Watering of container nursery stock is a
major expense and environmental concern. In most
operations, overhead sprinklers (i.e., Rainbird-type
impact sprinklers) are used, although much runoff
waste occurs. Watering of container plants by trickle, drip
irrigation or low-volume emitters, results in less waste
(121), and is becoming more widely used, particularly
with plants produced in larger containers (Figs. 3–25
and 3–35). The development of solid-state soil tensiometers
for the computer control of irrigation systems of
containerized plants may help to increase water
use efficiencies and decrease off-site pollution from
runoff