Yard Butler 36 Inch Deep Root Irrigator - Drip Watering Irrigator Tool - Soil and Root Penetration - Deep Plant and Tree Root Watering Feeder Tool Irrigation System Wand T-handle

It is a great tool for watering deep in the soil , but it wears out quickly . The tube has a lengthwise seam joined together as it is not seamless. So if you push it down repeatedly , the seam will start cracking and leaking . I have a solution by buying a Bully soil probinig tool which looks ldentical but is a solid steel rod that can be used to create the deep hole first, then follow up with this Yard Butler watering tool without effort. The tip of the Yard Butler watering tool is easily clogged with mud which you need to unclog with a 8d galvanized nail. , but this problem may go away if you also use the Bully tool to clear the way first. The Bully tool is very rugged but easily bent which is ok as you can unbend it back . it will become somewhat crooked but I don't care. as long as it can break a deep hole down to make it a lot easier for me to push the hollow Yard Butler down . I use it to water the lawn at about a meter interval all over. The grass roots can sense water deep that will last much longer than your typical sprinkler system. If you have a little muscle , you will find it a very efficient way to water the water thirsty lawn! You can use some sort of plastic plugs to seal the holes for future rewatering which may be either weekly or biweekly depending on the shade of the lawn and exposure of sunlight. This combo of YardButler and Bully soil probe tool can be one of the great answers to our water shortages, who knows? You can either choose 36 or 48 inch Bully soil probe tool . There is also 60 inch one but it is not necessary for lawns. I think 36 inch is most optimal choice for your Bully Soil Probe Tool as it may be less likely to be bent than the longer ones from pushing into the soil. It is fascinating to watch how the YardButler pump water deep into the soil because some holes filled up quicker than other ones probably due to soil fissures underground, I don't know. It can be gopher holes also. As long as you water very deep, water lasts down there much longer and your lawn will get deep rooted. You sometimes do not need any lawn fertilizer at all as the lawn will turn green on its own due to abudance of water deep underground which means increased soil nutrition to the lawn root itself. You will save money on expensive lawn fertilizers that lasts only a few weeks. My lawn stays green through the hot summer without any fertilizer at all. All u need is add water deep!

This tool appears well made and works great. I have not experienced some of the problems a few of the reviewers had with the hose attachment coming apart. I did find it a bit hard to get the hose screwed on tight and had to use a water pump wrench. But I put a hose valve on the irrigator first and leave that on all the time so no problem. I can see a problem with grains of sand getting in the tip end and then blocking water flow. I had that problem with the irrigators this one is replacing which were L shaped and I could use a nail to loosen the grain and then tap it out the hose end. With yardbutler, I will have to somehow get the grain to fall into the hose connection pipe. So use max water pressure when inserting the irrigator and don't lean over the handle because you can get blasted in the face with mud if it blows back. I was glad to find this irrigator because it was the only that has the opening on the tip not the side. That way you can quickly drill a new hole and have enough water pressure to excavate the mud so your hole is easily reusable without a struggle thereafter. I prefer this to the Ross and other irrigators although they have their fans too. Keep a stick or whatever in the holes you drill so you can find them next time. Anyway, try this deep watering tool. I live in the desert. I water one tree or shrub all day keeping it on not much more than a drip so I water deeply and use much less water. The trick is to adjust the flow so the water barely flows out of the hole and leave it that way all day. And use plastic hose valves. Hot weather causes the metal ones to expand and turn themselves off. One last blab. Don't leave the irrigator in a hole when not using. Pull it out and drain it by opening the valve if you use one or removing the hose. Your irrigator will last longer. Rust not, want not.

I saw some reviews mention to words of this effect ' Oh, this thing is no good for clay, etc or it just plain sucks and gets plugged up'. Well, I took a gamble and ordered one. A gamble I say because I live in the SE Texas Gulf Coast, in Galveston County. The yard I have is loaded with clay substrate. Right now we in this area of Texas are in a severe extreme drought so the ground is quite dry. I had no problems getting this to work in my soil. I only had it 'plug' up a couple of times and that was the fault one time of some root material the other because I was trying to go too fast. I don't think anyone would have much issue with this device if they do not try to force it into the ground too fast. Give the water time to do its magic with hydraulic and lubrication mojo as you ease it in. I usually end up a good 2 feet into the ground if not near 3 feet then back it out some. If I hit a very dry patch of clay , one can tell if one listens to ones nervous system whilst they apply downward pressure, I ease up a good number of seconds. I apply full water pressure for getting it in the ground then usually back off the pressure once it is in. I didn't' have to fool with drilling any holes in it as I have seen others here mention. I can't see why that would be needed but one could I suppose depending on soil. As I say, my ground here is clay heavy and it is VERY dry this season. I took off a point cause the end bit is rusting already. Of course it would it is just plain ol steel of some sort. I guess we can't expect stainless at this price. Mineral oil I'd think might be safely applied to help prevent that. The hose bib area seems well constructed enough. No plastic there, a brass bibbly bit. Nice to see that. It works fine I can't complain. My trees seem happier now that they have had some drinks on me.

The Yard Butler works great. The Texas drought has devastated the trees and shrubs. In south Texas we have heavy gumbo clay soil that shrinks and moves as the water evaporates. My bathroom and closet doors began to drag and catch as the slab began to sag. I used the Yard Butler to pump water under the corner of my house. After a few evenings of deep watering, the doors began to fit and the cracks at the corners closed. In addition, in an area where water is in short supply, deep watering avoids waste and evaporation. It is a good way to keep the shrubs alive without water running down the driveway. As for technical aspects, the Yard Butler is easy to insert into the hardest gumbo soil. From some of the reviews, I get the feeling that some people don't turn on the water when they try to push the wand into the ground. In all honesty, our soil has no rocks at all. If you are trying insert the butler into rocky soil, I doubt you will have very much success. The wand will not go through rocks or other solid objects.

Very sturdy steel shaft that won't bend when the soil is compacted. Nozzle opening doesn't clog when I push the irrigator deep into the soil.

I'd read how others were having trouble with the hole being too small and located only at the end. Being Ms. SmartyPants I figured I'd just remedy that situation by drilling some more holes along the stem. Not happening! The upside to this tool is that the stem is made from a very strong metal (maybe steel) and there is no drilling anything through that baby! So, just like others said, it gets clogged and often leaks around the part where you attached the hose. I cannot believe they didn't put more holes along the edges. I have a friend who made himself one and that is what he did. A YEAR LATER ~ AN UPDATE: Within 6-months the part where the hose attaches leaked so badly that most of your water escapes from that region long before it can even run down the steel pipe and into the ground. This was true even if the thing wasn't clogged! (And it's not a matter of rubber gaskets, either.) If you played with the hose, the T's positioning, messed with it awhile, you could get it so that it actually worked for a bit. But heaven forbid if wanted to move it or use your hose for something else! We usually did not detach it because it was such a hassle. Then about a month later we bought a new, non-kink hose and needed to switch out the hose the T was attached to. In the middle of unscrewing the old hose the part you use to screw it on came off. Completely. Now this thing is useless.

First one leaked within two uses, and then completely broke within two more uses. I contacted Yard Butler, and they sent me a new one - on the upside, they were prompt in responding and in sending me a new one. Well, the new one started leaking within two uses as well. It does the job of watering underground - yes, definitely, five stars there. But it sprays water everywhere from the connection point with the hose. There doesn't seem to be a gasket in the connection, or the braise on the metal is really poor. For the price, and the potential water savings, its good - just done use it with your phone in your pocket, or while wearing something you don't want thoroughly wetted.

Used this to deep water the trees and shrubs this winter. We have had a record breaking no snow dry spell here in Reno, NV. Had to get some deep watering done to keep the trees alive. Had recently purchased another deep root irrigator (made in China with yellow plastic handle) that failed before I could finish the first tree. The reviews of the other feeder/waterer cautioned about careful handling of the product so I was very careful. It broke where it connected to the hose. Not happy about that! Amazon had the best price for this root irrigator, so got this as a replacement. We have some hard ground to work around here. The WST-1 handled it very well, including the hard clay and rocks. To make it easier to handle I added the brass water shut off (also from Amazon) Dramm 12353 Heavy-Duty Brass Shut-Off Valve I found out when I got the unit that I can also use it as a deep root feeder. Its easy to attach a hose feeder if one wants to use it that way. After slogging around in the dirt the unit also worked well as a pressure washer to get the clay off the bottom of my boots. Its a well built simple tool. One will have to experiment to see how much water pressure works for each type of dirt and situation.

I manage a team of groundskeepers at a large private school and this particular deep watering tool has been our most reliable so far. We have 3 of them now and one of them broke when it was run over by a truck, we were able to fix it with a little welding (all steel construction). I am enclosing a picture of the one modification I made to ours which I think greatly improves performance: I drilled holes into the sides of the tip to allow a faster flow of water and prevent clogging of the tip which often happens.

Very easy to use, Works well. Great for watering the trees, especially with the heat we got this summer. I am very pleased with this purchase. Very sturdy.

It would be easier to use if it had a water shutoff as part of it.

Easy to hook up and place in the ground. Be careful not to put too much pressure on it as it could bend.

Wonderful way to deep water trees and shrubs.