Alex and Mike came over today to help me pick up parts and get the irrigation system put together. I can’t take any credit for the design, it was Alex’s idea, but it looks like it’ll do a good job of keeping the roots moist. Basically, it’s a kind of french drain. We used some two inch PVC pipe to create a loop that has small holes drilled in the underside to trickle moisture in to the soil without having most of it evaporate from sitting on the surface. There is a five foot tall standpipe on one side that will be used to fill the system and act as a reservoir. Right now, with nothing around the pipes it won’t fill up, but we’re expecting that with some dirt around it the flow will be a little slower and we’ll get the reservoir effect we’re looking for.