Xtremehorticulture

Xtremehorticulture of the Desert

Variable Output Drip Emitters

Leave a Comment / accuracy, drip irrigation, emitters, problems /

Q. I read somewhere not to use the type of drip emitters that you have to open to get water. What say you? Two emitters are not enough to accurately provide water to a tree as it gets larger. If these emitters flood the area under a tree the water should be captured by a moat or ring of soil surrounding the tree about six feet in diameter.  A. They are called variable output drip emitters. I don’t like what are called “variable output drip emitters” (the kind that releases a different amount of water depending on how much you “open” it using a dial). You don’t know how much these drip emitters are releasing because there is a loss of precision. Opening it varies the output of water from 0 gph (no water) to 10 gph (wide open). It depends on how much it’s opened, and it doesn’t tell you the amount of water it delivers. “Wide open” might be more than 10 gph for some manufacturers. For me it’s like playing “whack-a-mole” when variable output drip emitters are used. Using variable type drip emitters makes it difficult to tally how much water is used. Variable flow or variable output drip emitters don’t have much precision. You can open it or close it but how much you give a plant is anybody’s guess. The irrigation industry has started to color code drip emitters. If single drip emitter has a specific color, such as red, all of the emitters from that manufacturer are the same. If all the emitters are the color red (2 gph) for example than any drip emitter with a red color will release the water at the rate of 2 gallons per hour. Netafim.

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Citrus in Las Vegas Nevada

Leave a Comment / citrus, freezes, Las Vegas, Mojave Desert, problems, winter cold /

              I was accused of not wanting citrus in our area. That isn’t true. Nothing wrong with growing citrus here. But I want you to be aware of its problems when citrus is grown here and adjust your expectations accordingly. This is the Mojave Desert. Las Vegas and the high or middle deserts can have cold winters, unexpected early spring frosts and winds. It can survive cold temperatures ranging from the mid to low 20’s all the way to no freeze at all depending on the type of citrus. Sour orange rootstock grows from the base of this orange tree because the top died when it froze leaving the rootstock to grow and produce fruit that has dropped on the ground.             Early spring light frosts can be a problem for all fruit trees including citrus. All it takes is a few minutes of freezing temperatures just before sunrise. If flowers are open or close to opening, part or all your fruit is dead. The fruit or flowers drop from the trees a week or two later even though bees were plentiful. Many citrus are subtropical Citrus originates from different parts of Asia. This means they prefer growing in soils that have some organics in them. Desert soils don’t have any or very little. When soils are covered in rock, the soil organics are fine right after planting and these organics can last last several years. After several years, the soil “organics” used at planting time are depleted and must be replenished. This can be done by raking the rocks back, applying fine wood chips to the soil, and raking the rock back or applying these same amendments over large rock and watering it in. Citrus can yellow and eventually dieback if the soil is not improved when it grows in rock. Citrus can also yellow when grown with woodchips if the woodchips are not thick enough or if planted and watered incorrectly. Most yellow leaves can be turned green again if an iron chelate (I would recommend iron eddha for the chelated iron) is applied to the soil in early spring.             When purchasing citrus be aware that these are fruit trees that are “iffy” when grown here. Sometimes they work and sometimes they don’t. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

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Orchard Watered with Greywater and Fertilizer Injector

Leave a Comment / fruit trees, laundry detergent, problems, wastewater /

Q. First off I want to thank you for the inspiration and motivation to get my backyard orchard project off of the ground. I planted 22 bareroot fruit trees this winter, 20 of which have budded out! I am still hopeful on the remaining 2.             I have also installed a greywater drip irrigation system using the water from my laundry, the system I am using waters the whole 20’x30′ orchard area rather than each individual tree. What I am curious about now is if I should utilize the surge tank in my system to apply any fertilizers or possibly something to combat the alkalinity of our native soil? I am noticing chlorosis (yellowing) already on the new trees this spring. Do I need to worry about that now? A. Congratulations on your mini Orchard. Be careful with the type of laundry detergent that you are using in combination with your greywater system. Make sure it is biodegradable and plant friendly.             You might want to do some checking on the state regulations on the use of greywater for irrigation. This would be overseen by the Nevada Division of Environmental Protection and much of that information should be online or a quick phone call away. Nevada Division of Environmental Protection Website             Using a fertilizer injection system is very convenient and adequate as long as your irrigation system is designed and installed well. If your irrigation system applies water evenly, then the fertilizer will be applied evenly as well. Make sure you incorporate a 150 mesh screen filter somewhere at the front of the system. Mesh filter for drip irrigation paired with pressure regulator             The advantage of fertilizer injection systems are that they can apply small amounts of fertilizer continuously through the growing season (through most of August). It sounds like a fertilizer injector would apply more fertilizer than applying fertilizer by hand once in the spring but this is not necessarily so.             Applying small amounts of fertilizer on a regular basis is much more efficient and can lead to significantly less fertilizer applied if you manage the irrigation system and very small amounts of fertilizer applied closely.             You do not need to inject anything to combat alkalinity of the soil. Select acid forming fertilizers and use organic mulches. If you use organic mulch on the soil surface it will do a lot to improve the soil and combat alkalinity. One brand of iron chelate EDDHA             You could inject an iron chelate into your irrigation system to combat yellowing due to chlorosis provided the water is below a pH of 7.5. If you cannot guarantee this pH in your water then use the iron chelate EDDHA which is stable through the alkaline pH range. The other sources of iron fertilizers  are not stable under alkaline conditions and will drop their iron once they are put into water with a high pH.             If you decide to inject fertilizers into your irrigation system then start the injection cycle after the water has been delivered to the plants for a few minutes. Water is not delivered evenly during the first few minutes of the drip irrigation cycle. Once the drip system is fully pressurized, well-designed drip systems then apply water evenly.             Stop injecting fertilizer several minutes before the irrigation system shuts down. Several minutes of uninjected water will clean out the irrigation system of fertilizer that might be stuck in the irrigation lines.             Water that remains in your irrigation system containing fertilizer will lead to the growth of algae and bacteria in your irrigation lines. Algae and bacteria are major culprits in plugging your irrigation system if you are using drip or even sprinklers.

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