The Waterhoop
If you’ve planted trees and shrubs or transplanted them, then you know it’s essential to water them regularly until they become established. Watering trees and shrubs often involves setting a hose at the base of the tree and letting it run slowly for a period of time and then moving the hose to assure that the ground all around the tree becomes properly moist. That once-a-week soaking can quickly become a day of running back-and-forth between the house and the yard.
Last summer I moved a very large, old camellia out of the way of some new construction. In order to keep it alive and get it settled in, it had to be watered thoroughly and often. My routine consisted of laying a hose on the ground on one side of this rather large shrub, turning the water on to a slow trickle, and setting the timer to move the hose every 20 minutes until the ground was moist all the way around the shrub. Needless to say, this process took all afternoon.
Enter the Waterhoop
The water flow can be adjusted with the valve.
The Waterhoop Tree Sprinkler is basically two lengths of 1/2 inch plastic hose attached to a hose connector by rubber tubing. It’s designed to deliver water evenly around the base of trees and shrubs, thus eliminating the need to move your water hose, saving both time and water. The flow of the water can be controlled by a valve located at the base of the hoop.
I received the Waterhoop and immediately headed out the door to the old camellia. With no assembly required, the Waterhoop easily attached to my garden hose. I turned on the water at the spigot, adjusted the flow with the valve on the hoop, and watched as the water spurted out of the hoop about every 7 inches.
Does It Work?
The tubing between the hose connection and the water arms kinks easily.
The simple answer is “Yes”. If you need a device to water evenly around trees and shrubs this product does the trick. By simply placing it around the tree or shrub and adjusting the water flow with the valve, this is a good product. The soil around the tree or shrub is watered evenly all at one time.
But … There’s a Design Flaw
The Waterhoop has a design flaw. The Waterhoop uses a rubber tubing that connects the plastic spray arms to the hose connector. I found that this tubing easily bends and kinks causing the water flow to be interrupted. It was necessary to spend a few minutes setting the Waterhoop in the right position to assure that it was working properly.
Although the manufacturer claims that the Waterhoop can be easily reconfigured, I found that the kinking in the rubber tubing prevented the device from working properly if it was set up in any other configuration than the standard circle.
See UPDATE below.
Specifications
The Waterhoop measures approximately 40 inches long from the end of the spray arm to the hose connector. Each spray arm has 5 water slits spaced at 7 inches apart. It comes with a washer to prevent it from leaking at the hose connection.
The hose is made of plastic that’s attached to the rubber tubing with zip ties. Because of this I can’t speak to it’s long-lasting durability. [Editor’s Note: The website shows the tubing attached to the plastic hose with metal connectors but that’s not what we received.]
Recommendation
The Waterhoop efficiently waters around the entire tree or shrub.
While the Waterhoop does indeed deliver a fast and efficient method for watering your trees and shrubs, the design flaw in the rubber tubing is an issue that must be addressed by the manufacturer. With it’s cost of $19.99 each and this design flaw, I have to give the Waterhoop a 3-shovel rating.
Where to Buy
The Waterhoop is available directly from the manufacturer at Waterhoop.com for $19.99 with a flat rate shipping of $9.99. It’s also available for the same price on Amazon.
Update
They did it! Dave Ford and his team at Waterhoop listened and made a game changing decision to redesign the Waterhoop to correct the problem with the flimsy tubing.
Earlier this spring I received a phone call from Dave Ford, owner of Waterhoop, asking if I would give the new design a try. First off, I am very impressed that he read the review and listened. I’m even more impressed that he did something about it. Wow! That alone puts this product on my buy list!
The Waterhoop is now constructed with a very thick rubber hose between the spray arms and the hose connector. It no longer flops and twists and kinking is no longer an issue of frustration. With this improvement, the Waterhoop is better than ever! I now give this sprinkler a 5 shovel rating!
And now over to you – What have you used to water your trees and shrubs? How well did it work? Let us know in the comments below!
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Disclaimer – GPReview would like to thank Blue Stone Garden for a free lopper for us to review. There was no expectation that it would be a positive review and we received no compensation for writing it. All opinions expressed here are those of the author based on personal experience using the product.
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SOURCE:http://gardeningproductsreview.com/waterhoop-tree-sprinkler-product-review/