Drip Circles

water trees through the innovative technology of drip irrigation. The Drip Circle was created specifically for an easy and inexpensive way to drip irrigate trees or shrubs that stand alone in the lawn or are in other parts of the landscape not connected to a drip irrigation system.

Proper watering of newly planted trees is absolutely essential for maximum growth, root development, and overall health; and Drip Circles water young trees better than any other system available. Positioned on the tree's "drip line" (the imaginary line directly below the outer reaches of the tree canopy, roughly forming a circle describing the tree's root area) Drip Circles irrigate precisely where most of the water absorbing roots of the tree are located. 

The Drip Circle was designed to be adjusted to the trees expanding drip line as it grows.  As the tree grows, its drip line will increase in circumference and the Drip Circle can be adjusted to the increased circumference (from a minimum diameter of approximately 2' to a full 5'). Even larger diameter circles can be made by connecting two or more Drip Circles together. Watering systems that do not account for the expanding drip line as the tree grows will not do an effective job of watering.

How much water does a tree need?

Soil structure and tree species will play a part in determining watering needs; but as a general rule, from one to two inches of water per week would be ideal for most trees. The important objective in the care of newly planted trees is to never let the soil at the tree's root zone dry out completely. The soil should be continually moist--not saturated--but moist. And this is where the Drip Circle excels.

Drip Circle moistens the soil--from water passing through its pressure compensating emitters--at the rate of 8 gallons per hour (per unit0. (One and a half hours of watering will give the equivalent of 1" of rain at the dripline.) The pre-eminant feature of drip irrigation is that its slow rate of watering insures against waste by giving the soil time to gradually absorb all the water with no water loss due to either runoff or evaporation. Sprinker systems, or even watering by hose will waste water in both of these ways.  Drip Circles offer the most efficient and effective method of tree watering available! Water is delivered right to the roots--and nowhere else. In these times of water scarcity the conservation of water is not an insignificant issue.

Here's how to use Drip Circles

1) Place Drip Circle along the drip line (right under the canopy edge). 

2) Attach a garden hose connected to a faucet to the open end of Drip Circle.

If your water pressure is over 50 psi. you should use a pressure regulator , and a filter is highly recommended. (If you don't have a pressure regulator you should be able to accomplish lower pressure by opening the spiggot only partially) The pressure compensating emitters in Drip Circles deliver water at the desired rate when pressure is between 10 and 50 psi and unfiltered water may clog emitters.

3) Turn water on and let the Drip Circle drip for as long as needed

(One and a half hours will deliever approximately 1"of water to the tree's dripline). You'll need to determine how much is enough for your soil and tree type. Don't let the soil get too dry. You may want to install a timer to eliminate the common fault of forgetting to turn the water off in time or if you are away for long periods of time.

4) When finished watering, the Drip Circle can be moved with hose attached to the next tree requiring irrigation. To save time and trouble in moving and re-watering for each location..connect multiple Drip Circles to each other with either garden hose sections or drip tubing, and water many locations at the same time. No additional parts are necessary when using hose sections--just unscrew the end cap and attach the female hose end.*

* For orchards or for watering many trees in the landscape simultaneously, an economically sensible solution is to run a mainline of our tubing near the trees and attach the drip circles directly to it where needed. For this set-up order the barb-fitted drip circle (sku 209-B)

5) You can easily add-on additional drip circles to increase the circumference to fit the drip line of mature trees by removing the end cap and connecting one circle to anther. 

6) When the Drip Circle is not attached to the hose, connect one end of the Drip Circle to the other by removing the cap. This will prevent insects or debris from entering.

Other ways to use Drip Circles: 

Extended irrigation use--Drip Circles can be adjusted (straightened or curved) to conform to narrow beds or rows of plants and hedges that may need watering. Keep in mind that multiple Drip Circles can be attached together to form a longer continuous emitter tubing--as long a line as you'll need. Ultimately, drip circles can be integrated into an existing (or future) drip irrigation system. Tubing hold downs are useful in holding emitter tubing fast to a particular configuration.

Shrubs requiring heavy or more frequent watering needs--Drip Circles are not only for trees; but are recommended for any shrub or small planting needing more water than its neighbors.

Fertilize trees and plants through Drip Circles--Hooking a fertilizer injector to your watering system is a convenient way to deliver fertilizer to your plants as they are being watered.

More on the amount of water and frequency of irrigating trees:

Young trees--and especially newly planted trees should be watered as often as needed to prevent wilting. The soil should never dry completely. While it is better to water deeper (ie: for a longer time) and less frequent in order to develop a wide ranging root system, it is also critical that the young tree not experience drought. Therefore I suggest erring on the side of more frequent watering (without saturating the soil with water) for the first few years. As stated previously, one to two inches of water per week is ideal. If it doesn't rain that amount in a week---turn on the irrigation. Don't guess! Use a rain gauge to be sure you know how much water your plants are actually getting. Since we humans are not rooted in soil, unless we're farmers, we really aren't in touch with actual soil conditions year 'round.

I hope you will consider irrigating with drip circles!