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I want to accomplish this DIY water technique for my pomegranate trees. https://youtu.be/mEV65WTyxkU

I want to make those plastic bottles resistant to the sun as there is a lot of sun over here (35 - 40 degrees C). Well there may not be all day long direct sun light from the sun to the bottle but I want to make it last from the spring until Autumn

If I use Aluminium Foil around the bottle would it make it resistant to the sun?

csandreas1
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  • Foil should help. Whether enough is something you'll have to find out by experiment. Isn't that set up rather small scale for trees? – Wayfaring Stranger Aug 27 '17 at 15:32
  • I didn't get your question quite straight can you repeat? – csandreas1 Aug 27 '17 at 17:29
  • Foil will block light, including the plastic damaging UV quite well. I don't know whether a plastic bottle will handle 40 degrees C for a full summer. They make them as cheaply as they can: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ed7XJeXl3b4 Lastly, aren't Pomegranate trees 4 meters tall or more? Even a 4 litre bottle seems pretty small to drip irrigate a plant that size. – Wayfaring Stranger Aug 27 '17 at 19:11
  • my tree is like 3-4 years old and 1,5 meter tall i will water them more frequently every 2 days – csandreas1 Aug 27 '17 at 20:03
  • Ah, that makes sense then. Good luck! – Wayfaring Stranger Aug 27 '17 at 20:55
  • Plastic bottles have BPA, Bisphenol A. Very toxic. Especially when subjected to heat. I would just plain and simply water by hand, hopefully you have well water. Water bottles...like Aquafina, should only be used one time, never refilled. Very toxic. I would not use plastic near any of my edibles, just sayin'... – stormy Aug 28 '17 at 20:44
  • You are right, but it is under the tree shade, inside a foil, i will keep it for one - two seasons – csandreas1 Aug 28 '17 at 21:53
  • Milk jugs should already filter UV rays. I don't imagine they'd be sun damaged easily, but I could be wrong. Keeping them clean and in shape is the only difficulty I've had with them (when using them for humidity domes, anyhow, but I didn't use them that long). Water bottles are another story, as to how they handle the sun, I imagine. – Brōtsyorfuzthrāx Aug 30 '17 at 09:20

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I think you are over thinking this since plastic bottles are a disposable item you can replace as needed. Though using this DIY recipe, you could save tape by running the stake through the top of the plastic side of the bottle. There are also irrigation bottle spike-lids that are reuseable and would save you a lot of tape and aggravation, see the image. I just put a pin hole(s) in the bottom of a bottle and set it down and loosen the cap, no fuss, and no muss; then you can use a milk jug.

UV is not your only problem and wasting tinfoil to save a disposable item seems, well wasteful. I suggest painting the outside of the container with acrylic or enamel spray paint; we do this for the recycle material hydroponic systems we've built. That way you might get 2 or 3 seasons out of it, barring the heat you are dealing with. If you are in urban environment ozone is going to be a big issue too, and the paint will help against that too.

If the tree is in a container, which I assume, watering every day is probably unavoidable. If it is in a container and you have it in a 30-40 degree location that is harsh for a young tree and one or two mistakes on your part might kill it. If it is movable, I urge you to place it someplace where it gets shade at noon or in the afternoon, or erect shade cloth over it. You are not doing yourself a favor keeping it in such a hot place since plant metabolic function shut down at such high temperatures. I picture that you are keeping this tree on a roof with 12 full suns and no respite if I am wrong sorry, a picture of the plant's location would rock. Some blogs discuss how to mitigate the harsh environments of roofs. Also, if your plant is in a container that has so much water running through the plant/pot, you are going to have to think up a fertilization scheme soon. I know this is beyond the scope of your question, but I am anticipating your next problem.

If it is in the ground, it is better to water deep a couple of times a week after the tree is established (years two onward). But giving it drip watering is good for the first year, it will expand it root system in the more temperate winter and spring.

I hope this is helpful to you if you post a picture of the tree and the system you build that would be much appreciated.

CloneZero
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