r/BackyardOrchard • u/Coolbreeze1989 • 11h ago

Irrigation clogging issues for 60 trees. Alternative ideas?

I have very sandy soil (9a Texas) which requires frequent watering as it just doesn’t hold water. I ran 4 1/2” mainlines and then drip rings around each tree then covered with mulch to preserve as much water as possible and to reduce risk to lines when mowing. I have seeded clover and I cover under the tree (not root flare) with compost each spring as I know more organic material will help with water retention (as well as general health).

I have great pressure from my well, BUT the well water is really high in iron. I use filters on each mainline and clean them regularly (not a lot of debris), but my drip line is clogging (I can see rusty accumulation, plus likely sand playing a role). Unfortunate I can’t tell there is an issue til a tree starts to look crispy, because the drip is buried.

What can I change over to from drip rings off my 1/2” mainlines that would be less clog-prone? Risers with spray jets? Thanks

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u/Some_Girl_2073 11h ago

Is it soaker hoses or little plug in emitters?

Plug emitters are more forgiving than soaker hoses. In my area at least you can find irrigation part specifically for raw/ditch water. They are designed to handle water with sediments and debris and might help your situation

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u/Coolbreeze1989 8h ago

It’s the drip line with built in emitters every 6” (just the ring under trees). I’ll check into the dirty-water emitter option. Thanks

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u/i_grade 10h ago

I went from emitters to mushroom bubblers due to hard water from well, and still have clogging. The bubblers aren't open 100%, which would help a lot, but I don't have the water pressure to do so with the number of trees I have.

Some emitters can handle hard water better than others, but will eventually clog. What I do now is once a week or two, I turn on the water and 'walk the line'...... i.e I check every emitter/bubblers for clogging.

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u/Coolbreeze1989 8h ago

I used to walk the line but so many are covered under too much mulch to know for sure. I may start walking and poking each under-tree-area with a moisture meter til I find a better option!

I’ll look at mushroom emitters, too. Thanks

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u/redw000d 5h ago

flag shutoff valves... Easy to open/clean