figuring it out- tree watering system

[richmanbarbeque]

In the last few years I have had a problem keeping up with watering young trees on my place. I have lost a few over the last few years to drought and that is something that has bugged me. Here is an idea that I have been working on that I think will solve my problem. My tree plot runs next to a year around creek. My plans are to use the black tubing in the pic and run it to all of my trees and have a drip system type set-up. I have a 12v pump and a battery along with a small solar panel if needed. 8points or better loaned me a water timer to try and if that works I won't have to be there to water. I think it will work and hopefully this next weekend I'll have most of it installed.

 

[TS_13]

Good plan.

 

[Beekeeper]

 

[Hollar Hunter]

Great idea that will save you time and back pain!

 

[PickettSFHunter]

That will be a huge help.

 

[Football Hunter]

good idea,cheaper than gas

 

[LA man]

i agree, good idea

 

[richmanbarbeque]

A few things that I need to work on is a screen to attach to the inlet side of the tube. With me not there I don't want sand and small rocks burning up the pump. I found something that might work but I will update. I also need to test the water pressure at the farthest distance, I doubt this will matter but I am going to have several hundred feet of tubing. If this works like Football Hunters says it will save gas but more importantly it will help the trees and allow me to spend that time working on something else.

Anyone else that is interested keep in mind you dont have to have a creek you can have a water tank of some type and that will have the same effect.

 

[jmb4wd]

Might have to build or buy like a two stage filter to trap bigger particles and then the smaller ones. Or might have to create a pool to filter the leaves and stuff off to the side to keep them from stopping up the sock, or what ever type of filter you get.
Keep up posted!!!

 

[8 POINTS OR BETTER]

Did you get the water system going.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

Did you get the water system going.

Yes and no. I have been out of town but I am going to try to get some of it finished this weekend. If not next weekend. It's about 80% done and I watered trees for about an hour. It was cool seeing it in action. I will update everyone in a week or so once it's finished.

I have yet to try the timer but I am hoping to try it out next time I am out there.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

Did you come up with a filtering system?

 

[richmanbarbeque]

Did you come up with a filtering system?

Not yet, any ideas would be great. I have hooked up to water around 40 trees. I need to tweak a few things still. It's really cool watering all those trees with nothing more than hooking up a battery.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

How deep is the creek you are using in the area where you want to place a pick-up pipe?

 

[david k.]

This may or may not work but my first thought would be to get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and a piece of 1.5" or 2" pvc a few inches longer than the buckets height. Drill a hole in the center of the lid to just fit the pvc. Drill lots (dozens, the more the better) of 1/8" holes through both the pvc and the 5 gallon bucket. Stand the pvc straight up in the bucket and run a bead of caulk around the bottom to secure it and seal it off. Fill the bucket around the pvc tube with a bag of pea gravel from home depot. Put the lid on with the PVC sticking out the top. Drop your pickup tube into the PVC with some kind of filter...maybe panty hose?...secured to the end of the pick up tube. Set the bucket in the water. The weight will hold it steady, all the 1/8" holes will allow water into the bucket, the pea gravel and gravity will act as a preliminary filter and the panty hose (or whatever you think would be better) would be the final filter. Plus the hole thing wouldn't cost more than a few bucks to make.

 

[Grizzly Johnson]

This may or may not work but my first thought would be to get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid and a piece of 1.5" or 2" pvc a few inches longer than the buckets height. Drill a hole in the center of the lid to just fit the pvc. Drill lots (dozens, the more the better) of 1/8" holes through both the pvc and the 5 gallon bucket. Stand the pvc straight up in the bucket and run a bead of caulk around the bottom to secure it and seal it off. Fill the bucket around the pvc tube with a bag of pea gravel from home depot. Put the lid on with the PVC sticking out the top. Drop your pickup tube into the PVC with some kind of filter...maybe panty hose?...secured to the end of the pick up tube. Set the bucket in the water. The weight will hold it steady, all the 1/8" holes will allow water into the bucket, the pea gravel and gravity will act as a preliminary filter and the panty hose (or whatever you think would be better) would be the final filter. Plus the hole thing wouldn't cost more than a few bucks to make.

Similar to what I was thinking as well.... Glue a cap on the end of the pipe and then pour the pea-gravel in around it. That will seal it off and hold it steady.

I would put the particle filter before the pump but out of the bucket for easy cleaning. Keep your pump close to the water, as it would be more efficient on the pump to push the water rather than pull it.

 

[R Crabtree]

I spent a lot of time playing around with different methods and media for filtering a small koi pond pump. The material I have settled on is the stuff used in gutters....no idea what it's called. Anyway, it comes in 5-6 foot sections at the local big box hardware places and it cuts to various sizes easily. It's like a thick plastic porous foam. Cheap too. Looks like this...

.

For my application I took a simple box shaped piece of tupperware with a locking lid. I drilled inlet holes in the box on one end and stuffed that side with the plastic flow through gutter material cut and shaped to fit snug. Then I placed my little pump in there with an outlet hole for the pipe on the opposite end of the box. The material is of the right density to filter without straining the pump.

For a creek application I would first dig a hole in the creek to create as much space between my inlet box and the bottom. Bottom sediment is gonna big your biggest enemy...but I'm sure you figured that. I'd think a couple of pieces of rebar driven into the creek bed would provide a means of rigidly securing my box to suspend it off the bottom. Maybe lash it to the rebar with some wire. Then run your pick up line into the box on the side opposite the gutter filter.

Anyway, just some random thoughts without actually seeing what you have to work with. Hope there's something in my ramblings that helps.

 

[richmanbarbeque]

I have watered my fruit trees about 3-4 times with the system in place. Still no filter but so far everything is working as planned. I have a few more tweeks to make but once I do I will show everyone the end results. Watering around 50 or so trees by hooking it up to a battery is as simple as it gets. beats carrying water, waiting for rain and replacing dead trees from a drought. I have fruit trees in other areas that I will duplicate this method of watering. My next project will be creating a system to water trees from rain water.

 

[TrailWatcher]

A Storage tote with a lid dug into the creek with one end drilled with holes and in the center make a frame with mesh wire and then place window air conditioner filters as a second filter and then you suction hose on the other end will work. The air conditioner filters are cheap and the tote should give you the volume you need. I have used this on ponds and it works great..