Watering Young Trees

[GaryBDavis]

I, uh, used my tractor to dig the holes to plant these trees. So there's the required tractor involvement.

The tank is 50 gallon and I purchase it down at the local ag sprayer equipment dealer. I like to buy from these guys because they have everything you can imagine and the tanks come with no holes so you can locate and drill your own.

The drain hose is 1" with a cut off valve about 2' from the end of the hose. The inlet for filling the tank is 1/2" with a check valve and garden hose adapter. The check valve keeps water from sloshing out when you drive around, prevents flow back into the garden hose and acts as an extra air inlet when letting the water out.

I pour water into 5 gallon buckets that have a single 1/4" hole drilled in the bottom. This lets the water out slowly which, as we all know, is the proper way to water a tree.

I was pretty pleased with the flow volume. I can fill a bucket just about as fast as I can with a garden hose.

This set up would work well in the FEL of my tractor. I could lift it up to get even more water pressure and a good, strong flow, but it works like it is.

 

[Knight9]

Looks like a simple and practical solution! Good idea.

What kind of trees are you watering? How many do you need to water?

 

[IXLR8]

What sort of prices are on a tank like that. SWMBO just informed me she wants to put in a garden.... which just happens to be too far away for the garden hose to reach.

 

[wushaw]

That looks like it works good and you can water several trees fairly quickly.

Your polaris looks like it has the suspension to hold a 50gal tank, I have a 35gal tank that was killing my electric golf cart so I did something a little different, here is my tree watering tool.

 

[GaryBDavis]

I figure the tank weighs 450lb full and my Polaris is rated for 1000lb, so it handles it well. When it's empty, it is light enough to move very easily.

I think this tank was around $180 or so. A plastic 55 gal drum would have been much cheaper, but what the heck, you only go around life once.

I'm watering fruit trees. I planted 15 of them this year. It takes me two trips and I wish I had been able to locate a 75 gallon tank so I could do it in one, but I'm happy enough with the existing set up. The 100 gal tank was too big to fit like I wanted it to in the back of the Polaris.

Now that I'm done, it will probably rain for the next two months.

 

[wushaw]

Are you using city water? If so it's gonna get $$$ this summer especially with 15 of em.

I use a 2" trash pump and pull water from one of my ponds, it cost @ a tank full all summer.

 

[RobS]

Slick setup, I especially like your bucket with the hole. My system is similar, but not nearly as fancy. Basically, a 55 gal. drum in the back of my truck. For a few plantings I have carried water in my FEL bucket. As I mentioned, I do like the bucket idea, may have to incorporate that this year.

 

[GaryBDavis]

Are you using city water? If so it's gonna get $$$ this summer especially with 15 of em.

No, I'm no city folk. I have my own well and it's pretty cheap to pump water with electricity (less than $0.30 an hour). Plus, it's easy enough to just turn on the hose and not mess with a pump.

 

[AlanB]

Are the buckets anchored in any way, or just sitting on the ground?

I just wonder about them blowing away when the winds come through.

 

[Champy]

Since you're only watering 15 trees (and if they are close enough together), why not run small tubing lines from a central point to each tree; plumb in your raised water tank, and then walk away while the tank drains. My problem is I currently have 1400 trees so your bucket approach would kill me.....LOL