How to keep saplings watered?

Travelover · Mar 10, 2009

Our club is planting 50 bare root trees at a local state park. We have committed to keeping the trees watered during their first year, at least. There is a faucet to draw water from, but the trees are scattered over an area of about 10 acres.

Has anyone done such a task and do you have any tricks to share? I'd like to put something next to the trees to slowly release water like a Tree Gator, but they are $25 each. I'm wondering if there is something we could make cheaply that would work similarly.

Amazon.com: Tree Gator 20-Gallon Treegator Original Landscaper #98183: Home Improvement

Any ideas are appreciated.

dynasim · Mar 10, 2009

A 30 gallon drum with 1/4" pe tubing with say 4 small holes in the tube. I could help with the hole size necessary for a given flow rate. Put the tube around the tree, and cover it with mulch and/or plastic sheeting.

If you get a siphon started, you wouldn't even have to cut a hole in the drum(just take it over the top. The drum could be used to support a protection fence for the tree.

I would note that the all in price may be 20 buck per.

Chris

This is not experience, just an idea.

sixdogs · Mar 10, 2009

I got a bunch of five gallon buckets and drilled a 3/16"?? hole in the bottom of each bucket. Don't drill too big. Place bucket by tree. Then I use three 55 gallon plastic buckets with a tap at the bottom/side that fit in my loader bucket and I go from tree to tree and put water in each bucket. Every drop gets used. I switch sides of tree every other time.
This is one of only two ways that ever worked for me,

The other way --and what I do now is get the trees in the spring and plant in either plastic or fiber pots and water that way over the summer. Come fall I transplant where I want them and it works perfect. Tree do very well. With fiber pots I can plant pot and all . I rarely lose a tree.

MossRoad · Mar 10, 2009

I second the 5 gallon bucket method. Just make sure you don't over water the trees, as the roots will develop shallow systems if the water is up at the top of the soil all the time. Deep watering them less often is better than keeping the soil soaked all week.

Check fast food places, bakeries, etc... tell them why you want the buckets and they will usually donate them. Give them a mention in the press release.

ToadHill · Mar 11, 2009

You can make the job very easy by buying some "Aqua Gel" and putting some, (just a little) into a 5 gal bucket, add water and let it swell up. Dip the bare root plants into the gel before you plant them.

This product will provide water to the roots for up to a year. As the roots need the available water, the gel gives it up and the next time you water or it rains it fills again.

I've planted trees using this for several years and it reduces the loss rate dramatically.

Travelover · Mar 11, 2009

Thanks for all the great ideas!

tglass · Mar 11, 2009

ToadHill, what's Aqua Gel, where do you get it, and do you dump the rest from the pail in the hole. I can't even keep weeds alive, so this would be a miracle drug to my yard.

sixdogs · Mar 11, 2009

tglass said:
ToadHill, what's Aqua Gel, where do you get it, and do you dump the rest from the pail in the hole. I can't even keep weeds alive, so this would be a miracle drug to my yard.

Any seedling nursey that sells trees has it in bulk or small packages. "Hydra Sorb" is another trade name. Just type in tree or seedling root gel in Google and read all about it. Basically, you mix the crystals in water and dip the root in the sloppy mix. Crystals retain water.
You still have to water the tree with it and it does not solve any soil contact voids left by planting incorrectly. I did OK with it but better with my methods posted above. The problem is I live in clay soil and clods and soil voids helped the roots dry out.

Matt_Jr · Mar 11, 2009

I think fire departments in California use that stuff on houses to pretreat the house ahead of a forest fire. It was the only thing that worked to stop the house from burning down. I used that stuff for planting grass seed a couple summers ago where I couldn't get grass to go(right above my septic tank). The tank is so close to the surface that only an inch or two of dirt is there and grass just wouldn't grow if it wastn't watered often. As soon as you quit watering it, the grass would be dead in a week or so. After I put that stuff in the soil there the grass lasted for a whole year with only watering daily during germination. Now it's time to do it again. I was surprised how much that stuff grew when wet.