Bonsai Irrigation

[Maiden69]

I changed up my system a little this time around. I may end up regretting it if the benches don’t hold up or if I have to move something, but I was going for more targeted and not visually intrusive. These are the micro emitters I used and had them installed along the backs and sides of the benches. So far, they are great.

Micro Sprays | Hunter Industries

Solo-Drip The Solo-Drip Micro Spray provides eight streams of close-in coverage that apply water exactly where it’s needed. Featuring fingertip cap control for flow and throw adjustment, Solo-Drip provides efficient, reliable close-in and adjustable coverage. Halo-Spray

www.hunterindustries.com

View attachment 543594View attachment 543595
in action:

I use something similar for watering the area around the trees (keep the mulch around them damp) but I find that when there is strong wind the water don't reach where intended. That's why I use and recommend the downspray spot spitters from Primerus. While a little hard to place in the pot (you have to make some space at the edge of the container), they spray down into the area where you want the water to go. They also have the short size that spray horizontally at a 90 or 160 degree pattern. I was using two of those on opposite sides of oval containers. I get almost 100% coverage of the entire pot with them.

 

[Maiden69]

I am going to try this system.

Drip Depot is where I get mine. Everything there is cheaper than any other place I have shop from, all the parts and tubing for my system were bought there. I bought a few of their "new" pot dripper stake to try out with some 1/4" soaking tubing.

https://www.dripdepot.com/primerus-spot-spitters-short

 

[PowerTap]

Sorry to poke an old thread. But I want to know if what I'm doing lines up with other experiences.

@Maiden69 I've started using the spot spitters and I like them. I'm curious which ones you are currently using? Between their standard version, the downspray and the short and all of the options for angle and water volume there are a lot of choices.

I'm using a Bhyve hose bib timer and have setup a program for 2x 2 minutes with a 10m pause between runs. On hot days (anything over 80 here in Seattle) I set up a second run around noon to make sure things don't dry out.

I haven't differentiated any of my trees and that might be a next project, but I haven't killed anything yet.

 

[jevanlewis]

@PowerTap I've been using the spot spitters for the past three years (I'm going to update my original thread with my learnings). Since bonsai pots are small relative to the spot spitter range, I use the tall versions, primarily because they stay in pots better than the short versions, while keeping the part that sprays high enough to spread the entire pot. The perfect spot spitter for me would be a downspray version with a height halfway between the tall and short versions. The current ones work for me because I have two per pot facing each other, and the water from one hits the water from the other and falls into the pot, ensuring the entire area of the pot gets coverage.

Originally, I bought both the black and dark green versions (only difference is flow rate). Recently, I bought some of the low flow versions, which theoretically will allow me to have more spitters running with the given available water pressure (I'll just need to run it for longer). Also, I just bought some of the 360-degree versions, which I am going to try later this summer. The main use of these will be to put them in the middle of several smaller pots.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Sorry to poke an old thread. But I want to know if what I'm doing lines up with other experiences.

@Maiden69 I've started using the spot spitters and I like them. I'm curious which ones you are currently using? Between their standard version, the downspray and the short and all of the options for angle and water volume there are a lot of choices.

I'm using a Bhyve hose bib timer and have setup a program for 2x 2 minutes with a 10m pause between runs. On hot days (anything over 80 here in Seattle) I set up a second run around noon to make sure things don't dry out.

I haven't differentiated any of my trees and that might be a next project, but I haven't killed anything yet.

I have both the spot spitters and overhead spray. I prefer the overhead spraying as I can Reposition pots as needed or rotate them easier vs the spot spitters always has a tube connected to it. Not a huge deal but just my preference. I imagine overhead might have to stay on longer to achieve similar results though since losing more on ground and potential foliage keeping from getting to roots as well. But I only use mine when I’m away and otherwise hand water. I have Mine on city water but have bought a pump to add to water collection system but haven’t installed it yet

 

[August44]

So this is the garden that I’m watering. Or at least half of it. Most of my trees are in wooden Grow boxes for now, and I use sprayers instead of drip irrigation, because I feel like I can get all the soil evenly moist a little better. I have about three or four trees on each zone.

View attachment 441900

Trees are placed based on how much sunlight they need and I made sure to try and match water requirements of each tree that is on the same zone.

Next, I picked a series of sunny days that were moderately hot and timed the trees in each zone to see how long it took them to dry out. I found that my trees could be divided into groups of zones which needed to be watered either every 1 1/2, two, or three days. So, I set up a timer to do just that.
View attachment 441902


Using this device, if I want to water manually it’s easy enough to do with my phone with pictures of the trees that I am watering.

View attachment 441909

The other two things I really like about using the system over normal hose timers is that with the push of a button I can set a 24 hour or more rain delay. when I am away I can monitor to make sure that the zones were watered.View attachment 441904

I'm a little late to this, but how do you determine the % of moisture in the pots. And when it says "zone 3 soil moisture 58% does that mean the soil is 58% now or that's the content when your watering kicks on. What % moisture do you think is right for water turn on and do you water to 100% then? Pretty slick system for sure.

 

[PowerTap]

I'm a little late to this, but how do you determine the % of moisture in the pots. And when it says "zone 3 soil moisture 58% does that mean the soil is 58% now or that's the content when your watering kicks on. What % moisture do you think is right for water turn on and do you water to 100% then? Pretty slick system for sure.

I've never used the smart watering features of the bhyve sprinklers for my trees. It doesnt have good setting for bonsai.

But it guesses at soil moisture based on what it knows about flow rates and sun exposure.

 

[Maiden69]

I've started using the spot spitters and I like them. I'm curious which ones you are currently using? Between their standard version, the downspray and the short and all of the options for angle and water volume there are a lot of choices.

I use a combination of them all. Depending on the pot, for nursery pots I use the downspray, for ceramic pots I use the short 160 degrees ones. Those fan out enough so I can use 2 on a big oval pot and get water all around. This year I started using their Pot Dripper Stakes, still trial-and-error kinda thing because instead of the drip line I am using 1/4" soaker line. I used the Netafim Woodpecker Jr 10.6 gph dripper, but that was still too low of a flow for my BCs. I'll have to test it without a dripper and see how much water is uses. I run the system for 5 min, at 10am and now during summer again at 5pm.

 

[b3bowen]

I'm a little late to this, but how do you determine the % of moisture in the pots. And when it says "zone 3 soil moisture 58% does that mean the soil is 58% now or that's the content when your watering kicks on. What % moisture do you think is right for water turn on and do you water to 100% then? Pretty slick system for sure.

I do not use this feature. It is for lawns I guess. I base watering on how long it typically takes that specific tree to dry out.

 

[ZombieNick]

I changed up my system a little this time around. I may end up regretting it if the benches don’t hold up or if I have to move something, but I was going for more targeted and not visually intrusive. These are the micro emitters I used and had them installed along the backs and sides of the benches. So far, they are great.

Micro Sprays | Hunter Industries

Solo-Drip The Solo-Drip Micro Spray provides eight streams of close-in coverage that apply water exactly where it’s needed. Featuring fingertip cap control for flow and throw adjustment, Solo-Drip provides efficient, reliable close-in and adjustable coverage. Halo-Spray

www.hunterindustries.com

View attachment 543594View attachment 543595
in action:

I really like this idea versus having to mess with the lines in the pots. After a year, how has this held up? Any issues?

 

[Potawatomi13]

Never ever trust any automated system. ONE failure will kill your trees and prove this! If you are too lazy or too busy to take care of your trees you are in the wrong hobby. Do you really value the lives of your trees?

 

[ZombieNick]

Never ever trust any automated system. ONE failure will kill your trees and prove this! If you are too lazy or too busy to take care of your trees you are in the wrong hobby. Do you really value the lives of your trees?

I hand water, and have hand watered daily (sometimes 2x) since I started this hobby six years ago. That being said, I can think of many reasons why an automated system would be beneficial (for one, I like to travel). Having a single point of failure, with no redundancies or alerts, is a recipe for disaster in any system. With those things in place, you can mitigate much of the risk.

 

[Jrmcmich]

Mine has a flow meter built in so at least can monitor that water is flowing while I’m away but do agree and always concerned with failure point but not sure how to mitigate that. Mine is currently connected to city water which I dont use to water anymore after setting up a water collection system and I eventually want to get automatic system connected to collection with a pump but still no fail safe to ensure anything especially since mine uses wifi which could go out as well.

I use A LinkTap system

Smart and Safe Watering for Every Garden

Smart sprinkler timer and irrigation controller accessed from mobile phone, tablet, or computer anywhere anytime. Featured with fault detection, weather awareness, real time push notifications, long battery life, greater range than WiFi, and six watering modes, LinkTap smart watering systems...

www.link-tap.com

 

[Brian Van Fleet]

I really like this idea versus having to mess with the lines in the pots. After a year, how has this held up? Any issues?

Mostly it has been good. Coverage is a little tricky because all of the emitters are on the sides and back of the bench, so I have to be careful to place pots into the stream. Big pots and canopies near the emitters can block smaller ones. I used to have the ability to se pots anywhere on or near the benches and know they’ll get watered.

The plastic tubing has become a little brittle, so I have snapped off a few emitters and have had to replace them. It hasn’t been a big deal, but if it happens when I’m out of town, it would likely affect the whole system. Plus, if I move or add a bench, I will have to rework the irrigation lines.

If I end up relocating my benches, I’ll probably go back to something closer to what I did at the last house; pop-ups for broad coverage.

The game changer though, has been cameras and the Hunter Hydra-wise app that allows me to initiate watering from anywhere if the trees start to look dry.

 

[PowerTap]

Never ever trust any automated system. ONE failure will kill your trees and prove this! If you are too lazy or too busy to take care of your trees you are in the wrong hobby. Do you really value the lives of your trees?

I hear you, but for me it is a matter of having an automated watering system or not to having bonsai at all. I travel for work about a week every two months, I go on trips with my family, I have small kids. I could not hand water every day if I tried.

Instead I have an automated system that I use every day and monitor routinely. I feel more comfortable when I travel because I know it works every day that I'm home.