I kept my eye on it throughout december and it kept shrinking. I left on a 3 week job and when I came back it was full. We had some good rain in Jan. so I guess it filled back up. Since my return we get about .10-.50" of rain per week. It stays full. I know this doesn't mean anything until summer rolls around, but I am looking forward to summer just to see how these things work. Look them up. As I said, they are expensive. Especially for a bunch of seedlings. I am in e. Texas so the temps range from 25 to 80 F in Dec. What got me interested in them is that their web site states "If your region has much less precipitation, we recommend you check on your tree every two weeks. Generally, TreeDiaper® only needs to be watered once every month if there is less than one inch of rain." Man if these work as advertised I am hooked. Plus they suppress weeds. I will fill you guys in on how they work during our brutal Aug-mid Oct. Thanks.