PVC Pipe For Deep Watering

By sawing a piece of PVC pipe that can stick up from the ground about 5 inches and have about 7 inches below the ground you can have a great watering/fertilizing gardening helper.

By lnygaard from Billings, MT

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susan
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September 4, 20121 found this helpful

We did this when we planted my Japanese maple. The neighbor planted hers (which was taller than mine) at the same time. Mine is now about 2-3 times taller and has a much larger spread than hers. This really made a difference.

Sharon Vaudo

April 13, 20170 found this helpful

So, do you water it through that pipe or is that just to catch rainwater?

Marg
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February 1, 20181 found this helpful

you water through it.

Anonymous

April 12, 20170 found this helpful

My husband also came up with this idea and it really works great, especially when you first plant your new tree's.

Anonymous

April 12, 20170 found this helpful

Just how does one go about burying the PVS pipe?

Gaylawarner

August 16, 20180 found this helpful

Any Home Depot or Lowes will have PVC.

markpoe51

April 21, 20200 found this helpful

Get a big hammer and drive it in.

jaym3199

September 21, 20220 found this helpful

dig a hole and place pvc pipe

Paula Jo C.
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April 12, 20170 found this helpful

Just how does one go about burying the PVC pipe in the ground SO I can do his too?

Marg
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February 1, 20180 found this helpful

I use the pipes from old vacuum cleaners .
Marg from England

Dana333

September 10, 20210 found this helpful

That is genius!

xintexas
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August 16, 20180 found this helpful

I bet one could fit the neck of a wine bottle in it and it could be more beneficial to feed liquid fertilizer with that over a week's time.

Catherine
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September 5, 20210 found this helpful

This system could suit a tap root tree but not a flat root tree or even a heart root tree. You should also check the quality of your soil. if you watch the preparation of the fondation of a building you will notice that there is less than 40 centimeters of soil which is dark brown. That dark brown layer of the soil is called the organic part it receives elements like leaves, branches ect that are naturally composted and turned into fertile elements of the soil. It is this part that actually feeds the tree.

Tree needs that the water it receives has passed through this fertile part of the soil before it reaches it roots. 7 inches of pipe could already be too much depending on how deep the organic part of the soil in your garden is. With this system you send water to the deeper part of the root when it is the top part of the root which is in the fertile part of the soil which feeds the tree with the most important nutrients. You should also be careful not to send fertilizer through this pipe, fertilizer send to a direct contact with the roots can burn them. Fertilizer must be poured around a plant or a tree after watering it well so that the fertilizer will not concentrate on a given point. The other problem of your system is that you can not see when the tree needs water and you could overwater it and create waterlogging. To better your system you should put three pipes around the tree, plug the extremity of the pipes and drill holes all along the side of the pipe which is facing the tree starting from the surface level. It is very easy to make holes in a pvc pipe by heating a screwdriver for example or a nail on a flame and pushing it into the pvc surface.

susanmajp

September 5, 20210 found this helpful

This system suits trees better than you think! The part of the earth that contains organic matter is sent down to the tree roots whenever it rains and is mixed into the deeper soil by earthworms; if you continually mulch your garden soil, you will be able to take a spade of dirt to see how the worms mix the amendments in deeper each year--the soil will look like a marble cake, getting darker and richer as more time goes by. Here in the South, it gets extremely hot and dry during the summer months. The soil gets dry and powdery at least 18 inches deep. Watering it will only moisten the top, no matter how long you keep the water on--it will evaporate before the water soaks too deep. By burying a pipe (we go at least 12-15 inches beneath the top), the water is directed downward to the roots, encouraging deeper roots, and the thick top mulch helps eliminate evaporation. I even fill the tube with mulch to help minimize the evaporation problem--the water will still seep through the bottom of the pipe.

This is chiefly done when the tree is initially planted and used through the first few years to help the tree establish a sufficient root system, then removed. If you live in a place where summer droughts are common, placing a few of these along with a sufficient layer of mulch can save your trees from dying. The earth will wick the water to where to roots can use it, and even trees with flat surface roots have deeper roots that need nourishment--the deeper roots are to ones that anchor the trees so they don't fall over during storms. Naturally, on a mature tree, one pipe would not be enough, but a mature tree with an established root system that reaches deep enough will survive on its own. While this may not seem like a prudent system to some, where I live, it may make the difference whether a newly planted tree will survive its first few summers.

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