Best solution for easy irrigation of newly planted trees.

m68 · May 2022

Hi all, I am hoping to get some advice if possible.

We have recently planted 9 new Ligustrum Japonica (Japanese privet) trees, and I was told I need to water these regularly for the first two years from mid April to mid October.

I was told each new tree needs around 20 litres of water every two days, and this far I have been using a sprinkler every second day to water them, however this requires constant moving around and I cant be sure the root of each tree is getting the desired amount of water.

All 9 trees are planted in a row over a span of 11 metres. And I have a hosepipe and tap close to these.

I wanted to ask whether it was possible to get some kind of irrigation system set up using a length of hose or similar and a battery powered timer? I have read into this a little however I am a novice and I'm unsure if this kind of set up would be suitable for delivering enough water to each tree on a regular basis.

Does anyone have any advice? I'm keen to be as lazy as possible here as you can probably tell! :-)

Thank you in advance.

J

thevictorian · May 2022

Hi, 20L sounds quite a lot so I'm guessing they are substantial plants? Can you tell us about the soil type and if you mulched them at all. There certainly are drip lines that can do the job you are wanting but a little more info might help us come up with the best solution.

m68 · May 2022

thevictorian said:

Hi, 20L sounds quite a lot so I'm guessing they are substantial plants? Can you tell us about the soil type and if you mulched them at all. There certainly are drip lines that can do the job you are wanting but a little more info might help us come up with the best solution.

Hi, thanks for getting back to me.

They are just over 3m tall and the guy who put them in said the soil was 'ok' although not sure what that means being honest. I know that he did add some top soil and fertiliser when planting. And laid a layer of mulch over the top of the soil where planted.

The nursery I purchased them from advised that I should use watering bags attached to each tree. However these still require standing with a hose every few days and filling all 9 bags manually. I also read they only last for one year and they were rather expensive at £50 per bag - especially if they will need replaced after 12 months.

zugenie · May 2022

How about a soaker hose that loops around each tree?

m68 · May 2022

zugenie said:

How about a soaker hose that loops around each tree?

Can you recommend a system that might work? I'm also unsure about how you ensure each tree is getting the desired amount of water.

Obelixx · May 2022

I use a soaker/seep hose in my polytunnel for the tomatoes and cucumbers as well as outside in the soft fruit cage and also along the dahlia and squashes bed. They can be quite expensive and come in anything from 10 to 25 metre lengths so you'd need a lot but they are much more efficient than sprinklers, tho they have their place in some circumstances.

What you could do instead is buy some ordinary cheap hosepipe and lay it out between your new trees but running a loop to encircle each individual tree at a diameter that falls within the circle of their canopy. Then pierce some holes on the underside of each loop with a sharp skewer so the water can escape and moisten the soil around the roots. You'll need U shaped pegs (for landscape fabric) to hold down the hosepipes and especially keep the loops in place.

You will need hosepipe to hosepipe connectors to get the length you need and a battery operated timer at the tap. Gardena do a good one. No idea how long it would take to give each tree 20 litres but if you put the timer on to do 30 minutes every night you can then go and check how damp the soil gets and adjust up and down as needed.

Failing that, you'll have to visit each tree with a spray end on your hose pipe and water each one for as long as it takes to fill a 20litre bucket and that you'd have to time beforehand.

JennyJ · May 2022

20 litres is only two large watering cans so not excessive and would probably only take a couple of minutes each with a hose, but applying it that quickly will probably mean a lot runs off. The kind of irrigation system where you lay a hose on the ground going past each plant and insert a dripper or two for each plant (or holes like @Obelixx suggested) would probably work better. Try putting a bucket or trug tub under the last tree's drippers/holes when you first switch it on, and measure how long it takes to deliver 20 l or so (it doesn't have to be pinpoint accurate). Then you can set a timer on the tap to water for that long every other day.

One word of warning though - the timers aren't frost proof so you'd need to disconnect it and bring it in for the winter, and turn the tap on and off manually for however long you need. I think probably they'll need less water in the winter when it's cooler.

Obelixx · May 2022

Wouldn't need watering thru winter, just the summer heat and dry periods such as this last April and now. Normal rains and natural dormancy from autumn should mean no watering needed so the timer can be safely removed and stored.

m68 · May 2022

Thanks everyone - really appreciate the advice!

I have the following items in my basket so hoping this will do the job!

ITEMS RESERVED

Claber 25 Metre Main Tube 13mm - 90365	x 1	£21.99

Nut and Tail Tap Adaptor 3/4" BSPF - 13mm	x 1	£2.30

Elbow Connector 13mm - 2 Pack	x 1	£1.50

Stop End 13mm - 2 Pack	x 1	£1.40

Supply Pipe Ratchet Clamp 13mm - 10 Pack

Supply Pipe Ratchet Clamp 13mm - 10 Pack	x 1	£3.20

Supply Pipe Hold Down Stake - 5 Pack	x 2	£7.80

Tube Adaptors 4mm - 10 Pack	x 1	£2.60

Asta Dripper Pressure Compensating 8LPH - 5 Pack

Asta Dripper Pressure Compensating 8LPH - 5 Pack	x 2	£9.40

Micro Supply Pipe 10 Metre - 4mm	x 1	£3.55

Claber Aquauno Video 2 Plus - 8412	x 1	£52.99

Irrigation Hole Punch	x 1	£2.20

KT53 · May 2022

Possibly too late with the trees already planted, but a length of plastic pipe about 1 1/2" (38mm) diameter sunk vertically beside each tree would ensure water gets to the roots with no runoff. It's a bit disappointing that whoever did advise on the watering requirement didn't suggest this at the time.

I have the Hozelock equivalent of the irrigation system and it works well for me. Watering about 40 pots and baskets. I did have to fiddle about somewhat to get flow rates right but I am working at somewhere near the limit of capacity. When you do set it up I would still suggest using a measuring jug on each outlet to check how much is coming out of each dripper as it varied quite a bit with mine.

JennyJ · May 2022

@KT53 that's why I suggested measuring how long it takes to get 20l for the last tree in the line - the last drippers will be the slowest (at least they are on my system which I think is a similar size to yours - pots and baskets all around the house, never added up the total but it must be 40-ish)

Best solution for easy irrigation of newly planted trees.

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