Drip Irrigation for Trees

Drip irrigation is a watering method that involves some form of controlled release of water. Small holes, usually called emitters, simply limit the water flow to a drip. This will insure that run-off is not a problem because the flow rate is always lower than the soil percolation rate. Drip irrigation products can be self-contained or line fed. This is an important distinction to make, as they can differ substantially on important factors such as cost, flexibility, and maintenance.

Line-fed drip irrigation requires a water line to be buried to each tree, capped with an emitter. Cost and quality of this type of system can vary greatly. The best way to connect to a water supply is with a valve on a timer. While this method sounds like the cats meow, there are a few things you need to consider before taking this route. Installation involves burying lines and sizing the emitter on each tree. Why must the emitters be sized? Because trees of different size need different quantities and the water pressure will be different due to proximity. As the trees grow, you may need to water at the drip line which requires modifications and more emitters. Most importantly, you'll need to be mindful of changes to the automatic timer during times of high rain or high temperatures.

Self-contained drip irrigation products include bags and rings. These can be much easier to install, but will always require you to fill them. They fill fairly quickly, so this small amount of time should not be considered bad. Your trees should get a minimal amount of your time so you can monitor progress and diagnose any problems. Most of these products are 15 gallon capacity or more. This is considerably more than is required to soak the root well of small trees, but a good fit for larger trees. Larger trees, however, should be watered at various locations around the drip line, which is a limitation with some of these products.

All drip irrigation techniques are considered surface watering. Since you are soaking the surface, including the mulch, more water is required to reach the deep roots. If you are conservation-minded, you may find the Self-Contained Root Feeder to be the best approach.

Self-Contained Root Feeder

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