Irrigation To Encourage Establishment of Plants at Remote Sites in the Desert (by David Bainbridge)

Irrigation for remote sites by David Bainbridge (Restoration Ecologist for almost 40 years)
Notes from the video presentation:
Climate change has made the world’s drylands dryer, due to overgrazing and other damage.
Super efficient irrigation is essential.
Understand need for irrigation
Evaluate options to irrigate remote locations
Maintain a remote site irrigation system
Root races at UCR suggested a need for deep irrigation.
Shoots small, but roots much longer.
Can’t count on rain, so irrigation is needed everywhere.
Supplying water
Rainwater harvesting, catch and keep as much as you can.
Mesquite root grew 3.2 cm in one day.
Measure with neutron probe for long term studies. Uses radiation to help monitor moisture. Roots need to grow deep and fast.
Desert plants will establish only with a flash flood.
Simple hole test can test for how much water infiltrates.
Harvesting rainwater can be done by pits, soil shaping. Rocklines and crescents can also work.
Seed and mulch or install container plants.
Hungry Valley SVRA rainwater harvest. Pitting by hand, seeding , mulch, fence. Good establishment after 3 years.
Rainwater collection using a membrane, would collect water with just 0.01 inch of rain.
Also can be done for individual plants, using catchment, with basin and wick. Weed mat or recycled linoleum can be used possibly for rainwater harvesting.
Hand watering uses a French watering jug from Gardner supply.
Tank on truck with pump and hose another option
Simplest method is using tree shelter and pouring into the tree shelter.
Better is to use a deep pipe, pVC. 1.5-2 inch diameter. ⅛ inch holes
Need higher tree shelter to avoid grazing damage.
Other options, repurposing containers.
Deep pot irrigation takes the deep pot available from Stuewe and Sons in Oregon.
Planting is easier, faster and cheaper with a tractor.
Battery timers work best with elevated tanks.
Prefer plastic tanks as stock tanks will rust even in a desert environment.
Elevated tanks
WIck irrigation is most efficient and great for remote sites. Capillary and gravity wick needs to be tested. Use dye with various ropes
Wick parts using nylon rope work and works well with mesquite.
Getting a wick down to groundwater can help the water rise by capillary action while also using gravity wicking and container. Linking roots to groundwater.
Slotted pipe can be used to put the water efficiently into the soil.
Most efficient system is clay pot irrigation, as it is self-regulating. Simple, but expensive. Ollas. Claypots in Kenya study cut water use by 98% , while increasing yield by 44%.