Does anyone have any suggestions for a self-watering system for existing pot plants?
txflowerlady
DIY Self Watering Pot System
I always water my own pot plants .
I've never tried it (only seen it) but what about a drip irrigation system with one drip spout for each pot, attached to your garden hose, on a timer?
There are also the aqua spikes that attach to an upside-down 2 liter bottle, which is filled with water.
Both of these systems I've seen in Gardener's Supply catalog. They also have a website.
I am assuming that you have already filled the pots with soil and plants. If not, Gardeners Supply does have a "self-watering" system consisting of an inside saucer that goes at the bottom of the pot, a screen above it to hold out the dirt, and a tube. You pour water down the tube, it fills the saucer and it's supposed to moisten the soil via evaporation. I tried it and it didn't work for me. I think you need some sort of wicking, not just evaporation.
I tried those spikes with the 2-liter soda bottles. Did not work. Here in Phoenix it's almost impossible to keep container plants well watered through summer. The things that work for me are:
1. Resist very small containers, they dry out too fast. If necessary plant several small plants in one bigger pot.
2. Insert the pot with soil inside a larger pot. Reduces some water/heat loss.
3. Use a small kiddie pool to place plants in, maintain some water level in the kiddie pool so the plants can 'wick' the water up from the bottom.
I will use #3 for vacation soon. We will be gone a week.
Good luck, hope this helps.
This message was edited Jul 5, 2009 5:47 AM
Hi txflowerlady, I love Self-watering Containers (SWC) and have listed my favorites below for you.
1. There is an Earthbox forum on DG with plenty of participants. The EB in my opinion is the best SWC to use because of its construction, large 3- GL reservoir, planting guide forum and track record as a proven performer. Here are some of the CONS:
- they're pricey but check out the forum posts by TPlant and others before buying and you will see how to save big $$ by buying multiple units.
- they're heavy and difficult to move once planted, about 75#.
2. The Garden Patch box is a EB wanna-be that falls short but is still a good SWC (I have 7 EBs but only 1 GP unit).
3. There is also a a DIY Earthbox group on DG that has plans on how to immulate the EB using 18-GL WM storage bins for less than $10.00 each.
4. If you have existing planter why not look at the RAINDRIP, model R567D Vegetable Kit which contains everything you need, see below, except scissors and a timer to automate the watering of 25 pots.
- (75') of 1/4" tubing
- (25) 1/2 GPH mini-in-line dripper
- (1) 1/4" barbed connectors
- (3) 1/4" barbed tees
- (2) 1/4" barbed elbows
- (1) 3/4" swivel to 1/4" adaptor
- (4) 1/4" tube end clamp
- (1) 10 GPH Flow Control
- (1) Vinyl Washer
- (1) Hose to Pipe Thread Anti-Syphon & and Filter Washer
Bernie
I feel like an idiot.....I am drip system challenged. I need to rig something though for that vacation. I have an area that I will run soaker hoses to but there is one plant that does not lend itself to the soaker hose and needs a drip. Can I run something like this:?
attach timer to hose bib
run a garden hose out to one bed of chili peppers
attach coiled soaker hose for this bed of peppers
add a short length of garden hose to connect to next pepper bed
attach another soaker hose
attach a garden hose with a drip thingie for the plant (Rodney's Aster)
more garden hose to one more pepper bed
final soaker hose for that bed.
Confused? Not sure I can 'splain it. The purpose of the lengths of garden hose are to avoid distributing water in the garden walkways.
I don't mean to hijack txflowerlady's thread.....maybe I should start a new one?
You've got the right idea. I started the same way, with soaker hose. Think you'll find that if you look at dripworksusa-dot-com, there'll be a better, cheaper approach. They have good starter kits.
Hi all,
I'm sorry for my off topic posting- I did not read the whole post by txflowerlady concerning existing pots.
MaryMcP, your post does relate to this topic and you gave me isight into the existence of hose bibs. In 2007 over July Fourth I lined all my containers except EBs along my south fence and used soakers, a 3-cycle timer and $0.99 hose y-adapters to save my container plants and raised bed veggies. The only negative was that I watered a lot of ground over by the fence for 4 days.
Regarding the inline drip kit, it is easy- just wind the hose to each plant, cut tubing where you want the dripper then put each barb on dripper on each piece of hose then move to the next plant untill you have all your plants with dripers after the last dripper go to the end of the tubing and crimp it over and slide the end sleeve over the crimp. Also, step-by-step directions are listed on the box with pictures. DO NOT be afraid of inline drip irrigation.
BTW, how much are you paying fo hose bibs?
Bernie
Bernie, Don't remember on the hose bibs, we have several and I don't do plastic anymore so these are brass. Couldn't have been more than a few bucks.
I'll check dripworks online. Thanks for the tip....actually, thanks for all the tips. I'll see if I can get it set up next weekend.
I agree
Drip is easy to do, don't be afraid.
I have done my pots before and ran the tubing up through the bottom of the pot and put a mini sprinkler at the top. You do need to be organized in the spring for this style.
I have also used the same product to run an above ground sprinkle system for a bed which is hard to water and then covered the hose with mulch.
The beauty is if you make a hole in the wrong spot you just stuff one of the plugs in and do another one.
If you can plant a pot you can do the drip watering system!
Ann
I checked DripWorks but the basic kit is much more than I need and since this has to be in place before the 15th of the month, shipping would kill me. I'll check HomeDepot and see if I can rig something up so these plants don't all die while I'm gone.
Thanks again all!
Marymcp
Some Home Depot's have drip kits. You don't need everything just some basics , good luck in your search.
Ann
I was able to work out something using a gallon milk jug of water, and cotton crochet threads stuck into the containers. Some of the threads/yarn I braided for more water. one end was tied to a washer at the bottom of the water jug, the others were pushed into the soil of the containers. The water jug should be slightly higher than the containers. I used the counter and sinks/tables. Fine tuning the amount took a bit of work, as a couple times I had puddle under the plants - too large of a braid in that pot. The idea is that the water gets wicked through the yarn to the plant. As the plant uses the water, it pulls on the wick, which pulls more water from the jug. You can set this up in multiple locations, and cover the jugs with something decorative like an upturned basket, if you don't want to see it.
Those drip heads do work great, and aren't too hard to set up, for something more long term. A cheap 24 hr timer, a couple sizes of tubing, connectors, and end pieces, and you are good to go in about 1 hr.
I love the wick from a milk jug idea! My friend's would say "Mary McRedneck is at it again!!!" :~}
How long does a gallon of water last in a wicking system?
To what extent will water "climb" the wick ? I can easily understand water running down through a wick, or running horizontally along a wick --even "uphill" a bit, drawn by capillary force (thx, tapla). But the height difference between the elevation of the source water and the pot to be watered determines what flow of water a wicking system will actually move.
I bought my first set at HD --they have an even simpler, cheaper one now: http://www.toro.com/sprinklers/images/bsd_53724_open_xl.jpg, which I saw for $11. Even if putting together a drip system is a bit more work (not sure it is --all that wicking will take time, too), once done, you have something which will save you enormous amounts of time over many years.
This message was edited Jul 6, 2009 9:38 PM
I had the wick completely wet, so the draw on the water overcame water pressure even when there was only 1/3 of the container left. I came back from one vacation at that point. I had 7 plants watered that way with the 1 jug, in summer. It was for three weeks, but I had someone come in once to check on them midway through. The person refilling the jug rearranged some of the wicks, so I ended up with some puddle, but nothing was dry!
In the lab, we often had water or other liquid rising up materials, and I was always surprised at how high it would go. I don't remember exactly how high cotton yarn would go. A shallower container than a milk jug would help, as would sticking holes in the side and having the yarn come through that, instead of out the top. I know I would forget to only fill the water below those holes, but it would cut down on the pressure from the height.
I think we need a more scientific mind than yours or mine, eh, beaker?
Professor Tapla? Are you around? Any thoughts?
While we're waiting insight, it's worth noting that the wicking system requires someone to visit weekly or so (if I'm reading you right) to fill the bottles. Chalk up another point for the drip irrigation system --we all love our friends dearly, but even they can mess up sometimes, and a short delay in refilling the bottles (or overestimating how long the water will last in the jugs, which clearly depends on the week's weather) could spell death for the plants. The drip system requires no human interaction.
I still say go drip, not wick.
Hooks and Lattice sells a self-watering reservoir called Planter Well Reservoirs. They come in various sizes (and rectangles for window boxes) and they hold more water than anything else out there. They allow 2-3 weeks between waterings. Here are the round ones: http://www.hooksandlattice.com/water-well-reservoirs.html
Heck, for the price of ONE unit you can set up TWO irrigation systems for a dozen or more plants! These don't exactly save time and effort, either, since you'd have to re-pot every single plant. Besides that, they take up valuable "root space" in the pot.
This is self-watering on stilts.
june 27 th a similar question was asked.
two very detailed yet easy to understand, do and afford - methods were discussed
take a minute and check it out.
GoodLuck