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14-May-2006
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#1 |
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Beginner
Join Date: Apr-2006
Location: Denver, Colorado
Country: US
USDA Zone: 5
AHS Heat Zone: 6/7
Posts: 62
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Drip system + timer = happy trees
Here's some beginner advice to other beginners...as soon as you have trees you've put time and energy and $$ into, save your pennies for a timer, tubing, and some soaker hose, and put in a drip system so that your trees are well-watered throughout the heat of summer. I put one in last week, and it is running very well, ready for me to disappear into the hospital for my surgery rotation.
Anybody interested in some pics? My system is probably more complicated than it needs to be, but we have some odd constraints that I wanted to work around. That and I'm a neurotic gear head. Probably aren't many of those around here.  If there's some interest, I'll put together some pictures and do a bit of show-and-tell with suggestions of add-ons and things that can be done without for those on a budget. If there's not much interest, more time to tinker with my trees. -Jason. |
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Sponsor Message
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Drip system + timer = happy trees |
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Forum Sponsor
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14-May-2006
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#2 |
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bonsaiTALK Neophyte
Join Date: May-2006
Location: Eastern Pennsylvania
Country: USA
Posts: 1
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Jason,
I am a beginning Beginer and am interested in your drip system. I would appreciate additional information. Thank You Doug |
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14-May-2006
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#3 |
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bonsaiTALK Expert
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Me too. I'm a gearhead.
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14-May-2006
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#4 |
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Bonsai Barry
 
Join Date: Dec-2004
Location: Santa Maria, CA
Country: USA
USDA Zone: 9
AHS Heat Zone: 3,4
Posts: 1,118
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For the sake of argument, let me defend the other side of the coin. I stay away from drip systems because the water requirements for my different trees is not identical. Nor is the watering regeme the same each week. For me watering is a good excuse to spend a few minutes checking on each tree's health (which, in turn, is good for my mental health).
As an extreme argument of not relying too much on a watering system, I had a friend that lost his entire collection of trees when his watering system broke while he was on vacation. With that all said, there are days when I've wished I had one!
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Bonsai Barry "Our talent lies in our choices." |
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14-May-2006
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#5 |
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bonsaiTALK Craftsman
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I will be going on vacation to Yosemite Park the first week of June so I have also planned to put in a drip system. I do have someone coming to feed the fish and cats, but they are not going to be dealing with the trees. I will probably have them check up on the system to see if it is working though.
I was thinking of using individual drip emitters. There are different flow rates available. I am hoping to tailor each emitter to a particular tree. One other solution I was pondering was a mister as well. I too would sure like to see other peoples drip systems for some ideas.
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REDFOKKER Albany, Oregon Zone 7 
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14-May-2006
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#6 |
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Trunk Collector
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I agree with Barry. I hand water routinely, but do (did? will?) have a drip system for days when I travel.
BB9
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There's a difference between taking your art seriously, and taking yourself too seriously. |
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14-May-2006
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#7 |
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Deadwood Rules
Join Date: Oct-2004
Location: South Florida, USA, Earth
Country: United States of Hysteria
USDA Zone: 11 Tropic
AHS Heat Zone: +HOT+
Posts: 66
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yes, all good points!
automatic systems are great when they work, but they break down like everything else. and murphy's laws says they will break when you are out of town. so as said above, always have some one around just to make sure that the system is working. Jason- did you put drippers on every one of your trees? or did you use some of the mini sprinklers. Some have radii as small as 3' and some also throw almost 15'!!! PICS? as for the different water requirements for the different trees, I just lump like plants with like plants. all the water lovers are together, all the drought tolerant ones are together, etc etc. I've got 4 tables (4'x10') that all have little sprinklers. A few of the trees that are real water lovers also have an additional dripper or two. I also grow orchids, and there's a pond on my property which gives me a great prevailing wind. It's always there, and always blowing in the same direction(generally). So when I have a sick tree, I stick out the back of the orchid house, where it's shady and gets misted for a few minutes every hour. It's worked wonders on saving more than one sick bonsai. The rest of my stuff is just watered by regular above ground sprinklers. and most importantly, I go out there every day and walk around with the hose. Invariably, there will be one or two plants that need a little more of a drink, and once in a while one needs to be moved because it's staying too wet. HOORAY for automatic irrigation! |M| |
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14-May-2006
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#8 |
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bonsaiTALK ArchMaster
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I would second, third and fourth BB's opinion. Watering systems CAN provide a false sense of security, not to mention they can also put off critical knowledge of your trees' care.
Watering isn't a scheduled thing, especially in summer. Water requirements can vary terrifically in spring and summer. You could not only wind up not providing enough water, but too much. I wouldn't use an automatic system until you know what is required of each of your trees--this can take a number of years to acquire. Varies not only by species and season, but by time--trees that have not been repotted in some time can take some specialized watering as the soil mass gets more compact. Wait on the auto watering system until you know how your trees work... |
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14-May-2006
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#9 |
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I try... I really do.
Join Date: Mar-2006
Location: Western Sydney
Country: Australia
USDA Zone: 4
AHS Heat Zone: 10
Posts: 140
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I actually agree with both sides. There are positive and negative sides of the arguement. What I would say is that if you know which trees are going to dry out the quickest, you may want to consider leaving them on a timer. I never water to a routine, only when they need it, but I would rather have a slightly overwatered tree than a dead one. Heck, it may be wise just to give all of them just enough to keep them alive...
Or you could do what I do and get my neighbours to come and do it.
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"Creating bonsai is not a mechanistic process; we prune with the hand but are guided by the heart..." |
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15-May-2006
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#10 |
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Beginner
Join Date: Apr-2006
Location: Denver, Colorado
Country: US
USDA Zone: 5
AHS Heat Zone: 6/7
Posts: 62
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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. |
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