JR_Roosa

Wow. I guess there is some interest.

I totally agree on the risks of drip systems, but I have to confront the absolute here that my trees need a drink around 1pm when it gets hot, and I just won't be here for that.

Here's some quick responses to questions/comments...I'll post some pics tomorrow.

I'll be in Yosemite in early June as well. I'll be the one worrying if my irrigation system broke down. Thanks for planting that seed.

As for emitters, I started with 1/4 inch soaker hose for most trees except for one cascade that I put an adjustable bubbler on set very low. It's pot is too narrow to hold enough hose. You can control the rate for the soaker hose by how much length you use, provided your pressure doesn't change much. I also have a mister on a Sequoia that seems to like some water on it's leaves.

As for different plants, I only have the trees on the system that are in fast draining soil, so really it needs to get totally soaked every time I water, and it all dries out at about the same rate. I have a few other things in potting soil that I hand water, but that holds enough water that they last a few days at a time.

As for getting to know my trees and their needs, I agree, and last summer I got to know that if things got busy, I couldn't meet them on my schedule. I don't think that people should start right off and set up automatic irrigation when they bring home their first mallsai. In most climates it's probably excessive even for big collections, and it never lets you learn how much water your trees need. I think that one should turn to automatic irrigation only if it's pretty clear that you can't keep up with watering your plants. Here in Colorado, it is dry dry dry, and when it gets to be hot and dry, it's just tough to keep up if you don't work at home to keep an eye on them all day.

I still poke around in the pots every day to see how the system is doing, and I'll have to keep up with that as the season progresses. I see this project as yet another trial and error step in learning bonsai (like picking the right species for my climate, the right soil, the right pots, etc.). It will fix one or two problems, but probably create a few more that I'll have to fix down the road.

Anyway, I'll get you some pix tomorrow.

-J.