ADJUSTABLE NOZZLES are now being used to irrigate large containers. The system is simple, economical, and can be operated manually or automatically. One- and five-gallon container plants have generally been watered by overhead sprinklers. However, because the canopy of larger plants is widespread and the larger fifteen-gallon containers are spaced farther apart, these containers cannot be watered by sprinklers. Hand watering these plants by a drag hose has been the most commonly used method. This method is slow, labor consuming, expensive and often results in poor growth and nonuniformity. Assuming a labor cost of $1.35 an hour, each container costs the nurseryman $1.00 per year in labor alone. The nursery industry has been forced to find ways to reduce production costs, increase profit, or both. This article reports experiments to provide a better, and less expensive, irrigation system for large plant containers.

Nozzles tested were manufactured by the McGrath Tool Company, El Monte, California.