Has anybody tried adapting drip irrigation techniques to established lawns
containing mature trees?

There's considerable documentation on the Web for large-scale agricultural
setups and _new_ lawn installations. All involve vigorous soil disruption,
which _seems_ likely to do considerable harm to the trees' feeder roots.

It's tempting to try putting down small (quarter inch) dripline and either
burying it just below the surface or stapling it to the surface. Burial
requires root-intrusion-resistant emitters, but surface mount with staples,
if it stays put under mowing and careful foot traffic, seems do-able.

If anyone has a tale to tell I'd be most interested to hear it.

Thanks for reading,

bob prohaska