Deep Watering

Can the Root Quencher save a million trees?

Trees are awe-inspiring in size and stature, and they are often the first things we notice about a property. But trees need deep watering to stay healthy and beautiful.

Robert Summers and Maria Caceres know first-hand how devastating it can be to receive bad news about water-stressed trees. An arborist told them the 50-year-old trees on the family-owned property in Pasadena, California, were dying and would have to be replaced.

Robert and Maria rejected that idea. Rather than cutting down the trees, they embarked on an effort to revitalize their fruit trees and shrubs. It turned out that the trees on the family property weren’t getting the deep watering they needed.

The key to tree health

“It’s not enough to simply water the surface of the soil,” said Robert Summers. “A tree’s deep roots also need to receive water to keep the tree healthy. Deep watering can be the difference between a healthy tree and a dying tree.”

Robert and Maria began to test every deep-watering device they could find. They soon discovered a need in the marketplace for an efficient device to deliver water deep into the soil.

The next two years were spent developing product prototypes and testing them on established trees. The result was a new product they called the Root Quencher. This cylinder-shaped device made it possible to deliver water deeply to tree roots.

A Root Quencher has three chambers that can be expanded like a telescope from 9 inches long (for watering shrubs) to 22 inches long (for watering large trees). Field trials of the new Root Quencher showed tremendous success in tree health and fruit tree yields.

What makes the Root Quencher unique

The telescoping three-chamber design makes it simple to adjust the device for different soil depths and different sized trees. To make it easier to consistently deep-water trees, the Root Quencher can be connected to an automatic irrigation system. That way, tree roots can be automatically watered.

The Root Quencher’s patent-pending valve adjusts the water flow from .125 gallons per minute (GPM) to 2 GPM. This adjustable flow control means each tree can get exactly the amount of water it needs for optimum growth and health.

The Root Quencher also makes it easy to fertilize trees. The closed bottom of the device allows for fertilizer application and mixing right inside the Root Quencher. Plus, directional plugs are available to block the water flow in single tree/shrub applications.

A win-win partnership

When Robert Summers and Maria Caceres first started installing prototypes of the Root Quencher, they dug holes for the device using a posthole digger. This was workable, but slow and laborious. Then they met Greg Niewold, president of Power Planter earth augers. The digging augers made by Power Planter quickly became the go-to way to dig the holes for the cylinder-shaped Root Quenchers.

Early on, Power Planter augers were used to install more than 70 Root Quenchers. The Power Planter 4-inch diameters augers are the perfect solution for quick installation in warm states. The larger 7-inch diameter augers are great in areas where the ground freezes and the need to pack the Root Quencher in gravel is necessary.

“Power Planter’s product line is the perfect fit for us, and Greg’s partnership and advice has been invaluable” said Summers, who is Operations Manager at In Deep Irrigation, the company that makes Root Quencher. With the combination of Root Quenchers and Power Planter augers, Summers hopes to save more than one million trees by giving them the water they need.

“Even well-established trees need regular water to thrive,” said Summers. “Some larger trees have tap roots that may provide them with enough water to survive. But most established trees benefit from deep watering and deep fertilizing.”

For more information

Learn more about Root Quencher at rootquencher.com.