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Automatic watering is in demand not only in the garden or in the greenhouse. Owners of a large collection of indoor plants cannot do without it. Let’s say you are a very busy person or you are leaving with your family for a month to rest. In order not to ask strangers to water the flowers, you can simply get this simple system. Now we will consider what automatic watering for indoor plants is and what it can be made of independently.
Secrets of keeping moisture without the use of automatic watering
Leaving your home for a short time, you should not immediately panic and start designing complex automatic watering for 3-5 flowers. You can try to solve the problem quickly at no cost.
The essence of the method under consideration lies in a number of procedures aimed at maximizing the preservation of moisture in the soil. What should be done:
- First of all, indoor flowers are poured heavily with water. If the plant is easily removed from the pot with a clod of earth, then its root system is dipped into water for a short time. As soon as the soil coma begins to soak, the flower is immediately returned to its place in the pot.
- After water procedures, all plants are removed from the windowsill. They need to be placed in a dark place. Here you need to be prepared that with limited lighting, plant growth will slow down, but evaporation and absorption of moisture by the plant will significantly decrease.
- The decorativeness of the flowers will suffer from the next action, and they will then recover for a long time, but this procedure cannot be dispensed with. If flowers have opened on the plant or buds have appeared, then they need to be cut off. Thick green mass, if possible, it is desirable to thin out.
- Plants that have passed all stages of hard preparation, together with pots, are placed in a deep tray, at the bottom of which a 50 mm layer of expanded clay is poured. Next, water is poured into the pan so that it covers the stone filler.
- The last stage is the creation of a greenhouse. The plants exposed in the pallet are covered with a thin transparent film.
When the owners return home, the flowers will need to be re-accustomed to room air. To do this, the film is gradually opened slightly until the plants fully adapt.
Types of automatic watering
If the considered method of preserving moisture is not suitable, you will have to assemble automatic watering for indoor plants with your own hands, and we will now consider how to do this.
Drip irrigation
The simplest automatic watering can be made from a PET bottle:
- Cut off the bottom of a plastic container with a knife. It will be convenient to pour water into the resulting funnel.
- A hole is made in the cork with a drill with a diameter of 3-4 mm.
- A thin mesh fabric is applied to the threaded part of the neck of the bottle in one layer. It will prevent clogging of the drainage hole.
- Now it remains to screw the cork onto the thread so that it fixes the grid.
I turn the finished structure upside down. There are two options for fixing the dropper: bury the neck of the bottle in the ground under the root of the plant or hang it on a support so that the cork is slightly pressed against the surface of the soil.
Now it remains to fill the bottle with water, and drip irrigation will work.
Automatic watering with a wick
Another simple method of automatic watering is the ability of an ordinary rope to transport water. A wick is made from it. One end of the cord is lowered into the container with water, and the other is brought to the flower. The rope begins to absorb moisture and direct it towards the plant.
The automatic watering wick can be fixed on the surface of the soil or inserted into the drainage hole of the flower pot. The second method is more suitable for violets and other ornamental plants planted on a light substrate.
For such automatic watering, you need to choose synthetic cords with good water absorption. It is undesirable to make wicks from natural ropes. In the ground, they quickly sopreet and tear. The automatic watering system with wicks is good because it can be adjusted. Raising water containers above the level of flower pots, the intensity of watering increases. Lowered lower – the transport of moisture through the wick decreased.
Autowatering without worries
Modern technologies have made it possible for flower growers to abandon the invention of primitive automatic watering. After all, a flower looks ugly with a plastic bottle sticking out of the pot or water containers placed around. The essence of automatic watering technology is the use of granular clay or hydrogel balls, sold in any specialized store.
Each substance is able to quickly accumulate a large amount of moisture, and then slowly give it to the plant as the soil dries. It should be noted that when water is absorbed, the granules or balls greatly increase in volume. Before using them, pick up a capacious pot. Clay or hydrogel is poured onto the bottom of the container, a plant is placed with a clod of earth, after which all the gaps near the walls of the pot are also filled with the selected substance.
Balls or granules will last a long period. Occasionally you will need to add water to the flower pot.
Autowatering from a medical dropper
Gardeners often use medical drip systems when arranging automatic watering of beds in a greenhouse. The same droppers are suitable for indoor flowers. For each plant, you will need to buy a separate system.
The connection scheme for automatic drip irrigation resembles the use of a wick:
- A load is fixed at one end of the hose so that it does not float to the surface of the water, and the other end is fixed above the ground near the root of the plant.
- The water container is fixed above the level of the flower pot and the end of the hose with the load is lowered inside.
- Now it remains to open the dripper and adjust the water flow rate.
Drip automatic watering can be automated by buying an arduino controller in the store. The device, using sensors, will control the level of soil moisture, the amount of water in the tank, which will create optimal conditions for the development of the plant.
Autowatering with cones
It is easy to organize automatic watering with your own hands using colored cones. Such a system will additionally decorate the interior of the room. Plastic flasks come in a variety of colors and shapes, but they all have a long spout. It is enough to fill this container with water, turn it upside down and stick it into the ground under the root of the flower.
As long as the soil in the pot is damp, water will not flow out of the flask. As it dries, the soil begins to let in more oxygen, and it enters the spout. In this case, water is pushed out of the flask.
Automatic watering with capillary mats
It will be possible to create a modern automatic watering with the help of capillary mats. These are ordinary mats made of a material with high hygroscopicity. Mats perfectly absorb water, and then give it to plants.
The automatic irrigation system uses two pallets. Water is poured into a larger container. Further, a smaller pallet with a perforated bottom is immersed. The bottom of the second container is covered with a rug, on top of which the plants are placed.
Alternatively, the capillary mat can simply be laid out on the surface of the table and pots with a drainage hole can be placed on it. One edge of the rug is lowered into a container of water. It begins to absorb the liquid, moving it to the roots of the plants through the hole in the pots.
The video demonstrates automatic watering of flowers:
Cache-pot with automatic watering system
When growing indoor flowers, a planter with automatic watering is used, which allows providing the plant with moisture for about a month. The design consists of a container with a double bottom. Sometimes there are models made from two pots of different sizes, where the smaller part is inserted inside the larger container.
It doesn’t matter what the design is. The essence of automatic watering is a double day. Water is poured into the bottom tank. Through a drainage hole in the bottom of the smaller container, moisture enters the substrate, from where it is absorbed by the roots of the plant.
Using a planter with an automatic watering system is simple:
- The bottom of the inner pot is covered with a drainage layer. From above, a young plant is planted in the prepared substrate.
- The bottom tank is not yet filled with water. The flower is watered from above until it grows up and its root system reaches the drainage layer. The duration of the period depends on the type of plant. This usually takes about three months.
- Now you can use auto-watering. Water is poured into the lower tank through the protruding tube until the float rises to the “max” mark.
- The next topping up of water is carried out when the signal float drops to the lower “min” mark. But you shouldn’t do it right away. The soil will still be saturated with water for several days.
You can determine the drying of the soil by the same float. It must be removed from the chamber and rubbed with your hand. Drops of moisture on the surface indicate that it is too early to top up. When the float is dry, a thin wooden stick is stuck into the ground. If it is not stuck to the damp substrate, then it is time to pour water.
The video demonstrates the manufacture of a pot with automatic watering:
Conclusion
The automatic watering system is very convenient for caring for indoor plants, but you can not overdo it with it. Otherwise, from improper adjustment of the water supply, the flowers will simply get wet.