Abstract
Rain drop momentum, based on the height from which it falls, is an important factor in drop penetration of plant canopy. This may explain why nursery operators report that substrates appear wetter from rain than from an equivalent amount of water applied with overhead irrigation. We investigated the influence of irrigation nozzle height on amount of water captured by Rhododendron sp. `Formosa' grown in 10-liter containers. A Wobbler® (#8, 7.6 liters·min–1) irrigation nozzle was positioned 1.2, 2.4, 3.6, 4.8, or 6.0 m above grade. Plants were placed in a circle 3.6 m from the riser base for the 1.2-m-high nozzle, 4.5 m from riser base for the 2.4-m-high nozzle, and 5.4 m from riser base for all other heights and irrigated for 3 hours. Preweighed disposable diapers were placed on substrate surface of each container with and without (control) plants. Diapers were weighed after irrigation and water captured was calculated and expressed as percentage of control containers. Capture increased from 144% at 1.2 m to 178% at 3.6 m then declined with increasing height. The decline was likely due to small drops with low momentum striking plants because plants remained 5.4 m from the riser base.
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