Ways to soil drench that are easy on the back

[FV Fruit Freak]

Threw out my back today doing a soil drench, not the young buck I use to be...Getting too damn old to lug around a 5 gallon bucket through the garden anymore. Does anyone have a better solution they’d like to share for doing soil drenches that are easier on the back?

[K-Rimes]

I build up a ring of logs around my trees and then make a ring of compost or manure around that - it holds a lot of water from the hose so I can fill it up and walk away as it drains down. I just haul around 75’ - 100’ hoses

[FV Fruit Freak]

Thanks K-Rimes. I should have been more specific. I meant soil drench with fertilizer mixed into the 5 gallon bucket as well, not just water.

[hawkfish007]

I added an EZKIT to my drip irrigation line to fertilize my trees. Adding kelp, fish or any water soluble fertilizer to the reservoir only takes a few minutes.

https://ezfloinjection.com/products/dispensing-systems/ezkit/

They also have a portable version for hose bibs.

https://ezfloinjection.com/products/dispensing-systems/hose-bib-and-drip-systems-2/

[Jagmanjoe]

While my method is geared more for water soluble, I purchased my tank sprayer that easily holds 15 gallons of material from Rural King for about $65 if I remember correctly.  Primary use is as a sprayer on the back of my carryall cart.  BUT, when I want to use a soil drench, I fill it with my material including water soluble fertilizers, power up the cheap boat bilge pump to keep the material agitated and attach a 15 ft hose to the drain outlet.  At the end of the hose I have an inexpensive water meter with a shutoff valve and let gravity do its thing.  It works reasonably quickly and when the material starts to get low, I just prop up the opposite side of the tank to keep the material at the drain end.  With the meter attached, I can monitor just how much material has come out.

[weiss613]

Here is the answer to your prayers!
https://youtu.be/lK3seh5pCHU

[zands]

Don't hurt your back, so no heavy lifting.
#2 keep fruit trees low so that you never have to get on a ladder to prune. All mine are kept this way, at most they get to 20 feet high by end of mango season.  They get pruned down to 15 feet or lower.
#3 Electric pole saws are a necessity. I have 2 corded ones.
#4 I have 2 manual pole pruners for lighter duty

[EddieF]

Wheelchair user here, liquid ferts i use brass garden hose siphon attachment mixes 16:1
I put siphon hose in milk gallon with concentrate dilluted for 16 gallons & hose down around tree.

[spaugh]

farming is hard on the back.  builds character.   

mulch and dry fertilizers and manures are nice too but still takes effort to move around.

A nice garden cart comes in super handy too.  Dont ever carry anything that you can drag or roll around instead.

[FV Fruit Freak]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for the invaluable information and excellent ideas guys!!! Those EZKIT set-ups look awesome, thanks for inspiring me to finally pull out the drip line from the shed and get to work...Ya Brad, the kids little red wagon isn’t really cutting it anymore so definitely time to invest in a quality garden cart, work smart not hard right...I don’t need to build anymore character anyways...