Newsletter Contents

• June Gardening Calendar
• June Specials
• Article of the Month: Drip irrigation for wind brakes

• A good rule of thumb for watering both vegetable and flower gardens is to provide one inch of water a week, if the rain doesn't do it. It's better to soak the soil around plants heavily every few days using a drip irrigation system to encourage deep rooting
• The best time to water is early in the morning; try not to water in the evenings or late in the afternoon as this promotes foliar diseases because leaves stay wet all night.
• Apply a thick layer of straw, leaves, or mulch to control weeds and retain moisture
• Watch for aphids and other insects. Spray when insects start causing damage.
• Vegetables you can still plant. These include sweet potato transplants, southern peas, cherry tomatoes squash, cucumbers, peanuts, eggplants, watermelons and pumpkins. Also, you can plant pepper and tomato seeds for the fall.
• June is the time in the year that signals the start of summer. In general, three feedings a year is recommended; early spring, early summer and early fall. Use your fertilizer injector to inject soluble fertilizer directly thru your drip system. Look for yellow, brown, or distorted growth on new leaves for sign to start feeding.
• Review gardening tips on the web for your state, area or zone using any of the search engines on-line, specifying: Gardening Calendar Tips.

Windbreaks or shelterbelts can be used to protect homeowners, farmers, ranchers, and rural residents in a windy, hot, or open field region. A properly designed tree windbreak or shelterbelt can provide protection for crops, orchards, and livestock. A windbreak can also mean significant energy savings for heating a rural residence.

Drip irrigation systems can help establish successful tree plantings and help them become effective windbreaks at an earlier date than non-irrigated trees. Drip irrigation installed for windbreaks can have the following benefits:

Water Efficiency: By applying water only where and when it is needed, with less runoff and less evaporation from leaves and soil, the uniform application of water from drip irrigation systems can achieve high water savings and faster plant growth.

Ease of Installation: The system can be installed without special tools or glue, and with limited knowledge, making the installation a very simple process.

Reduced Pest Problems and Weed Growth: Watering only the roots of your trees with drip irrigation cuts down on water-borne pests and fungal diseases that spread by water movement, as well as the germination of weeds in the area between your trees.

Versatility: Drip irrigation systems are designed for placement in both new shrubs and trees and existing areas, and are ideal for installation on difficult terrain such as on slopes, in oddly shaped areas, and on windy sites.

Root Zone: One benefit of a drip irrigation system is the creation of a totally new and more favorable root zone environment because of the maintenance of a relatively constant soil moisture level. This has important implications for trees' water requirements, tolerance, and control of disease.

1. Sketch the windbreak area and include the following steps 1 to 4.
2. Select the drip emitter.

Using a Pressure compensating Emitter for Even Uniformity
The heart of a drip irrigation system is the drip emitter. It is designed to discharge water at a slow, preset flow rate. This method allows the water to be precisely applied at the base of each tree, only where it is needed.
The pressure compensating drip emitter is a device that is inserted into the 1/2" or 3/4" polyethylene drip tubing (lateral) at specified intervals or near each tree ( one or two per tree depending on the soil and the size of the tree). The drippers consist of a cylinder with a labyrinthine water passage and a diaphragm. The diaphragm inside the dripper continuously adjusts to varying water pressure, ensuring a constant flow rate. It also allows particles to pass through the dripper without harming it, providing reliable performance and a long life.

Calculating Water Requirement
To calculate water requirement we need the information below:

1. Location of the water supply, the size of the water supply, and the distance from the water supply to the control valve, and from the control valve to the first row.
2. Number of rows and tree spacing
3. How many trees in each row.
4. Total flow rate

Layout example
We need the location of the water supply, the size of the water supply, and distance from the first row.
Example: 1 3/4" faucet about 30' from the first tree
How many rows and the trees' spacing?
Example: Two rows with the trees spaced 6' apart
Number of trees per each row?
Example: 50 trees per each row
Select dripper flow rates.
Example: 1 GPH PC dripper

With this information determine total flow rate, and select the size of the drip laterals based on the chart below Example: Total Flow Rate: 2 rows x 90 trees = 180 trees x 2 1-GPH drippers = 360 GPH. Total flow rates require: 360 gallons per hour (6.0 gallons per minute). To determine the length of the lateral, multiply the number of trees x tree spacing. 90 trees per row x 10" spacing = 900" length of each lateral.
From the information above we know the following:
Total flow rate: 360 GPH. From chart A, we select 3/4" as the main line
Flow rate per each lateral: 180 GPH (gallon per hour). From chart A we select 1/2" for the two laterals.
Lateral length: 900. From chart B, we verified the maximum length base on a 10" spacing.
With this information we selected the main line pipe sizes (from the water outlet to the laterals), and the two lateral sizes

Chart A: The charts below show the maximum flow rate that various pipe sizes can handle; pick the smallest size that will carry the required amount of water.

Pipe Size	Maximum Flow in Gallons per hour
1/2 in .700 OD	220
3/4 in .940 OD 480	480
1 in	780
1 1/4 in	1380
1 1/2 in	1920

Chart B: Distance to run 1/2" or 3/4" drip line with 1 GPH PC dripper per tree

Pipe Size	Maximum Lateral Length
	6' spacing	8' spacing	10' spacing	12' spacing	16' spacing
1/2 in.	1000 ft.	1300 ft.	1500 ft.	1700 ft.	2000 ft.
3/4 in.	1900 ft.	2300 ft.	2600 ft.	2900 ft.	3500 ft.

• Option 1: Connecting to an outdoor faucet (hose thread). First attach a backflow device (if the backflow device is part of your faucet a backflow device is not required). If you are planning to automate the system using a battery-operated controller (optional), install the backflow device after the controller. Then attach the fertilizer applicator (optional), 150-mesh filter, 30 PSI pressure regulator followed by the 3/4" swivel adapter. All these fittings have "hose" type threads and are sealed by a washer so they should be turned clockwise until they are "hand tight" only. Tightening with a wrench is not recommended and is usually not necessary.
• Option 2: Connecting to an existing main line with pipe thread. (Note: This method requires basic plumbing skills - inexperienced installers should contact a plumber for this connection). First tap into the water service line. This can be done at the faucet or by cutting to your service line before the faucet. You can avoid cutting the service line by removing the faucet and installing a brass threaded "Tee" (line size) just up stream of the faucet.

  Shut off the water supply and unscrew the faucet from the brass fitting or, if necessary, cut the copper pipe before the faucet. Install the TEE with the side outlet facing down and screw the faucet back into the end of the TEE. Next, below the TEE install a manual shut-off valve (for emergency shut-off), then a 3/4" PVC male adapter, then connect 3/4" Sch. 40 PVC pipe and run it out to the location of the drip system control valve(s) (copper should be used in areas that freeze).

  Installation using an in-line battery operated controller (pipe thread): Use model C001 (optional) and complete the head assembly by attaching a 150 mesh filter and a 30 PSI pressure regulator. Use a 3/4" swivel adapter if the poly tubing is connected to the assembly. If connecting to a PVC pipe, use a 3/4" PVC female adapter.

  If you have a pump see link below with information on pumps. Information provided by www.keidel.com/mech/wellpumps.htm More information on pumps can be found at: Interactive Well Diagram www.watersystemscouncil.org/wellcare/aniwell/index.cfm
  Well care program: http://www.watersystemscouncil.org/wellcare/index.cfm
  The wellcare® Hotline answers your questions about wells. The hotline is open from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday-Friday. by calling 888-395-1033 Size your pump at Amtrol Product Sizing System: www.amtrol.com/website/AmtrolSizing.nsf/Sizing?ReadForm&KeyTag=menu-WaterSystems&sub=waterSys_Well-X-Trol

Main line First leave the poly tubing out in direct sunlight to make it easier to work with, and then unroll the tubing coil. Based on our design, the two 1/2" laterals are attached to the 3/4" main line using a 3/4" x 1/2" tee, and then the 3/4" line is connected to the control valve.

Laterals Lay down the 1/2" tubing near the tree rows and close to the trees. The lateral pipes should be intertwined or "snaked" through the tree lines with about one extra foot of polyethylene pipe per 100 feet of tree row. This is done to keep the emitters near the tree when there are changes in air temperature. When the temperature rises, the line becomes longer but the emitter does not pull away from the tree. The same is true in reverse for colder temperatures. During installation, if the temperature is above normal operating conditions, the emitters should be installed about six inches from the tree toward the dead end of the lateral and four inches from the other side; if it is cooler than normal, install the emitter six inches toward the start or fixed end of the lateral and four inches on the other side of the tree.

System flushing After installing the main line and the drip laterals, and before inserting the drippers, the system is flushed to remove any debris that might have accumulated during installation. Then the system is pressurized and checked for leaks. If the system holds the pressure with no leaks, then the system should be turned off. At this point the system is usually filled with water, and the laterals will become quite warm if left in sunlight for a period of time. This softens the polyethylene and makes punching clean holes for the drippers more difficult. The ends of the laterals can be opened if needed, and the system turned on to allow cooler water into the laterals to offset this problem.

Proper installation of drip emitters Using the punch tools The Drip Store offers a few punches to use with your drip installation. Both recommended here are easy to use. For a small number of drip emitters use our low cost punch. For a large number of emitters or for ease of operation use the larger gun punch.

First make sure that the poly tubing is not too warm. Using the small punch, hold the poly tubing in one hand and with the other apply just enough pressure on the punch while at the same time rotating the punch back and forth to create a hole in the poly tubing 4" to 6" from the tree. To use the large gun punch, insert the poly tubing into the punch and press the handle to punch a hole.

Drip emitter installation: Snap the barb side of the dripper into the poly tubing. Make sure that the minimum spacing between the drippers is not less than 10"

System Operation
Once the system has been installed and pressurized, it is ready for operation. Proper operation is necessary to get the best service from the system. While there are no absolute guidelines for system operations, general recommendations can be made to improve growth rates.

Trees should be planted with adequate soil moisture available. Depending on the location, trees should be irrigation with about 4 to 16 gallons of water per week the first year. See the Extension Service in your area for water requirements. For example, a system with two one-gallon per hour emitters should be run two to eight hours a week. The amount of water should be increased by two to four gallons per week each year in succeeding years.

The weather and type of soil affect tree irrigation. Rainfall should be taken into account when deciding if irrigation is necessary.

Sandy soils cannot retain moisture as well as heavier soils and must be irrigated more often. Frequent watering of short duration is not desirable because it tends to produce shallow root systems. Watering twice a week helps the trees develop good root systems, but watering three times a week may be necessary on very sandy soil with trees that are less than three years old.

Caution: Damage to seedlings can occur on sandy soils where chemical weed control has been used.

The irrigation should be discontinued in late summer to allow the trees and shrubs to "harden off" before winter. The planting should be irrigated once more around the middle of October, or after the first freeze, to help prevent winter burn. The time of the last irrigation will vary in different parts of the country, and from year to year.

Winterizing a sprinkler or drip system will take about twenty minutes to an hour, and is best done before the first freeze. A little of your time will result in a low maintenance irrigation system that will reduce the need for replacing frozen parts. See details at: http://www.dripirrigation.com/drip_irrigation_help.php?pgv=Article13

*Information is provided by Neb guide, the website of the
University of Nebraska Cooperative Extension educational program in Lincoln, Nebraska, and customer emails to TheDripStore@dripirrigation.com.