I have my runs of apples and stone fruit on a DIG drip irrigation kit I purchased from Amazon. It is a very simple install and I have had excellent results. All lines are buried under my mulch layer. The 1/2" tube should be fine in the sun but the 1/8" tubing may become sun damaged, and the emitters surely will. I didn't use the micro sprayers that come with this kit so another more basic kit may be more beneficial to you. Depending on the amount of trees you have, you may need to order additional emitters, connectors, etc. All 1/2" accessories sold at big box stores are compatible. http://www.amazon.com/DIG-Irrigation-GE200-Complete-Sprayer/dp/B004NPSIDE/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428867492&sr=8-3&keywords=dig+irrigation

I use a single 1/8" line from the main 1/2" line to a T fitting with several feet of tubing and an emitter on each end of the T, so as the tree gets bigger, I can move the emitters out away from the trunk. I am using two 2GPH emitters per tree right now. It's overkill for such young trees but I only let them run for 1/2 hour. Speaking of run time, I use a gardena mechanical hose timer. This setup is reliable and allows me to spend about 20 seconds watering the trees, verses a half hour by hand. http://www.amazon.com/Gardena-31169-Mechanical-Water-Control/dp/B002VED4Q0/ref=sr_1_sc_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1428867975&sr=8-3-spell&keywords=gardener+mechanical+hose+timer

I believe the name of the place I use is the DripDepot (online). If you google drip emitters you will get the big companies. Kits are OK I guess...but I think it is best to order exactly what you need.

That's a great point. I had no idea what I needed when I started. I'm not one to visualize, rather I need the parts in front of me. The kit gave me some extra pieces but all will probably get used at some point. I you know what you need, buying only what you need is a great way not to have any waste or excess materials.

If your system is on batteries, check those often. If your system is electric with battery backup, check often. A thunderstorm can knock it out and the timing will be off. Also, if you have hard water, check your emitters often. They clog easily. Have spare emitters on hand. I walk the property with a "Soil Sleuth" and check the soil for dampness. Easy to tell if an emitter isn't working. Have fun.

Suzi does make a good point about checking often. I have dripped 2 1/2 acres for 30 years. I constantly walk the drippers. It is amazing all the things that can get screwed up. The most common of course... is clogged drippers.

A few thoughts: Drip tape works best in straight rows. It does not take to bends or corners very well unless you use fittings, and is pretty thin (comes in several thicknesses, but all are thin). Depending upon the layout and use of your setup they may or may not work for you. I'd probably avoid tape if there will be a lot of traffic or digging in these rows.

There is also a product which has the emitters installed in 1/2" pvc flex pipe. Similar in use to tape, but the pipe is much stronger than tape, and can be bent into curves, etc. This is much longer lasting than tape, especially in an active location.

I am going to the emitters in pvc for my orchard. Making a spiral at each tree, length depending upon the size of the tree. The idea being I can add to the spiral and move it further out as the tree grows. The few trees I tried tape on did not work out too well, the tape needed continuing repair (although it watered just fine). Just really getting this in, so can't report yet on how this will work.