North American Fruit Explorers mailing list at ibiblio

["Stephen Sadler" <Docshiva@Docshiva.org>]

You can get shorter lengths of soaker hose that attach to a hose or line
running along the trees and encircle each one, which is a little nifty, but
I don't know that it would be cost effective compared to other drips
systems.  

The type of system (type and number of emitters) would determine the rate of
irrigation.  It's been a while since I set one up, but I knew the equivalent
inches per hour of water my plants were getting, and I just adjusted for any
rainfall.  Actually really easy here in a Mediterranean climate - no rain in
the summer, and no need to irrigate most of the rest of the year.  

You should be able to get specific recommendations from your system
retailer.  I hooked mine up to a timer.  It was also for a smaller area, and
was cheap and easy to set up.  Much less intimidating once you get your
hands on the hose and emitters and start to set things up.

The negative part of this is that you don't really want to be all that
targeted.  You want your trees' roots to run out and down to seek nutrients,
as well as anchor the plants.  So you might want to water a wider area than
just around the trunks; and water deeply to feed the water table, not just
the soil surface.  

Stephen 

-----Original Message-----
From: nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org
[mailto:nafex-bounces@lists.ibiblio.org] On Behalf Of Randall Burd
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 4:12 PM
To: nafex@lists.ibiblio.org
Subject: [NAFEX] Advice on drip irrigation

I am interested in setting up a drip irrigation system for my fruit
trees in New Jersey (zone 6). I have two 30 ft rows w. trees spaced
every 5 feet. I am a little lost about how to start. While I am sure
that water needs vary by time of year/region, any general guidelines on
setting things up, volume of water to use, etc. Would a simple soaker
hose be just as good for my small operation?

Thanks.