Hello all,
I started looking into how to irrigate a citrus orchard. It looks like there are several ways, but I'm leaning towards low pressure micro sprayers on black poly tubing. Flood irrigation is out of the question, but my thought is to put a pump on my fire tank to boost the pressure to the 20 psi required and then run irrigation pipe down the slope of my orchard. I need to do the calcs still to deterimine the number of zones needed, but I thought I'd check here first to see if anyone has any experience/methods for irrigating that worked well. My main goals are low cost, reliability, and uniform coverage.

Thanks,
Phillip

Just a friendly poke in the ribs Phil, Apples grow in orchards. Citrus grow in groves. Maybe things are different in Cali.? Congrats on the new baby and place. Have a great week! Scott

We have three acres of trees (Aspen & Oak), that we harvest the young branches every July, then dye and preserve them. The stems are then wholesaled to both the Wholesale Florist trade, and the Potpourri industry. I irrigate the trees with an underground drip irrigation system. We use 20-mil T-tape that is placed 8 inches below the surface of the ground. The drip system is hooked up to both our irrigation well and also to a 10 horse power paddle driven air compressor. This enables up to both water and then aerate the tree's root system. Fertilizer can also be added directly through the drip system. In this manner we obtain a much greater amount of growth per tree per season. - Millet (1,405-)

Hi,
I just attended UCR's Citrus in the Garden class. The university's groves (trees over 5 years old) are irrigated using two micro sprayers per tree supplied by 1/4" tubing from 1/2" feedeer lines. They are 270 degree sprayers placed 3' away from the truck pointed away from the truck with a spray pattern that extends about 3 foot out. Each micro sprayer emitts 6 gallons per hour. They are specifically placed to make sure the trunk does not get wet.
How often and how long will depend on your soil type and weather conditions in your specific location.

~Pat

Well,
that's funny... we in Germany call any fruit plantange which is in rows and so having an ordered layout ochard.
So citrus, for a german, grows in ochards.
A grove is more a random pattern of trees. So usually walnuts, wich were not planted in rows, more in spots set out in the given area of land.. that's what we call a grove....

So at home, were I have to place the trees in backyard more randomly, because need to use the space and best fit... well, my citrus grove... but in Florida, I only found citrus ochards...

Funny, if you see through my eyes...

Once I get the irrigation in place, how do you know how much you need to water? I imagine that people who grow citrus have a the quantity of water zeroed in pretty well so that they aren't paying for more water than they need, but applying enough water to get the best yield. I'm sure temperature/humidity play a part, but it would be nice to know so that my well pump isn't getting killed prematurely.

Thanks,
Phillip

Citrus are evergreen and therefore require water for transpiration throughout the year. In Mediterranean climates, rainfall is concentrated in the winter months, with little or none in summer. During winter in Mediterranean climates, there is normally little need for irrigation except under extreme drought conditions. Water requirements vary with climate, ground cover, cultivation between rows, amount of weeds, and the size and age of trees. Grapefruit has higher water requirements per tree than orange or mandarin varieties, because grapefruit trees are larger. The water requirements of mature grapefruit trees generally range from 35 to 50 inches per year. In most Mediterranean climates, the daily water consumption of grapefruit ranges from 0.06 inch in January to 0.22 inch in July. Millet (1,357-)

Thanks Millet & Joe,
I actually think both of you made me think of something that I should have thought of before. Part of my job on the water side is to review irrigation demands for new projects. While I typically don't do the calc for them, I'm aware of the local data for evapotranspiration. Since it varies from species to species, what I wasn't familiar with is what citrus need. Back at the old place I didn't worry since I didn't have too many trees to worry about.

Joe, maybe I'll take you up on your offer, but I know you're busy so there's no hurry.

Thanks,
Phillip

from Morohett and Tolley "CITRUS FOR EVERYONE"

Minimum weekly water requirements (litres), for well mulched trees, watered at night through trickle irrigation, given annual rainfall of 500-600 mm and a dry summer. Conditions common in southern Australia.
tree size is average of height and width in metres

TREE........Oct........Nov........Dec.......Jan.......Feb....... Mar........Apr
(metres)
1..............17........22...........25..........30........26.........20.........12

1.5...........40........50...........60..........65........60.........45.........30

2.............70.........90..........100.........110......105........80.........50

2.5..........110.......140.........160.........175......160........120.......75

3.............155.......200.........230.........250.......235.......175......110

3.5..........210.......270.........310.........340.......320........240.....150

4.............275......355..........405.........440.......415........310.....195

* pagnr notes;the data is for southern hemisphere, where summer is dec-feb. Those in the northern hemisphere will need reverse the months.
approx daytime temp range over the year probably October +/- 20'c to Febuary +/- 40'c
irrigation requirement less from may to august , as rainfall mainly occurs in winter.
This would have to be taken as rough guidelines, and be adjusted to local conditions, such as explained by Millet's above post.