Troubleshooting
Drains fast onto the surface – This is an Injector installation issue, not a leaking seal. Water is flowing back to the surface around the outside of the Injector. The current hole has eroded, so pick a different location and install Injector completely to the flange. One purpose of the flange is to seal the soil surface, but it must be firmly installed against the soil surface.
Drains too fast (but not on surface) – Water is replacing air in the ground and settling the soil around the root system. Drain times should eventually normalize to around 15 minutes. Fully soaking the entire root system at once allows all feeder roots to uptake nutrients. Soak, let dry, & repeat. Slow drip is simply a surface run-off avoidance strategy that has no advantage over Tree I-V. However, if slow drip is still what you want, apply duct tape to the input hole of the Injector and poke a tiny hole that gives you the drain time you desire. This is not our recommendation, but a solution to get what you want.
Drains too slow – This can be a problem with hardened or clay soil, especially on mature trees.
- For small new trees – Install Injector in the loosened soil just beyond the root ball.
- For machine planted trees – Install in the loosened region between native soil and new soil.
- For mature trees – Tight soil can be problematic, unlike the loose soil on new trees. If your reservoir sits full for 24 hours, locating the Injector to another location usually solves the problem. If not, you can use a 5/8” dowel rod to plunge inside the Injector. The plunging action opens pores in the soil to get flow started.
Injector won't go in the ground - Drive a screwdriver in and wallow it around slightly for a starter hole. If the hole is too big water may flow back up to the surface. If that happens, pick another spot. Undisturbed soil like that found with established trees can be rock hard in dry times, we understand. While these are not the recommended applications for Tree I-V, they will work with with a little extra effort and patience.
Water is resurfacing - A high volume seal leak is not possible unless components are damaged. Please revisit “Drains fast onto the surface” solution
Reservoirs blowing around - Loosely tie the handle to your tree with twine.
Kids won't go outside - Tell them to go water the trees!