Run your garden hose to the first tree and connect it to a drip line with emitters at each tree. Use 1 or 2 gallon per hour emmitters at each tree. You can turn the hose on at night when you go to bed, turn it off when you get up in the morning. During dry weather, water weekly, more often if needed to keep the soil moist. That will give your trees a good soak when they need it. Since the hose can drain out of the drippers, you can leave the drip line out year round without worrying about it freezing in the winter and busting the pipe. Just pick up your garden hose and cap the end of the drip line. Actually the 1/2 inch drip line is cheaper than garden hose, but you already have the hose. Put a connector on the drip line that lets you attach it to the garden hose. Due to the volume out of the drippers, you can water all 8 trees at the same time and will be running less water than if the garden hose was running full with an open end. It won't take long to set up, and will only take a few minutes of your time to do the watering. Those gator bags are expensive, you can buy the materials you need for a drip line for about the cost of 1 or two of the bags. Although you can buy the special tools to put the drippers in, I have found that all you really need is a cordless drill with a small bit just smaller than the insert on the emitter, an adjustable pair of pliers to push the emitters in. Attaching the connector to attach the garden hose to the drip line takes a couple small hose clamps and a screwdriver.

Mary, You should post your question on the main board where everyone will see it and be able to give you help. Few people come to the Conversations Board....which is for talking about things that don't relate to Gardening in Utah.

i will yell ... NOT IF YOUR GROUND FREEZES ... and i am pretty sure your probably does ... bunch of cliches .....dormant trees need little water ... dont confuse a dry surface.. with moisture at root depth ... and if soil frozen.. its not like you can dig little holes to find out ... roots need air as much as water .. and if frozen into an ice cube.. no air ... i am sure this would all be different in warmer climes where soil doesnt freeze .... lastly ... these dudes cant predict tomorrows weather.. i have little faith in long term predictions ... try to keep some perspective of all the chicken little weather predictions ... too many peeps put their hoses away .. when raking leaves in late october ... you should be CHECKING moisture thru thxgiving ... and if need be.. ON NEW TRANSPLANTS... give them a late drink ... THEN PUT THE HOSE AWAY ... again .. i would not be all that worried about long established plants ... in our zone ... and lastly.. again.. lol ... you can waste a lot of money.. cracking hoses in very cold weather ... probably more money than the plants you are trying to save ... its hard to wind up a hose for winter storage... when its 40 degrees out ... ken

"For instance, if you have a moat around your tree and all the water stays inside the moat, fast deluge wont hurt." But with various trees and shrubs in MOST North American climates, this is setting up disaster if heavy rains cause the roots to rot. You can always add water to soil, you can't subtract it. So, there's a tradeoff. Yes, what you are saying can superficially make watering easier and I've done it for things like Brugsmansias before. I have a new hydrangea planted in a slight depression (but roots level) because I know it's already a dry spot under a thirsty Ilex opaca and I have no doubt it will be fine. I would never plant any rhododendron that way. (or even a fancier, rarer hydrangea like a non-hybridized Chinese species. H. sargentiana likes it wet in terms of high rainfall, but DOES NOT like permanently wet feet and hot summers. I had one die in a prolonged rainy spell a few summers ago ago)