What is the current estimate of water use by a containerized tree?
Although there are a lot of variables involved, the simplest answer is that the Container Tender should provide about 0.7 to 1 gallon/inch of trunk caliper per day. Of course there are a lot of assumptions that go into that number, so we strongly suggest that you start there and adjust accordingly. By all means feel free to experiment with lower and higher rates and tell us what you find. We realize that one gallon per day is about four to eight times less than what growers typically apply with competitive products. The big difference is that the Container Tender is designed to evenly distribute the water around the surface so that you do not waste the water (and fertilizers) out the bottom of the container. In addition, remember that lower flow rates delivered over longer periods of time is better than delivering the gallon, or so, all at once.
