Little project

[BradB]

Like many from the forum which shall remain nameless I got into growing my own a few years back, wildlife trees that is. Have had up to 60 trees going at one time and because of the time and ineffectiveness of hand watering ran the idea of a fairly elaborate watering system through my head but never got around to it. Well push came to shove because I was going to the farm for two weeks, the wife was out of town and I did not want my nice neighbor to have to spend a bunch of time watering them. About 30 minutes and less than $30 had me a good working system that has saved me a pile of time and does a much better watering job than me. A pressure reducer that attached to the hose, a little 1/2" tubing, 100 feet of 1/4 tubing for emitter lines and drip emitters.I cannot believe I did not do this 2 years ago.

 

[alldaysit]

Good to know!!! So you hooked this up to your garden hose?


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[IkemanTx]

What kind of watering frequency do you use with a setup like that, and about how much water per cycle do you water? I have been submerging all my air pruning pots this year because watering from above has not been keeping up in our 102°+ temps.


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[Turkey Creek]

Drip irrigation is the way to go as far as I am concerned. Ran drip line through my entire nursery this year. Much more efficient watering.

 

[yoderjac]

I tried a drip irrigation system several years ago with a timer on a well pump. I was not happy with the results. I was unable to adjust the rates to deal with our variety of weather. I either had them too wet or too dry. I'm sure it would work great if I was a the location and could regulated it daily.

I've had my best success watering my containerized trees by weight. I completely submerge the rootbuilder II containers saturating the medium with water and then let them dry out until the container is obviously light. I then dunk them again. That weight change is what tells me it is time to water.

I don't have a professional setup with controlled climate like a greenhouse. I'm sure it would be easier to adjust a timer under those conditions.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Turkey Creek]

I should have said that all my nursery trees are in the ground. I do agree that if you were watering on a timer for outdoor pots it would likely require a bit more vigilance as to water requirements do to varying environmental conditions.

 

[yoderjac]

I should have said that all my nursery trees are in the ground. I do agree that if you were watering on a timer for outdoor pots it would likely require a bit more vigilance as to water requirements do to varying environmental conditions.

Yes, I loved the efficiency of drip irrigation compared to spray, but I couldn't regulate it as well. While I'm actually growing seedlings I dunk to maximize growth. Once I take them to the farm, I now use the timer with a sprinkler. This is generally toward fall when trees need less water and I'm only trying to keep them healthy until I can get them in the ground, not maximize growth at this point.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[BradB]

Yes its just hooked up to the hose, no timer or anything complicated. Most of the emitters are 1 gal/hour so I usually let it go for an hour every other day if dry. The only reason this works is because it is at my house so I can regulate it. It does do a great job of soaking the root ball and would be a lot faster and easier than trying to dunk individual pots. I am down to only 30 trees but that would be really time consuming and a general pain in the rear.

 

[yoderjac]

Yes its just hooked up to the hose, no timer or anything complicated. Most of the emitters are 1 gal/hour so I usually let it go for an hour every other day if dry. The only reason this works is because it is at my house so I can regulate it. It does do a great job of soaking the root ball and would be a lot faster and easier than trying to dunk individual pots. I am down to only 30 trees but that would be really time consuming and a general pain in the rear.

Undoubtedly! And my back is killing me! Sometimes I get lazy and top water with a spray wand, but because it doesn't have time to be absorbed, more frequent watering is required. Since I still have all the components, I may consider trying your drip irrigation setup at home next year and control it manually. The biggest problem I see is that when I water my trees, I'll pick up some containers an they are still heavy and wet and I'll pick up another and it is very light and completely empty. While it kills my back, the dunking method addresses this.

Thanks,

Jack