How Much Water Is Used on 200+ Tropical Fruit Trees in California's Central Valley

[@EnlightenmentGarden]

Thanks for posting this. I'm glad you shared your actual consumption. Mine was 50k this last month (inside and out)! Inside is only about 1/3 of total usage for my property. You are fortunate to have inexpensive high-quality water. In my area, the utilities charge 2.5 times higher than yours and we have high salt. Not much I can do about those factors. I just keep up the hydration and the trees seem to be doing well despite non-optimal minerals. And I agree, when I grew just grass, I was using about the same amount to keep my summer lawn looking good. Growing food, providing wildlife respite, pumping oxygen into the air, and adding shade and humidity are priceless.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Totally. My yard is extremely small when compared to yours. If any larger, I too may be reaching the 50,000 gallon per month range.

[@libertyontheland]

We’re all on well water and my neighbor waters their lawn everyday for hours year round sometimes for 24 hours straight. I planted a bunch of fruit trees along the property line to put the water to better use 😂

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Benefits of personal well water, but, the well can go dry, particularly in drought years. I know some parts of Porterville, CA went dry and were completely reliant on bottled water serval years back.

[@mohamedh0786]

Brah, Love our Tropical Yard, Well Done

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. All credit goes to the trees for making it in the Central Valley’s harsh climate.

[@Florida882]

I love your yard. I CAN NOT imagine watering so much. Not because of the cost. I do rain barrels and I also have areas to help catch and hold the rain. I’m in Florida though and I know it isn’t the same. I don’t water or fertilize. I put down wood chips. I figure what grows grows. I’m three years in. I have lost trees but from hurricane and freeze. You have a beautiful yard. Must be nice with all the shade.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. Yeah, due to the lack of rain and other resources, I do have to water and fertilize the trees, but these aren’t too burdensome.

[@jared8268]

Definitely agree on the value of automated irrigation. Hand watering takes way too long, and if you go on vacation, there’s nobody to care for the trees. Much better to set up a drip system early so that as you add new plants, you are only needing to add a few new feeder lines.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Totally. My only concern is the automated system breaking, which has happened to me, but most are relatively reliable.

[@GrowsGoneWild]

I agree. Setting up an irrigation system is high on my priority right now. Watering for an hour in the summer sun is definitely not a good time 🤣

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Yeah, I too hand watered all of my trees in the old days. The process took several hours.

[@GrowsGoneWild]

@@TropicalCentralValley it’s twice a day for me now 😭

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Yeah, I’ve been there, especially during the super hot days.

[@vimeopictures5170]

Thank you for making such relatable videos. In my case, I use less water compared to my grass lawn as there are some tropical plants that can survive without water for weeks like mangoes, guavas, figs, citruses, grapes. However, some need water every alternate days like purple caimito, water apples, coconut etc. Maintaining lawn is such a task. Whereas, these forests? you can leave them wild and free! The more lazy I get, the more beautiful and dense they become

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s interesting. I think California is different in that, we’re known for growing fruits for the rest of the United States and the world. Due to our most sunny days, it makes perfect sense that trees grow easily in California. Additional, California is super friendly to anything (particularly trees) that is seen as helping the environment, especially with cleaning the air.

[@bigg368]

Gorgeous garden. Looks like Thailand.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you.

[@vietpham8456]

Thank you for this amazing video! I am starting slowly to work towards a food forest like your. Start with the wood chips right now. Your videos inspired me!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. It’ll find that the entire process is mostly hands off. Once the irrigation, mulch and trees are down, it’s mostly just sitting back and waiting for the trees to produce fruits.

[@pmurT4202]

Love them videos bro keep them coming 👍💪

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you.

[@dynamiscr]

You have a great tropical food forest there. Your orchard is such a good inspiration for me. I have a guava tree already, but Id like to have anonas, mangoes and avocados as well. Good job sir

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you. Guava trees are a gateway to other tropical fruit trees. This was the case for me in the very beginning.

[@dynamiscr]

@@TropicalCentralValley yes indeed! Guava, mango, soursop, papaya, etc bring me so much childhood memories! I've also noticed that you have paw-paw trees, where did you find those here in California?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I had purchased my pawpaw tree from an online seller years ago. It’s perhaps one of the slowest growing trees.

[@dynamiscr]

@@TropicalCentralValley good to know. I better purchase one for my yard now, then. Thanks and keep up the good work

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@user-rl6fi6tv8l]

Hi, enjoy watching your garden! Thx for sharing!Tropical fruits nurseries: magnolia nursery (garden grove),O2 (across the street from magnolia nursery), EKT (Lakewood), Kim le(la puenta?), lai thieu (santa ana), mimosa in LA s the cheapest (they have all of tropical fruits and flowers trees.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thanks for the tip. I have not been to other tropical fruit tree nurseries in the LA region besides Mimosa, Champ and Emily. Given that they all pretty much source their trees from wholesalers in Florida, I’ve just been going to the ones that have the most inventory so I can pick the best tree from the lot.

[@fruitful_life3]

Great video, love it.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you.

[@Will_Grow_Plants]

This was a good point, I should consider finishing my drip system, it needs work. Right now I hand water and I am taking a lot of time to really soak everything. I think this would definitely benefit my garden.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Totally, I too once hand watered my trees and it took hours. Adding to this, that process was a bit wasteful as the water simply dried up before the trees even had a chance to uptake the water.

[@SVmathfarmer]

That’s the boat I’m in right now. Need to transition to irrigation and as you say small releases frequently

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Definitely, due to your acre size yard, it may take several days to lay down the primary 5/8 tube, but once down, the smaller, 1/4 distribution tubes (the brown ones shown in my video) are a breeze.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Definitely, due to your acre size yard, it may take several days to lay down the primary 5/8 tube, and the smaller 1/4 distribution tubes (the brown ones shown in my video), but the rest is a breeze.

[@user-ii1di7fy7c]

Great garden iv just started mine in Australia.we are using grey water from house and rain watee catchments.only nees water 4 months till winter

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome. Although great in theory, I get nervous about the soap and other chemical’s impact on the soil life.

[@segapena5033]

The density and tree cover must also help retain soil moisture vs having just an open shadeless lawn or low density tree cover. I tried to explain this to my wife when did our landscaping. She wanted a big green lawn in the background of the pool with all my plantings at the very back of the property line where it was closer to some neighbor's giant oak trees and shaded. I kept telling her my fruit and ornamental trees would not perform well under oak trees and the lawn would struggle in the summer without afternoon shade. The parts of my yard that are more shaded in the afternoon stay green all summer while the shadeless areas turn bright yellow. My fruit and ornamental trees near the oak trees are very slow growing but the full sun ones have taken off. Lawns are a pain.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Absolutely. The density of my trees helps to create humidity which helps nearby trees and plants. Additionally, although not mentioned in this video, the amount of mulch I have (about 1 foot high) serves to prevent moisture loss at the ground level.

[@SVmathfarmer]

Good video. I use similar amount farming on about 1 acre yard. My July - Aug water bill $1200 for 2 months. It was cheaper this bill than last year. I have similar amount of trees in San Jose. Only high bills are July - Aug - Sep. Rest of year ok. You growing avocados? That’s my main Focus. I don’t sell anything except to friends it’smainly all for family and any leftovers usually just go to my chickens.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Wow, if my calculations are correct, that’s roughly 187,419 gallons of water per month. I do have a Reed avocado doing great in the yard.

[@SVmathfarmer]

@@TropicalCentralValley SJ water provides the usage data I’ll have to look and get back to see how close your calculation is. I’m Obsessed with Reed avocado I have 13 trees

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome.

[@mauriciodiaz1310]

Brotha u have the best house on the block. 💯

[@TropicalCentralValley]

It’s different for sure, especially in my neighborhood. It’s something you don’t expect in a “newer” neighborhood.

[@SVmathfarmer]

When I lived in suburbia I had a similar yard stuffed with tons of fruit trees. Now live slightly more rural with a lot more trees than was possible in the suburban home

[@TropicalCentralValley]

It’s a good feeling when being surrounded by trees. Sort of a hidden paradise feeling.

[@lawngevity3295]

Next year i'm setting up a drip system too. It's going to be a pain but hopefully a pain suffered just once.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

It’s well worth it. Once you have the main line down, you can add more smaller lines going to each tree. It’s super easy.

[@vtran1978]

Thanks for the video. Can you provide links to the irrigation components that you use? There's so many choices out there. Thanks.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Melnor Bluetooth Timer www.lowes.com/pd/Melnor-BT-1-Zone-Timer/1002888324 Faucet Connector www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-Universal-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-Female-Adapter/3326118 Primary Tube www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-5-8-in-x-200-ft-Polyethylene-Drip-Irrigation-Distribution-Tubing/3125827 Primary Tube End Cap www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-5-8-in-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-End-Cap/3406906 Irrigation Distribution Tube www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-1-4-in-x-50-ft-Vinyl-Drip-Irrigation-Distribution-Tubing/999994766 Irrigation Tube Connectors www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-5-Pack-Drip-Irrigation-Connectors/3653816 Bubblers www.lowes.com/pd/Orbit-5-Pack-29-GPH-Full-circle-Spray-Drip-Irrigation-Bubbler/3133823 Sprinklers www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-28-2-GPH-Half-circle-Spray-Drip-Irrigation-Multi-Stream-Dripper-Stake/3577316 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-28-2-GPH-Half-circle-Spray-Drip-Irrigation-Multi-Stream-Dripper-Stake/3577316 Accessories www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-20-Pack-Drip-Irrigation-Goof-Plugs/3407278 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-5-8-in-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-Coupling/3136519 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-5-8-in-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-Tee/3407818 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-10-Pack-1-4-in-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-Tees/3136237 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-50-Pack-1-4-in-Polypropylene-Drip-Irrigation-Couplings/3151607 www.lowes.com/pd/Raindrip-28-2-GPH-Half-circle-Spray-Drip-Irrigation-Multi-Stream-Dripper-Stake/3577316

[@actorkaiserjohnson]

I think you’ve mentioned it in the comments of other videos, but what are all the beautiful red and pink flowers (or are they bracts?) that surround the trees in the front yard?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Crown-of-thorns. This is the video that you’re referring in which I go into details about them: Ground Covering for Tropical Fruit Trees in California's Central Valley kzbin.info/www/bejne/bYDKqYyDns2eiLs

[@actorkaiserjohnson]

@@TropicalCentralValley Awesome, thank you!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@2012zk]

Can you talk about how do you get rid of rotten mice rats squirrel gophers all these little guys are smart and eating my fruits 😢 i know we have to share but fruits take a long time to grow and when they're ready to eat they're gone 😂

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I had rat issues, and the old fashioned rat traps took care of them. I do not have personal experience with the other critters, but have heard that bubble gum takes are of gophers as they’re unable to digest them.

[@Jesus-x3d]

Keep hungry Cats around. Also don’t kill the snakes because they are natural pest control.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

The problem with using other predators such as cats to take care of the prey is the unintended consequences. Cats will also make good meal of birds that are beneficial in tackling insect pests.

[@vimeopictures5170]

I've some of my friends in new jersey and they are not allowed to grow fruit trees in their front lawn. I live in India....we had no such rules. You could grow anything and everything in your frontyard or backyard and nobody would bat an eye. But now times have changed. In many up and coming Indian localities, the builders and developers are following the same US model. It's such a shame!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I went into more details on your other comment, but, I totally agree.

[@actorkaiserjohnson]

Am I seeing correctly that you’re using a drip system with bubblers/sprayers? Or are you on PVC with bubblers? Your front and back garden is what I aspire to! Have you ever done an irrigation video where you walk through your setup?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You got it. Drip system, but with blubbers to the trees and sprinklers for everything else (shrubs, flowers, vegetables, etc.). The primary tube from the faucet is the standard 5/8” polyethylene garden tube from which, the smaller (brown ones shown in the video) 1/4” redistribution tubes are connected to.

[@actorkaiserjohnson]

@@TropicalCentralValley awesome, thanks! So no drip emitters, all bubbler/sprayer emitters?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I would strongly discourage the use of actual drippers as the trees need much more water than what the drippers can provide.

[@actorkaiserjohnson]

@@TropicalCentralValley okay thanks!

[@HBelair]

How often do you water your giant bird of paradise? Thank you

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Specific to this section of my yard, I water it daily, every other hour for 2 minutes as there aren’t any trees in this watering zone.

[@HBelair]

Thank you very much for your response. I have learned so much from your channel. I have a small tropical garden in Sacramento.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thank you.

[@mr.larocca5150]

Do you use any greywater? If not, its easy to turn laundry water into irrigation water.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I do not. My primary concern with grey water is the impact it has on the soil life.

[@mr.larocca5150]

@@TropicalCentralValleyI've found it very easy and a great way to reduce my water for irrigation. It is very important to avoid detergents with salt. I use Dr. Bronners.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Thanks for the tip.

[@Jesus-x3d]

What’s the tree by the road?? Did you say ice cream bean tree? I didn’t catch what you called it. Thanks

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Ice Cream Bean tree, also known as the Inga. The pulps are delicious; almost vanilla flavored goodness.

[@Jesus-x3d]

@@TropicalCentralValley I will have to locate one of those!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Definitely, the taste is quite unique.

[@crushayou5319]

My sodium ppm was tested from 39-103 in 2023 and chlorine residuals average was 1.1. I am in Anaheim. Is that pretty good?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Your sodium is practically nonexistent; for reference, mango trees start exhibiting negative signs when the sodium is higher than 2,000 ppm. The chlorine mostly “harms” the soil life, but, there’s not much that can be done. Bear in mind, water is just one piece of the puzzle. Your soil’s composition plays an even more important role.

[@crushayou5319]

@@TropicalCentralValley thanks for the reply. I have been growing in containers. So I usually do a peet, pearlite, sand and some charcoal. Then I sprinkle some holly tone in the container and on top of soil. I have lots of eugenia, jaboticaba, Pouteria, annona and others that I grow with that. Lots of drainage and it becomes hard to over water.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

That’s awesome. Nice job.

[@Jesus-x3d]

Do your neighbors mind the food forest? Just curious!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Not only do they not mind, they are trying to mimic my setup. I have mentioned to any neighbors who asked that I’m more than happy to give away any of my cuttings, seedlings, etc.

[@Jesus-x3d]

@@TropicalCentralValley that’s nice of you! Wish you were my next door neighbor we would have a lot to talk about… i don’t have as much as you but I’m getting there. By the way here in Florida it rains almost every day in the summer so we don’t have to water as much. It’s very hot and humid and perfect for tropicals! I’ll subscribe to your channel. I love your videos!

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Much of my tips probably do not apply to your climate, however, it’s also worth sharing.

[@BBWJuliofranco]

I also live in visalia I hope to one day run in to you 😂 teach me how to grow a mango tree

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Nice. Yeah, I’m not sure why very few folks grow tropical fruit trees in our area, but the majority of tropical fruit trees perform very well here. Specific to the growing of mango trees, I would recommend you grow them from store bought fruits as the seedlings acclimate so much better than grafted, mature trees. Here’s an earlier video that I made that touches on this topic: Successfully Plant and Grow Mango Trees in Clay Soil kzbin.info/www/bejne/sGbRi52qmr2VjK8

[@BBWJuliofranco]

@TropicalCentralValley thanks ill check it later love vids.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

You’re very welcome.

[@pmurT4202]

Is there a reason why you don’t grow jackfruit trees

[@TropicalCentralValley]

No reason, that’s why I got a bunch of jackfruit trees in my yard. I haven’t talked about them too much yet as they are still a bit young, but I’ll cover them in future videos.

[@Genesis--me8ud]

@@TropicalCentralValley What happen to your VU Sua Tree no update so it must have die can’t survive this environment - it’s ironic people try to sell this tree but so far no proof have this tree with fruit in California

[@TropicalCentralValley]

It’s growing nicely in the ground. About 5 feet tall.

[@joweb1320]

21,000 gallons a month?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Just about. It’s a lot, but much of the water does get recycled back into the ground, and hopefully replenishing the aquifers.

[@joweb1320]

@@TropicalCentralValley Excellent points!

[@DavidRamirez-mh9yo]

We should be focusing on the millions of walnut trees that just soak up water to produce little. Stop focussing on the homeowner directly. County Parks never stop watering there weeds

[@TropicalCentralValley]

I agree. Parks are nice, but seem wasteful. In lieu of grass, native plants should be planted in city parks.

[@Boboyaliihawhos1]

Where do you get all your plants?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

If you’re nearing the Los Angeles region, there’s actually a good number of tropical fruit tree nurseries in the area. Here’s some videos I did touring some of them: Champa Nursery - Spring 2022 Tour kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWKQcpednJp3gbM Emily Garden Nursery - Spring 2022 Tour kzbin.info/www/bejne/nZ-Ue3efr5Kln6M Mimosa Nursery - Spring 2022 Tour kzbin.info/www/bejne/j5eyfoKJqNp6f9E

[@Boboyaliihawhos1]

@@TropicalCentralValley Mahalo 🤙🏾

[@TropicalCentralValley]

a'ole pilikia

[@GrowsGoneWild]

4 mins an hour is perfect with for your clay soil. It can’t absorb much more than that.

[@TropicalCentralValley]

The clay soil isn’t really the issue, it’s the oxygen, or lack thereof. With about 95% of the tree’s feeder roots being near the top 1 foot of soil, where there’s plenty of oxygen, it only makes sense to water frequently but in small quantities.

[@anonymoustargetindividual]

@@TropicalCentralValley 4 mins an hour, how many hours per day? Drip emitter 1 gallon per min?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

12 times per day; basically 7am to 7pm. My bubblers are independently adjustable, with larger trees receiving more water. My garden hose pressure is 9.286 seconds to fill up 1 gallon.

[@emanueldelgado540]

Wow your water bill is cheap I use half of what you use and mines 300+

[@TropicalCentralValley]

In my case, it definitely helps that I’m surrounded by lawn folks.

[@lyonheart84]

Lol your water bills are insanely cheap over there, i did some calculations and your same water usage here would cost you at least 500 bucks a MONTH 😂

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Wow, and it rains quite a bit where you are. Mines actually a bit expensive when compared to folks with well.

[@melbournesubtropicfruits9474]

@@lyonheart84 Ha yeah we are also ripped off here as Sewage use is calculated on water use. They used to charge me last as most of my water use was on garden not sewer so I said stick a metre on my dunny pipe don't guess with some stupid formila lol

[@TropicalCentralValley]

It’s always interesting to see how other parts of the world handles water usage. I do feel mine is a bit on the pricier side as I’m using the sanitized water from the city. That said, I do know of folks living on the edge of the city that uses their own water from the well, and they’re basically getting unlimited amounts of water.

[@melbournesubtropicfruits9474]

@@TropicalCentralValley Here in Oz the authorities are taxing well water as it's affecting the artesian basin. in Western Australia CocaCola are stealing that water and bottling it for free and selling said water for $3 a bottle rotten scammers

[@OCMOOMOMO]

What about fertilizer?

[@TropicalCentralValley]

Definitely. The feeding of trees is another piece of the puzzle to ensuring they thrive in non-native region. Here’s a dedicated video I did covering that topic: Organic Fertilizer Tips for Feeding your Tropical Fruit Trees kzbin.info/www/bejne/a5azeIh4nbSdY9k