Irrigation needles

[SeanKroll]

Corona MAX 36 in. Root Irrigator LG13715 - The Home Depot

Corona MAX lawn and garden tools were made for exceptional comfort and control. We've engineered and developed this range of tools to provide you with hand-held solutions to cultivate, weed, till and maintain your property. Repair your lawn, edge a border or prepare a garden bed with comfort and...

www.homedepot.com

$25

I just ordered 6 to start.
I'm going to give them out upon completion of decent-sized projects and to established customers. Maybe get a company sticker made for them. Long-game.
I bet half of my customers will offer to pay me for them, but I don't care, either way.




When I go for my initial visits to new customers, or more frequently to see what my existing customers need this time around, I will offer to give their trees a drink during drought, particularly less drought- tolerant species, more drought-challenged areas (e.g. near asphalt or black gravel road/ driveways, reflected heat off s/ sw exposures of buildings) and more important trees.


What depth would you all suggest?
I'm thinking 6-9" below grade.


I suggest using them with a water timer (set and forget), or while working in their yard with a timer on their phone.

 

[Bermy]

I like it!

 

[flushcut]

You prick now I gotta go spend money.

 

[SeanKroll]

The feedback I got form Cerviarborist on TreeBuzz, who is usually pretty knowledgeable, is that he thinks they are gimmicky. The product says 36". I don't know if he skimmed and didn't see that I'm suggesting near-surface emitting. I might do some dig some test pits to see how the water flows from 6-9" depth.

I would consider drilling more holes in the bottom 6" of the needle.

 

[frans]

There was someone that laid a tube just outside the drip line that was filled with water. Then the entire area was filled with water.

 

[CurSedVoyce]

Kind of the same principle as the deep watering systemams I see up here. Drill hole in dirt. Insert 3-4" perf pipe. Put a drip head or bubbler through one of the holes just below turf level after filling with gravel.

 

[Nutball]

Or poke a pinhole in the bottom and top of a 5 gallon water bottle or bucket with lid. I'm going to try it if I can remember to grab the empty oil buckets from work before they get tossed. The bucket prevents water from evaporating off the ground under where it sits, so a trickle goes a long way.

 

[Marc-Antoine]

A problem difficult to assess is that the trees are lazy as every other people. If they get a regular and localised supply of water, they reinforce their root's development around these points and put on hold a good part of the rest of the root system. Tricky when the human supply stops for some reason.
I had a good example at my parents' home. After years and years of struggling, a birch planted in an harsh area of the garden was looking good since some times with a good growth and a healthy crown. We thought that her roots finally found their place and became able to function properly. Actually, they benefited unnoticeably from a clogged pipe for the house's wast water. With the length of the pipe down the garden (about 100 yards) and two big manholes on the way, the water level never came near the house, so we didn't saw the problem for a long time. At some point, my father suspected something from the nice grass coming out of this usually dry area. We found the clogging (the last length of pipe has moved a little and some roots found the opened junction) and drained the wast water system. Good. For us. Not for the birch. In like 3 weeks, all her leaves withered and turned brown, excepted an handfull at the tip of the limbs. So sorry.
Unexpectably, she made it and started again at the next spring, with the same clear crown as before the abundant supply. Saved ?
Not unscatered though. I saw some damages on the trunk beside the new dead woods in the limbs.
Too bad, one year later came the two years of very hot weather and severe drought. That was the end.