Water Wise Orchard Walk
Cheery yellow mustard flowers, beneath bare brown branches, greeted over 24 participants in the January Orchard Walk. Folks rotated among three information stations: orchard irrigation, garden tree irrigation, and drought-resilient plantings.
Orchardist Phil Doetsch explained how the current inefficient irrigation system in the Heritage Orchard will be transformed to mulched drip lines. Water savings of 30-50% will be possible, supported by a mini-grant from Valley Water.
In phase 1, the basic backbone plumbing of durable PVC pipes will be buried to protect them from tractor cultivation and rodents. An online irrigation controller will remotely control the watering schedule.
In phase 2, two parallel driplines will be installed along each row of trees in the middle section. Landscape fabric mulched with 3-4 inches of wood chips will control weeds. The cover crop will be tilled in the lanes between irrigated rows.
In phase 3, the irrigation system will be extended to additional sections. The watering schedule will be fine-tuned based on soil moisture probes installed by the Valley Water Mobile Irrigation Lab.
“Some folks want water-wise irrigation of fruit trees in their home gardens” said Jane Packard, Chair of the Orchard Commons Committee. “Create a basin extending to the dripline with 3-4 inches of mulch. Watering options include (1) two half-circle fan micro-sprinklers, (2) a loop of drip irrigation line, or (3) hand-watering when a moisture meter reads low.”
Jean Struthers, from the Santa Clara Valley Chapter of the California Native Plant Society, discussed how to conserve water by planting native species. Struthers recommended the resources listed on www.cnps-scv.org/gardening.
In this period of severe drought, we can all pitch in to conserve water and keep trees healthy using precision irrigation approaches. Valley Water offers several rebates to improve water conservation in outdoor landscapes. We hope our orchard make-over will inspire local residents.
(draft submitted to Under the Oaks, a newsletter for members of the Los Altos History Museum)
To learn more about this ongoing project, here are some links:
First Field Day:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1HV8iUkLHwkAcnMOvJb8pH_g0a9jHtzwm/view?usp=sharing
Ground-breaking Ceremony: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1557o9GUkxiPjtdO9CTQu9eis6xaxK8En/view?usp=sharing
Irrigation Analysis:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/19GM0mUvNjDcXXKO-6hx15DNqWpjzw1YK/view?usp=sharing
Water Conservation: Smart Irrigation Panel Discussion
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1RaDMf-R-ZhQAvAh3ywFHci8XXaC48Zw2/view?usp=sharing
Ground Squirrel IPM Best Practices
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qX6jQ_JmCbM05EcRQQ6Rzfn0EadLcdh5/view?usp=sharing
Micro-Irrigation Design: Version 1
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1z03vqa-tDku0JiznW-GIMG1VhHZcj06a/view?usp=sharing
Soil Moisture Sensors
https://drive.google.com/file/d/123QMLZHscb5-Np4iDlvQbLsE8jFuUGn1/view?usp=sharing
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