Water distribution to a bunch of newish fruit trees?

[ning]

We planted a bunch of new fruit trees last year to replace gradual die-off from an old orchard, and also to add more varieties... and mostly because it sounded great and I'm an idiot and let people talk me into adding to my workload.

Last year I set up a temporary watering system using a few runs of ?5/8"? (0.7" I think actually) drip line with 1/4" coming off to each tree, and some tubing with 6"-spaced emitters in a circle around the new trees for 3gph run for a couple hours every few days; these are connected to a hose bib via battery timers.

This generally worked, but it was a mess and was obviously impossible to mow around. I'm looking to put something in that's permanent.

My thought at the moment is to rent a smaller trencher - 4" wide x 24" deep max.
Frost isn't an issue, as watering only needs to be done in late spring through fall, and there will be no water pressure at any other time.
Thought is to run pipe down the lines, and T more pipe to each tree, and have a stub-up where it won't get hit by a mower, and attach drip w/ emitters for now, and maybe bubblers later.

Biggest question is: Can I use poly pipe for this? It's cheaper and quick & easy to handle... are the joints reliable to put underground?
I also like the fact that poly is flexible and can tolerate less-than-straight "lines" better (our orchard isn't on a perfect grid); I know pvc can bend some, but poly is very cheap and so easy to connect up.

Any advice for this noob?

 

[WVBill]

I don't see why poly wouldn't work. It's what we had from the well to the house in WV and It's what I used to run a line ending in a hose bib out to our garden. I blew it out when it got cold to keep from freezing. I used barbed fittings with ss hose clamps but I've seen new fitting designs in the box stores now that are just friction fit.

 

[hslogger]

Only suggestion that I can make...... If you bury poly pipe, you run risk of critters eating it.I have experienced that before in Western Oregon.
Standard irrigation people when burying lines, use white PVC. At the outlets they run double elbows with the exit emitter. The double elbows, called "street elbow and funny pipe". This allows for flex in the system and makes repair work easy.

 

[jeff9366]

For portable, six-month to one-year irrigation use T-posts with sprinklers on top, supplied by garden hose. We use hose Quick Couplers on the feed hose, moving from one sprinkler to the next. With ten foot tall T-posts you have really wide coverage, maybe 50'. We use this irrigation hardware in our 1-1/2 acre Blueberry field. Simpler, cheaper than drip.

Multiple venders sell identical LOW QUALITY, asian made T-post sprinklers. I bought at Tractor Supply Company. I would buy higher quality if it was out there, but, alas, not.

((Rainbird (brand) should sell high quality T-post bases.))

I recommend letting these LOW QUALITY sprinklers turn through 360 degrees, rather than oscillating. They operate trouble free fairly long turning through 360 degrees, only a short time oscillating.

LINK: GroundWork T-Post Sprinkler at Tractor Supply Co.




Another approach:
http://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/customization/339913-water-garden.html

 

[oosik]

I have a orchard - 14 apple trees. We started with a buried system. PITA!!!! Plug ups - pocket gophers - broken fittings - wash outs - winterizing. I gave up and put large brass Rainbird brand sprinklers on T-133 posts. Strategically located - I easily covered all 14 trees with eight sprinklers.

Simpler - visual confirmation of operation - easier to maintain - a WHOLE LOT LESS WORK TO WINTERIZE.

The eight Rainbird sprinklers were put into use in 1984 and are still used every year. I've had to replace some of the garden hose that feed the sprinklers - mainly due to the sun.

 

[BoylermanCT]

I planted a 9 tree apple orchard two years ago and I went low tech. I picked up 3 five gallon buckets per tree, and drilled a 1/16" hole in the bottom near the outer edge of the bucket. I place the 3 buckets around each tree so the hole is closest to the trunk and fill them up. I do this once a week if we don't get any significant rain.

Bakeries often have 5 gallon buckets for free. They order cake icing in them.

Hopefully you get enough rain so nature takes care of watering them for you!

 

[dasranger]

I planted a 9 tree apple orchard two years ago and I went low tech. I picked up 3 five gallon buckets per tree, and drilled a 1/16" hole in the bottom near the outer edge of the bucket. I place the 3 buckets around each tree so the hole is closest to the trunk and fill them up.

I do the same with the buckets. I was ready to give up on my fruit trees until I started watering and fertilizing the drip lines. Game changer for me.

 

[MossRoad]

What's your water usage costs there?

Sprinklers waste a lot of water through runoff and evaporation. Drip can be much more targeted and efficient. Also, watering daily encourages shallow root growth. Watering for longer periods less often will produce better, stronger root structure. I'd just run a poly pipe down the row of trees right along the trunks, then tee off a couple/three larger GPH emitters to each tree. If you don't want to mow around the tee'd off lines, you could put mini sprinklers in between each tree. One sprinkler would cover one side of two trees. Then you wouldn't have to mow around them.

 

[EddieWalker]

I also use five gallon buckets. Just one bucket per tree, and they are filled up with a hose. We've talked about going with something that takes less time, but so far, it's just talk.

 

[randy41]

1/2" pe tubing for the main with 1/8" tubing punched in where needed with emitters on the end by the tree. pressure regulator and filter required but not pricey. hold the tubing close to the ground with staples. set the mower high enough to avoid hitting the tubing.

 

[aczlan]

We put in 20 trees last spring and ran 3/4" black plastic pipe trenched at about 6" down with a 2gph pressure compensating emitter at each tree and a 24" piece of emitter tubing with 4 0.5gph emitters in it in a loop buried around the tree.
We hook a timer to the pipe and connect a hose to that. That way we can give them about a gallon of water per day by running the hose for 30 minutes.
This year we need to add something similar for the garden.

Aaron Z

 

[ning]

We put in 20 trees last spring and ran 3/4" black plastic pipe trenched at about 6" down with a 2gph pressure compensating emitter at each tree and a 24" piece of emitter tubing with 4 0.5gph emitters in it in a loop buried around the tree.
We hook a timer to the pipe and connect a hose to that. That way we can give them about a gallon of water per day by running the hose for 30 minutes.
This year we need to add something similar for the garden.

Aaron Z

Have you had any issues with the buried emitters clogging?

 

[aczlan]

Have you had any issues with the buried emitters clogging?

Not yet, I'll let you know once we turn the system on this spring.

Aaron Z

 

[jeff9366]

For portable, six-month to one-year irrigation use T-posts with sprinklers on top, supplied by garden hose. We use hose Quick Couplers on the feed hose, moving from one sprinkler to the next. With ten foot tall T-posts you have really wide coverage, maybe 50'. We use this irrigation hardware in our 1-1/2 acre Blueberry field. Simpler, cheaper than drip.

I recently ordered one of these Yuzuak (brand), Turkish manufactured, plastic impact sprinklers combined with a Sprinkler Innovations (brand) industrial strength T-post fixture. No sprinkler leaks. Very precise adjustment of spray splitting. No zinc in the T-post fixture; only steel and brass. The best impact sprinkler and the best T-post fixture I have yet found. Well worth the somewhat premium price.

Now I can precisely overhead irrigate twice the surface, moving the hose from T-post sprinkler to T-post sprinkler once every 60 to 90 minutes, instead of every 20 to 30 minutes.

I have standard, residential 55 psi water service. No pressure boost.

SPRINKLER FUNCTIONS ONLY IN 360 MODE.
SPRINKLER HAS NO MECHANISM TO OSCILLATE.
LESS IS MORE.​

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[Jstpssng]

A tree should get about an inch of water per week, whether naturally or via irrigation. A cubic foot of water contains 7.5 gallons. A 3 foot circle is 7 square feet. That figures out to about 4.5 gallons of water per tree.
As Moss said, improper irrigation promotes shallow roots. You are better off to rotate your trees, so that over the course of a week they each get watered once.

 

[RalphVa]

We planted a bunch of new fruit trees last year to replace gradual die-off from an old orchard, and also to add more varieties... and mostly because it sounded great and I'm an idiot and let people talk me into adding to my workload.

Last year I set up a temporary watering system using a few runs of ?5/8"? (0.7" I think actually) drip line with 1/4" coming off to each tree, and some tubing with 6"-spaced emitters in a circle around the new trees for 3gph run for a couple hours every few days; these are connected to a hose bib via battery timers.

This generally worked, but it was a mess and was obviously impossible to mow around. I'm looking to put something in that's permanent.

My thought at the moment is to rent a smaller trencher - 4" wide x 24" deep max.
Frost isn't an issue, as watering only needs to be done in late spring through fall, and there will be no water pressure at any other time.
Thought is to run pipe down the lines, and T more pipe to each tree, and have a stub-up where it won't get hit by a mower, and attach drip w/ emitters for now, and maybe bubblers later.

Biggest question is: Can I use poly pipe for this? It's cheaper and quick & easy to handle... are the joints reliable to put underground?
I also like the fact that poly is flexible and can tolerate less-than-straight "lines" better (our orchard isn't on a perfect grid); I know pvc can bend some, but poly is very cheap and so easy to connect up.

Any advice for this noob?

An older master gardener told me what to do. Put down an old hose and drill a 1/8 inch hole where the tree is along the hose. Bury the hose just a tad and let grass grow over it.

 

[jyoutz]

I use the standard 1/2” drip line with emitters on the main line in my orchard. No 1/4” spaghetti lines. I make staples out of 9 gauge wire and fasten the drip line on top the ground. If it’s tight to the ground you can mow over the line with no issues, and being on top the ground it’s easy to find and fix leaks.

 

[Torvy]

I use the standard 1/2” drip line with emitters on the main line in my orchard. No 1/4” spaghetti lines. I make staples out of 9 gauge wire and fasten the drip line on top the ground. If it’s tight to the ground you can mow over the line with no issues, and being on top the ground it’s easy to find and fix leaks.

I hear that today. Digging up a leak in pvc for sprinklers in town. Of course, it is at an elbow.

Do you haul the system indoors in the Fall? At your elevation, I would imagine above ground freezes a bit.

 

[jyoutz]

I hear that today. Digging up a leak in pvc for sprinklers in town. Of course, it is at an elbow.

Do you haul the system indoors in the Fall? At your elevation, I would imagine above ground freezes a bit.

No, polyethylene drip tubing is extremely tolerant of freezing. I jus T take the end caps off, so it has room for expansion.

 

[nyone]

Are all the trees in rows? Why not just run the drip line say at 3ft+ and let the drip line drip at the trunk. Easy to see, easy to work on and depending on the mower a 5ft high main line you can mow under.