Micro Irrigation Wizards?

[Mr. Clean]

We have frequent water restrictions in south Florida that prevent watering or use of sprinklers, but micro irrigation is exempt from the water restriction.  I will be micro irrigating my fruit trees and need to figure out how much water to give each of them.  I am in Zone 10.  My soil is sandy and drains well.  Depending on the time of year the watertable is probably 5-10 feet under ground.  I do not have sprinklers for my lawn. 

Mango - Carrie
Mango - Coconut Cream
Avocado - Choquette
Cherry Guava (Strawberry Guava)
Lychee - Sweet Heart
Dragon Fruit - Mystic

I currently plan on putting 2 Gal per day on each of the trees, the drip would start around 5 AM and drip for about 1 hour (using a timer).   Thoughts?  Recommendations?

[fruitlovers]

We have frequent water restrictions in south Florida that prevent watering or use of sprinklers, but micro irrigation is exempt from the water restriction.  I will be micro irrigating my fruit trees and need to figure out how much water to give each of them.  I am in Zone 10.  My soil is sandy and drains well.  Depending on the time of year the watertable is probably 5-10 feet under ground.  I do not have sprinklers for my lawn. 

Mango - Carrie
Mango - Coconut Cream
Avocado - Choquette
Cherry Guava (Strawberry Guava)
Lychee - Sweet Heart
Dragon Fruit - Mystic

I currently plan on putting 2 Gal per day on each of the trees, the drip would start around 5 AM and drip for about 1 hour (using a timer).   Thoughts?  Recommendations?

Problem with using drip emitters on sandy soil is that the water pretty much goes straight down, there is no onion effect where the water will go a bit sideways, as in soils with lots of organic matter. So in your situation i suggest using micro sprinklers instead of emitters. The micro sprinklers will spread the water more evenly over your soil so your roots can actually get to it.
Oscar

[Mr. Clean]

Oscar:  You make a good point.  But I think we have a different understanding of my soil type.  My sandy soil doesn't drain like beach sand.  My soil is sandy with some organics mixed in and I also put a compost ring and compost layer around the tree, which should help with water retention.

[fruitlovers]

If you dig a hole so you can see the profile of the soil and then let a garden hose drip down into the soil then you can measure how far the water spreads outwards and can space your emitters accordingly. The higher the percentage of sand particles the smaller the onion effect.  When using emitter around a small tree i liked to use a T connector so that size of wrap around the tree can easily be moved as the tree grows, and also more emitters can be added. If you decide to use emitters rathen than microsprinkles make sure to get ones that are easy to open and clean out as particles in water will often clog them. If you use pressure compensating emitters then they all emit same quantity of water whether at beginning of line or at the end.
Oscar

[Mr. Clean]

ENDUSER:  You make some good points.  I think growing trees in pots versus in-ground in sandy soil is substantially different for water use.  I believe pots trap in more water near the roots, compared in-ground in sandy soil, so my application may require more water than potted plants.

[Jsvand5]

Do you really need to water them that often? I am in in central fl, but also have sandy soil. I never water my inground mango or lychee trees except for during the first season that they are planted.

[murahilin]

Do you really need to water them that often? I am in in central fl, but also have sandy soil. I never water my inground mango or lychee trees except for during the first season that they are planted.

Same here. I only water them for a few months after I plant them. After that they are on their own.

[Patrick]

Me too! And my soil looks like a sand dune..

[bsbullie]

ENDUSER:  You make some good points.  I think growing trees in pots versus in-ground in sandy soil is substantially different for water use.  I believe pots trap in more water near the roots, compared in-ground in sandy soil, so my application may require more water than potted plants.

Pots will dry out much faster than inground plants...and if you potting mix is trapping and holding water at the roots for a substantial period of time, it is a recipe for disaster for your plants.  You would be opening up the door for root rot, over watering and eventual possible death.