Drip Irrigation for the unenlightened

[Raffinator]

Hey All,

I don't post very often because I'm fairly new to palms and learn a good deal from just simply reading all the threads. This place is great.

I have a fledgling palm garden out here in coastal San Francisco, CA. I'm about a 1/4 mile from the Pacific. So that means my soil is almost pure sand. (See attached image). I also get a fairly consistent ocean breeze, which tends to dry things out. For the past few years I've been mulching the soil to improve water retention, but it drains very quickly. If you dig down past the first few inches, its still just lifeless sand.

I'm planning on putting in a drip irrigation system for my backyard palms (2x Brahea Edulis, 2x Chaemarops Humilis) and for my bamboo (several). I also have plans to add a few more palms (yup, I've caught the bug).

I'd like to know what you experts out there would consider the most effective emitter for my soil type (pure drip, microspray, something else?) and how it should be applied to the palm itself (distance, direction, coverage, number of emitters). In doing some research on the forum I see a vast difference of opinion on this topic

Thanks.

[Perito]

Raffinator, I finally installed drip irrigation to my main Palm & shrub area (front yard) a couple weeks ago. HUGE improvement over hand watering which is how I was irrigating before. For the most part I used drip emitters and only used a couple micro-sprayers for my Bromeliads.

There are many good types of emitters available, for my yard I used Flag emitters which are cleanable but vortex and diaphram emitters I'm sure work well also as long as you have a filter installed on the outgoing side of the valve.

Now my smaller palms get enough water to survive under the greedy Queen palms that used to suck up everything.

Mulch as heavily as you can, add mulch in the planting holes when installing plants. Good move to go to Drip lines.

[sonoranfans]

if you have sand, forget about drip and go with microsprayers. If you dig a little on the drip irrigation websites this is what you will find as a recommendation.

[Palm crazy]

if you have sand, forget about drip and go with microsprayers. If you dig a little on the drip irrigation websites this is what you will find as a recommendation.

I have sandy loam soil and micro-sprayers work best for me, get the whole root system not just one little spot. If you water in the evening it helps cool down the garden also.

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

I have fast draining sandy loam in parts of the garden and I have found drippers to be 100% ineffective. They only work well in heavier clay, which my garden also has on the other side.

For the sandy part of my garden I have tried both micro-sprinklers and bubblers. The micro-sprinklers work great as long as you leave the soil bare. But the moment you put wood chip mulch down to slow evaporation, the micro-sprinklers stop working altogether because the wood chips in the mulch absorb all the moisture and evaporate it out. The bubblers work amazingly well because you can place them under the mulch and they deliver enough water to be effective for sandy loam.

[Raffinator]

Thanks everyone for the good info!

It sounds like the consensus is that drip is ineffective in pure sand. Makes sense to me. Mico spray/sprinklers are the way to go, it seems. Of course, I am definitely laying down mulch, as I really have to improve my soil. Though I'm not using very much of the heavy wood chip type mulch around my palms, its more of a soil amendment kind of a mulch, if that makes any kind of sense. I'll look into the bubblers. Would they be as effective without mulch, just on top of sand?

I really appreciate the help, its invaluable, especially because I'll be laying out some $$$ for this.

[Perito]

I live 1/2 mile from the ocean; pure sand before I ammended with mulch. Here is what 2) 2GPH emitters did in a half hour last night.

Here is mound planted area where I used a combination of 4GPH,2GPH and 1GPH drip emitters. Irrigation ran 12 Hours ago and it has been windy today so drying has taken place.

If done correctly the water will spread out, even in sand.

[KennyRE317]

From my research it usually goes clay = drip since the absorption rate would be much slower you create a swale and even with a slow drop it'll flood and disperse. In sandy soil you'll need more of a spread with 2 or 3 micro sprays and aim them so you get about 4' of diameter coverage with the tree in the middle.

[sonoranfans]

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/irrigation/hgic1812.html

Microsprayers are especially useful in areas with coarse, sandy soils. We have already discovered that sandy soils are well-drained see (HGIC 1805, Landscape Irrigation Management Part 6: Soil Type & Irrigation Frequency). Water applied to a sandy soil moves downward through the soil quite quickly. The application rate of a drip emitter is quite slow - so slow, in fact, that in a sandy soil the water applied by the emitter will move downward into the soil with little lateral movement away from the emitter. In some coarse sands the water may only move 4 to 6 inches horizontally in the ground from the emitter. This small lateral movement may not provide water to an adequate amount of plant roots for proper growth (there is some discussion on this, but providing water to 50% of the plant’s rooting area is generally considered adequate).

The microsprayer sprays water out over a large area, providing water to a much larger rooting area in sandy soils. Citrus groves in sandy areas rely almost exclusively on microsprayer systems for this reason. This also regrettably provides some water to vacant areas that weeds may use.

In finer soils (such as loams and clays) the water moves downward more slowly, which allows more lateral water movement from the emitter in the soil. Movements of 2 feet or more from the emitter are not uncommon in clays and clay loam soils. In this case microsprayers would not be required.

[empireo22]

I have fast draining sandy loam in parts of the garden and I have found drippers to be 100% ineffective. They only work well in heavier clay, which my garden also has on the other side.

For the sandy part of my garden I have tried both micro-sprinklers and bubblers. The micro-sprinklers work great as long as you leave the soil bare. But the moment you put wood chip mulch down to slow evaporation, the micro-sprinklers stop working altogether because the wood chips in the mulch absorb all the moisture and evaporate it out. The bubblers work amazingly well because you can place them under the mulch and they deliver enough water to be effective for sandy loam.

i installed drip irrigation not long ago and now i think i want to change the drippers out for microbubblers for palms and where i have bananas put micro sprayers. I am also in sand.

[Darold Petty]

Raffi; I suggest that you take the free drip introduction class at 10:00AM this Saturday at the Urban Farmer store on Vicente Street. I have patronized this store for many years. The owner, Tom, is a great guy, and his staff are extremely well trained. I know they will have a space because I need to cancel my reservation!

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

http://www.clemson.edu/extension/hgic/plants/other/irrigation/hgic1812.html

Microsprayers are especially useful in areas with coarse, sandy soils. We have already discovered that sandy soils are well-drained see (HGIC 1805, Landscape Irrigation Management Part 6: Soil Type & Irrigation Frequency). Water applied to a sandy soil moves downward through the soil quite quickly. The application rate of a drip emitter is quite slow - so slow, in fact, that in a sandy soil the water applied by the emitter will move downward into the soil with little lateral movement away from the emitter. In some coarse sands the water may only move 4 to 6 inches horizontally in the ground from the emitter. This small lateral movement may not provide water to an adequate amount of plant roots for proper growth (there is some discussion on this, but providing water to 50% of the plant’s rooting area is generally considered adequate).

The microsprayer sprays water out over a large area, providing water to a much larger rooting area in sandy soils. Citrus groves in sandy areas rely almost exclusively on microsprayer systems for this reason. This also regrettably provides some water to vacant areas that weeds may use.

In finer soils (such as loams and clays) the water moves downward more slowly, which allows more lateral water movement from the emitter in the soil. Movements of 2 feet or more from the emitter are not uncommon in clays and clay loam soils. In this case microsprayers would not be required.

Yes, this is exactly what I observed in my soil. Drippers did not give me enough coverage, no lateral coverage. My soil is a living sandy soil, not an inert sandy medium, it's super aerated, lots of mole tunnels and lots of worms and other critters have made the soil like swiss cheese. This is why I rarely loose palms to root rot. I loose way more palms in the Summer to drought, especially in the Fall Northeasterly downslope warming winds. (Santa Anas in Southern California.) Drippers just don't do it. Drippers do work for two leafed seedlings, but any larger root mass requires bubblers under mulch or micro if there is no mulch.

[Raffinator]

I live 1/2 mile from the ocean; pure sand before I ammended with mulch. Here is what 2) 2GPH emitters did in a half hour last night.

IMG_0176.jpg

Here is mound planted area where I used a combination of 4GPH,2GPH and 1GPH drip emitters. Irrigation ran 12 Hours ago and it has been windy today so drying has taken place.

IMG_0175.jpg

If done correctly the water will spread out, even in sand.

Great pictures, Perry. It looks like your soil is richer than mine, obviously due to your efforts. The drip method clearly works for you, that's great. It looks like you surround each palm with your emitter, so that the moisture is evenly distributed. Is that a correct observation? Glad to see different methods working for different people.

[Raffinator]

Raffi; I suggest that you take the free drip introduction class at 10:00AM this Saturday at the Urban Farmer store on Vicente Street. I have patronized this store for many years. The owner, Tom, is a great guy, and his staff are extremely well trained. I know they will have a space because I need to cancel my reservation!

Great to hear from you, Darold! Having seen your garden up close, I'd say whatever you are doing irrigation-wise is definitely working! LOL. Thanks for the recommendation. I'm going to contact Urban Farmer and check it out. I've spoken to them already and am planning on purchasing my irrigation equipment from them, when the time comes. They're a great resource.

-Raffi

Edited June 6, 2013 by Raffinator

[Perito]

I turned on my system yesterday afternoon and after 5 minutes started shooting some photos so anyone can see how it works. All the photos here were taken before the water had run 15 minutes.

The green emitters are 4 GPH, blue emitters 2 GPH, and the black ones are 1 GPH. Notice in the first photo that the green emitters don't just drip, but actually stream out. You can see the black emitters on either side of the small palm in the center of the photo. In the second photo the water is pooling in areas, spreading out and actually running down the slope a short distance. Third photo shows one of the 2 micro-sprayers I used to keep water in the 'cups' of the bromeliads. Since the micro-sprayers would not have been enough in that area there are also drippers.

[Perito]

A great thing about this type of irrigation is that you can add or subtract emitters to deliver more or less water to any area, and direct it to precisely the spots that you want more moisture. Here is a small plant with 2) blue emitters where the water is overflowing the small basin and actually running out the cement downspout trough.

Here is the one other micro-sprayer.

[Perito]

Here are a few more examples of how the water is fanning out and not just penetrating straight down.

More water can be delivered by extending run times, adding emitters, and in hotter climates adding run times later in the day. Water can be directed away from the actual emitter to any spot by using 1/4" spagetti tubing which slips over the end of the flag emitter and can be held in place with jute staples.

[KennyRE317]

Do you guys have a suggestion in terms of whether I should run more 1/2" tubing or 1/4"? For example I just finished running all my underground PVC pipes and currently have regular sprinkler heads installed, i can run 1/2" around the perimeter of the beds and then use the 1/4" Just to release the water with short 1/4" tube runs or i can replace the sprinkler head to a head with multiple 1/4" spouts and run those along the whole bed.

Also there seems to be a few different 1/2" tubes with different outer diameters, any differences for the durability and for usage? They seem to have the same ratings just different ODs

Edited June 6, 2013 by KennyRE317

[Perito]

Kenny, Definately use 1/2" tubing for the bulk of your lay-out. It will give a bigger volume of flow to the areas of your garden. The trouble with those slightly different sizes of 1/2" is that the connections you buy at one store might not fit quite right on the tubing you buy somewhere else. I prefer to get all that stuff at places that specialize in irrigation supplys rather than the Box stores or your local hardware store.

[Perito]

I live 1/2 mile from the ocean; pure sand before I ammended with mulch. Here is what 2) 2GPH emitters did in a half hour last night.

IMG_0176.jpg

Here is mound planted area where I used a combination of 4GPH,2GPH and 1GPH drip emitters. Irrigation ran 12 Hours ago and it has been windy today so drying has taken place.

IMG_0175.jpg

If done correctly the water will spread out, even in sand.

Great pictures, Perry. It looks like your soil is richer than mine, obviously due to your efforts. The drip method clearly works for you, that's great. It looks like you surround each palm with your emitter, so that the moisture is evenly distributed. Is that a correct observation? Glad to see different methods working for different people.

I do like to do an emitter on each side of the plant, but I also like ot flood certain areas such as below those large Queen palms since their water requirements are so much higher.

[sonoranfans]

Here are a few more examples of how the water is fanning out and not just penetrating straight down.

IMG_0182.jpgIMG_0183.jpgIMG_0185.jpg

More water can be delivered by extending run times, adding emitters, and in hotter climates adding run times later in the day. Water can be directed away from the actual emitter to any spot by using 1/4" spagetti tubing which slips over the end of the flag emitter and can be held in place with jute staples.

If I saw a surface wet zone like that in my sandy soil, I would re adjust my irrigation. I find palm roots easily 4-6' from my kentiopsis trunk. Clearly in pic one, the wet spot is barely a trunk width from the tree. And as you place the emitters away from the trunk you will need more and more of them. With any irrigation method, I want the wet region to be directed near the "canopy drip line" as that is where the roots are growing. I can cover the entire root area(8-10' diameter) of an adult kentiopsis with one 14 gal per hr microsprayer. In heavy loam soils, its a different story and drip emitters are great. I hope my mulching will yield a heavy loam soil in 5-10 years...

[Mauna Kea Cloudforest]

Here are a few more examples of how the water is fanning out and not just penetrating straight down.

IMG_0182.jpg IMG_0183.jpg IMG_0185.jpg

More water can be delivered by extending run times, adding emitters, and in hotter climates adding run times later in the day. Water can be directed away from the actual emitter to any spot by using 1/4" spagetti tubing which slips over the end of the flag emitter and can be held in place with jute staples.

No such luck here, I wouldn't even get such a footprint, for me the drip goes straight down, surface is pretty dry. My soil is very porous, it's a hillside so it drains much much faster. And the soil is easily 80F being directly exposed to the sun at a perfect 90 degree because of the slope.

[KennyRE317]

Kenny, Definately use 1/2" tubing for the bulk of your lay-out. It will give a bigger volume of flow to the areas of your garden. The trouble with those slightly different sizes of 1/2" is that the connections you buy at one store might not fit quite right on the tubing you buy somewhere else. I prefer to get all that stuff at places that specialize in irrigation supplys rather than the Box stores or your local hardware store.

Thanks, that's what I had originally figured, but wasn't sure since I already have underground PVC laid I can easily just swap a head with the 1/2" poly tube and then cap off the ones not needed. do you have any online retailer you would recommend? I was going to go big box store since it's easier to just buy what I need when I need it but wouldn't have issues ordering online and just ordering a few extra so I can swap bubbler/microspray as needed per bed.

also when you run the 1/2" poly line how well does it seal around the 1/4" tube when you pop the hole? one of the concerns I had when considering using the 1/2" tube as the main was leakage, I plan on running the tube between the soil and mulch

[empireo22]

also when you run the 1/2" poly line how well does it seal around the 1/4" tube when you pop the hole? one of the concerns I had when considering using the 1/2" tube as the main was leakage, I plan on running the tube between the soil and mulch

This is the problem I have. Mine leaks at the barbed connectors from 1/2'' tube going to the 1/4'' tube.

[Perito]

Here are a few more examples of how the water is fanning out and not just penetrating straight down.

IMG_0182.jpgIMG_0183.jpgIMG_0185.jpg

More water can be delivered by extending run times, adding emitters, and in hotter climates adding run times later in the day. Water can be directed away from the actual emitter to any spot by using 1/4" spagetti tubing which slips over the end of the flag emitter and can be held in place with jute staples.

If I saw a surface wet zone like that in my sandy soil, I would re adjust my irrigation. I find palm roots easily 4-6' from my kentiopsis trunk. Clearly in pic one, the wet spot is barely a trunk width from the tree. And as you place the emitters away from the trunk you will need more and more of them. With any irrigation method, I want the wet region to be directed near the "canopy drip line" as that is where the roots are growing. I can cover the entire root area(8-10' diameter) of an adult kentiopsis with one 14 gal per hr microsprayer. In heavy loam soils, its a different story and drip emitters are great. I hope my mulching will yield a heavy loam soil in 5-10 years...

It is still a work in progress, I added some emitters and spaghetti tube yesterday to some dry spots I wanted to cover. I'm not so sure about water at the canopy drip line with Palm trees as the root systems are totally different than standard trees with a taproot, but do not wish to argue that point here.

[Perito]

Here are a few more examples of how the water is fanning out and not just penetrating straight down.

IMG_0182.jpg IMG_0183.jpg IMG_0185.jpg

More water can be delivered by extending run times, adding emitters, and in hotter climates adding run times later in the day. Water can be directed away from the actual emitter to any spot by using 1/4" spagetti tubing which slips over the end of the flag emitter and can be held in place with jute staples.

No such luck here, I wouldn't even get such a footprint, for me the drip goes straight down, surface is pretty dry. My soil is very porous, it's a hillside so it drains much much faster. And the soil is easily 80F being directly exposed to the sun at a perfect 90 degree because of the slope.

The word sand covers a wide variety of soils. In my area it is fine grained, probably holds onto water better than coarser sands. Also our micro-climates are very different so we are not comparing apples to apples. Raffinators situation seems pretty similar to mine; heavy coastal influence and sandy soil (although his sand looks coarser also).

[Perito]

Kenny, Definately use 1/2" tubing for the bulk of your lay-out. It will give a bigger volume of flow to the areas of your garden. The trouble with those slightly different sizes of 1/2" is that the connections you buy at one store might not fit quite right on the tubing you buy somewhere else. I prefer to get all that stuff at places that specialize in irrigation supplys rather than the Box stores or your local hardware store.

Thanks, that's what I had originally figured, but wasn't sure since I already have underground PVC laid I can easily just swap a head with the 1/2" poly tube and then cap off the ones not needed. do you have any online retailer you would recommend? I was going to go big box store since it's easier to just buy what I need when I need it but wouldn't have issues ordering online and just ordering a few extra so I can swap bubbler/microspray as needed per bed.

also when you run the 1/2" poly line how well does it seal around the 1/4" tube when you pop the hole? one of the concerns I had when considering using the 1/2" tube as the main was leakage, I plan on running the tube between the soil and mulch

For the most part they seal up very well. Rarely I get one spraying out water from the base. Plug that hole and make a new one (see next post). I don't order my parts online, but am sure you could do it. If you find yourself without something you need you will face the problem of waiting or hoping the sizes match up when you get your parts locally. I'd be surprised if there were no irrigation specialty vendors in your area.

[Perito]

also when you run the 1/2" poly line how well does it seal around the 1/4" tube when you pop the hole? one of the concerns I had when considering using the 1/2" tube as the main was leakage, I plan on running the tube between the soil and mulch

This is the problem I have. Mine leaks at the barbed connectors from 1/2'' tube going to the 1/4'' tube.

Empireo- install your emitters directly into the 1/2" tubing and run your 1/4" off the end of the emitter.

[ViveroLaVida]

I have been growing plants in the desert of baja mexico for 15+ years now and hands down the best method of irrigation I have found is 1/2" or 1/4" hose with the drippers pre installed at a set distance. You can get different spacing and flow rates. For trees that are far apart we use a regular 1/2' solid hose for delivery then do a ring around the tree with the micro tubing with pre installed drippers. If you want to cover a whole bed then you just snake the hose around so that it covers the whole bed and your done. The good ones from netafim have a self cleaning diaghram that flushes itself everytime you start watering. Also we have problems with sediment and algae buildup in our drippers so if one gets plugged up there are many more that keep on watering. The only down fall of these hoses is the cost.

To maintain constant humidity and reduce water use mulching is a must.

Good luck

[smotrs]

For watering at the surface has anyone tried the emitter tubing? Just connect it to your main 1/2in tubing with barbs and create a circle around your tree with a hole plug in the end. The tubing functions much like a combination soaker hose and emitter by having holes evenly spaced every 12in (1/4in tubing) or 18in (1/2in tubing) depending on which size you get. Tree grows up, just make the drip circle bigger by adding to the initial length.

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/EmitterTubing.htm

Thinking of using them for my surface watering where applicable.

[smotrs]

For the most part they seal up very well. Rarely I get one spraying out water from the base. Plug that hole and make a new one (see next post). I don't order my parts online, but am sure you could do it. If you find yourself without something you need you will face the problem of waiting or hoping the sizes match up when you get your parts locally. I'd be surprised if there were no irrigation specialty vendors in your area.

I've found sticking with the same brand helps allot when connecting components. Though I'm not sure how the hole was created but a for instance is using the hole punch from rainbird then using orbit connectors. You might not get the same seal in the hole compared to if you used the rainbird connectors due to part tolerance differences in the sizes.

[ViveroLaVida]

exactly the stuff i was talking about smotrs. I have been using it for over 4 years now and have 15+ acres irrigated with it and 1000's of container plants as well. Best thing I ever did for my watering needs in sandy soil.

[smotrs]

Vivero, do you create a complete circle using a T connector and from the inlet of the T, run a length of standard 1/4in tubing to your 1/2in dripline? Or do you use goof plugs on the end?

[KennyRE317]

Vivero, do you create a complete circle using a T connector and from the inlet of the T, run a length of standard 1/4in tubing to your 1/2in dripline? Or do you use goof plugs on the end?

I was wondering the same thing the other day. I think if you can make a closed connection you might as well but I never even thought about using a T branch and close off the loop, only to use a goof plug at the end of the 1/2" run

[ViveroLaVida]

we make a complete circle with a tee and then plug it directly into the 1/2" line if its close, if not you can use some 1/4" line to run it to were you need it. I use this method to irrigate large containers as well.

[sonoranfans]

For watering at the surface has anyone tried the emitter tubing? Just connect it to your main 1/2in tubing with barbs and create a circle around your tree with a hole plug in the end. The tubing functions much like a combination soaker hose and emitter by having holes evenly spaced every 12in (1/4in tubing) or 18in (1/2in tubing) depending on which size you get. Tree grows up, just make the drip circle bigger by adding to the initial length.

http://www.rainbird.com/homeowner/products/drip/EmitterTubing.htm

Thinking of using them for my surface watering where applicable.

I tried this perforated tubing years ago in AZ, problem is that if you have hard water and low humidity, the flow rate will drop off as the hardness deposits at the holes. If you need to be sure how much water your palms are getting, this approach is inferior to the button drippers which last much longer. I found that 2 gal/hr button drippers lasted and didnt clog while the 0.5 and 1 gallon ones did show some clogging. Its also very difficult to determine when flowrate drops off with these perforated tubes. If you have expensive palms, this could be a penny wise/dollar foolish approach.

[ViveroLaVida]

I'm not talking about soaker hose that has millions of tiny holes. I'm talking about drip hose with emmiters itegrated at set intervals. They come in various flowrates just like regular emmiters. And like stated before it is not cheap. This is what is used in large scale agriculture. Kinda like drip tape but it lasts 5-10 years instead of 1 season. My experience has been that they plug less than individual drippers. Any how its what I use and I'm watering $$$$ worth of plants. I'll take some photos later.