For many years I watered my apple trees from above the soil. We take water from a well. During drought there is not enough water for apple trees. I think that many gardeners do not water apple trees precisely because of lack of water, so I want to share my method of watering. The method is very simple, material costs are minimal. This method allows not only to reduce the amount of water when watering, but also increases the efficiency of liquid tree feeding. The peculiarity of my watering is that the water goes directly to the roots of the tree. The earth is wetted not from the outside, but from the inside.
In order to supply water to the roots, we need any plastic tube with a diameter of about 10 cm, a length of 50-70 cm and a drill.
I used a corrugated tube, it was left over from electrical work. You can use a piece of old hose. As a drill, I took an old ice drill for winter fishing.The holes are exactly the diameter of my tube. Why did I use a drill and not a shovel? With a drill you can make a hole at an angle, close to the trunk, the roots are minimally damaged.
I made holes in the corrugated tube so that the water would wet the ground more evenly. Watering occurs along the entire length of the tube. I made the holes with a small screwdriver, heating it over a fire. I recommend using plastic tubes as they are easier to make holes in.
This is our experimental tree. It has not yet bloomed, the buds are just beginning to bloom. In winter, the apple tree was gnawed by mice, so the tree needs feeding. I plan to feed him an herbal infusion.
Using a shovel, I mark the place where I will drill a hole and dig a small hole. I will drill towards the trunk.
An ice drill makes a hole easily. We deepen the drill gradually, constantly removing the soil. We turned it 2-3 times and got it out. The ground below is moist, so the walls of the hole do not crumble.
I made the necessary hole, you can see it here.
Now I carefully place the tube there with a screwing motion.
I install the tube to the required depth. So that it would not stick out too much above the ground, I cut it off. Do not cut the pipe at ground level.
Now I will test the device, fill it with water. Water must be poured in portions. The rate of water loss depends on soil moisture.
I cover the top of the tube with a piece of plastic bottle so that grass and soil do not get into it. In winter I don’t put the phone away. An old apple tree that I had to cut down had such a pipe for 5 years. If the tree is large, you can install several tubes.
I hope my watering method is useful to someone.
