Fast draining soils would be better candidates for planting at the bottom of the basin. Slow draining soils should be planted on the dike or basin border. In this way the water collected in the basin will moisten the soil above the water line by capillary action. The results of this experiment were inconclusive regarding the best catchment size. Smaller catchments in the Colorado desert were inadequate during low rainfall years, but studies have shown that small individual catchments have higher relative water yield per unit surface area than larger catchments.
Catchment construction is low tech and adaptable to local labor and materials.
To better control catchment size in this experiment most of the catchments were built by hand. For us, this combined construction technique made the best use of labor and equipment, but where either labor or equipment are in the short supply, adjustments in the construction of the catchments can be made to fit. With the ease of construction and improved survival, the use of catchments is highly recommended for restoration projects undertaken in the deserts of California and the southwestern United States. Growth and yield of jojoba plants in native stands using runoff-collecting microcatchments. Harvard University Press.