Michelia alba in container: San Diego "hard" water question.
 

I read this article about caring for a Michelia alba.
How do I grow Michelias (Michelia alba, Michelia champaca, Michelia figo, etc.)? -

The author lives in San Diego, where the water is "hard". He mentions that once a month he has to use drip irrigation for 12 hours to leach out the salts. I believe the water here in Bakersfield is "hard" as well. How is this accomplished exactly? Can I leave a garden hose, with nozzle setting on "Soak", until I see water coming of the drain holes? That wouldn't take long at all, probably less than 10 minutes.

Or do I need to place a 1/4" diameter black irrigation tube in the container and let it run? 12 hours is a pretty long time. My container is one of those wine barrel, even at that size, after 12 hours, I think water would overflow, and the plant can be drowned.

Thanks,

Re: Michelia alba in container: San Diego "hard" water question.
 

As a general way of dealing with hard water, I don't think that is a very good approach. There are too many other factors to consider, such as soil type, fertilizer type and frequency of application, etc.