Bejay:

I think it's a good idea. Whenever one can irrigate without creating a spray, the technique conserves water by reducing its evaporation during application. Also the surface area that is irrigated is also reduced thus further reducing evaporation.

Tony

Bejay,

You've been around a while, so you probably know this (although you don't mention it), but a large mulch ring around your trees will conserve a tons of water. Anything biodegradable will work, as long as it doesn't blow away. Old cotton clothes, cardboard, grass clippings, etc. My wife even brings home shredded paper from her office. After dumping it around a tree, I generally cover it up with chipped wood, if I have time.

Agree - that heavy mulch is also a great way to conserve moisture. I've been a great "fan" of shredded paper also. Recently, tried it in my strawberry patch, because I wasn't happy with straw there. It seemed the straw didn't agree with the berry plants - but also attracted a lot of pill bugs. The newspaper shreddings used as mulch do not.

But again - with so many new ideas coming with growing things in recent years, it is probably a good idea to let time make the final decisions. Long term effects of new ideas can sometimes bring surprises.

Appreciate your replies. I wasn't sure that perhaps I would be adding too much nutrient near the feeder roots of my plants or trees, with that much chicken manure. It has been an issue - of how to use the manure - sometimes I preferred not to add it to a cooling down compost pile - so the "pail" idea seemed to be a good idea. Manure can also be a "neighborhood" odor/fly problem too - if it isn't used properly, as you might suspect.

Bejay