Plantings at Yakima Valley Orchards are irrigated with drip. Travis Allan checks on a Honeycrisp block planted in 2007 where overhead sprinklers are being installed for frost protection. An increasing number of orchardists are using drip irrigation systems to get their new orchard blocks off to a good start. Tom Auvil, research horticulturist with the Washington Tree Fruit Research Commission, said drip is becoming standard for newly planted orchards because it can be rolled out quickly, applies water uniformly, and can be used for fertigation. “I think it’s a tool people are going to use more and more,” he said. […]