Each pipe had holes drilled in them – very small holes, less than a millimeter across. At each hole location, you would tie a coarse thread – about 6lb test fishing line size, and run the thread down to the base of the plant, pegging it into the soil with a 6” nail.
I don't quite understand. Is the string threaded through the hole in the pipe? Or just tied around the pipe at the location of the hole? Approx. what diameter of pipe, noting that the reservoir is only 1 gallon?
And, just want to add that a large part of Oklahoma is also experiencing severe drought, not just Texas.
Used to live in NW OK so I know what hot, windy & dry is all about. Live in WI now where we measure drought by weeks, not months & years. Anyway, I'm expanding my hosta garden into an area not covered by the sprinkler system and in under trees where it gets very dry. Using moisture crystals with the new plantings. I've noticed that when I lift a hosta to move it to another location that the roots are clinging to the moisture crystals so I think they like them! So the MC's are another tool in the water conservation box.
The thread - which as mosesdapoet pointed out is not nylon but cotton or jute - is just tied around the pipe at the site of the hole. One thing I did find is having the plants offset from the hole slightly, so the thread is about 5 degrees off vertical works better in terms of water delivery. You can always hang more twine for the vines to climb!
The pipes run the length of the bed, so North to South, and are, if memory serves, half inch diameter. Filling up the whole thing - pipe and reservior - takes about a gallon and a half of water first time, and about a gallon a day there after unless it is incredibly hot and windy or you forget to put down the side shades morning and afternoon.
If you make your frame using PVC connectors rather than tying the frame together, the shade frame should survive wind gusts. In Kenya, they get similar sudden strong winds and the frames normally survive just fine. If you have a high frame, you may want to anchor it, but setting the poles in 2 feet of concrete is normally enough to hold them.
Moisture crystals are so useful, especially in hanging baskets, that I’d encourage every gardener to at least think about using them for every plant they put in.
I tend to use them in pots and hanging baskets only, as it is handy if I get working and forget to water them! Our garden soil here is heavy clay that rarely dries out. Been conditioning it with compost, lime and a lot of digging for 20 years so far, and the good stuff is still only about 18 inches deep!