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Auto-irrigation 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 are leaving with your family for a month's vacation. In order not to ask strangers to water the flowers, you can simply acquire this simple system. Now we will consider what kind of automatic watering for indoor plants is and what it can be made of independently.
Secrets of maintaining moisture without using automatic watering
Leaving your home for a short time, do 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 consists in a number of procedures aimed at maximizing moisture retention in the soil. What should be done:
- First of all, indoor flowers are flooded with water. If the plant is easily removed from the pot with a clod of earth, then its root system is immersed in water for a short time. As soon as the soil lump 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 semi-dark place. Here you need to be prepared that with the limitation of lighting, plant growth will slow down, but evaporation and absorption of moisture by the plant will significantly decrease.
- The decorative effect 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. If possible, it is advisable to thin out the dense green mass.
- Plants that have passed all stages of rigorous preparation, together with the pots, are placed in a deep pallet, at the bottom of which a 50 mm layer of expanded clay is poured. Next, water is poured into the sump so that it covers the stone filler.
- The last step is to create a greenhouse. The plants displayed in the pallet are covered with a thin transparent film.
When the owners return home, the flowers will need to be re-accustomed to indoor air. To do this, the film is gradually opened until complete adaptation of the plants occurs.
Types of autowatering
If the considered method of preserving moisture is not suitable, you will have to collect auto-irrigation 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:
- The bottom of a plastic container is cut off with a knife. It will be convenient to pour water into the resulting funnel.
- A hole is made in the cork with a drill 3-4 mm in diameter.
- A thin mesh fabric is applied in one layer to the threaded part of the bottle neck. It will prevent the drain hole from clogging.
- Now it remains to screw the plug onto the thread so that it fixes the mesh.
I turn the finished structure with the cork 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 soil surface.
Now it remains to fill the bottle with water, and drip irrigation will work.
Auto irrigation using a wick
Another simpler way of automatic irrigation is the property of a regular 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 auto-irrigation wick can be fixed to the surface of the ground 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 a wick from natural ropes. In the ground, they quickly mate and tear. The good thing about the automatic irrigation system with wicks is that it can be adjusted. By raising the water containers above the level of the flower pots, the watering intensity increases. Dropped lower - the transport of moisture through the wick decreased.
Automatic watering without worries
Modern technologies have made it possible for flower growers to abandon the invention of primitive automatic irrigation. After all, a flower looks ugly with a plastic bottle sticking out of the pot or water containers placed around. The essence of the autowatering technology is to use granular clay or hydrogel balls sold in any specialty 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 taken into account that when water is absorbed, the granules or balls greatly increase in volume. Before using them, a roomy pot is selected. Clay or hydrogel is poured onto the bottom of the container, the plant is placed with a lump of earth, after which all the gaps near the walls of the pot are also filled with the selected substance.
The balls or granules will last a long time. Occasionally you will need to add water to the flower pot.
Automatic watering from a medical dropper
Medical drip systems are often used by gardeners when arranging automatic irrigation of beds in a greenhouse. The same droppers are also suitable for indoor flowers. You will need to buy a separate system for each plant.
The connection diagram for drip irrigation resembles the use of a wick:
- A load is fixed to 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 container with water 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 dropper and adjust the water flow rate.
Drip autowatering can be automated by purchasing an arduino controller in the store. The device with the help of sensors will control the level of soil moisture, the amount of water in the container, which will create optimal conditions for the development of the plant.
Auto-irrigation using cones
You can easily organize self-watering with your own hands using colored cones. Such a system will additionally decorate the interior of the room. Plastic flasks are sold in different 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, no water will 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.
Auto irrigation using capillary mats
It will be possible to create a modern autowatering with the help of capillary mats. These are ordinary rugs made of a material that is highly hygroscopic. Mats perfectly absorb water, and then give it to the plants.
The autowatering system uses two pallets. Water is poured into a larger container. Further, a pallet of smaller dimensions with a perforated bottom is immersed. The bottom of the second container is covered with a rug, on top of which plants are placed.
Alternatively, the capillary mat can be simply laid out on the table surface and placed on the pots with a drainage hole. One edge of the rug is dipped into a container of water. He 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:
Pots with automatic irrigation system
When growing indoor flowers, a pots with automatic irrigation are used, which allows the plant to be provided with moisture for about a month. The design consists of a double bottom container. Sometimes there are models made from two pots of different sizes, where the smaller part is inserted into the larger container.
It doesn't matter what the design will be. The essence of autowatering is a double day. Water is poured into the lower tank. Through the drainage hole in the bottom of the smaller container, moisture enters the substrate, from where it is absorbed by the plant roots.
Using a pots with an autowatering system is simple:
- The bottom of the inner pot is covered with a drainage layer. A young plant is planted on top of the prepared substrate.
- The lower reservoir 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 length of the period depends on the type of plant. This usually takes about three months.
- Now you can use autowatering. Water is poured into the lower tank through the protruding tube until the float rises to the “max” mark.
- The next water filling is carried out when the signal float drops to the lower “min” mark. But you shouldn't do this right away. The soil will still be saturated with water for several days.
You can determine the drying out of the soil by the same float. It must be taken out of the chamber and rubbed by 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 sticky with a damp substrate, then it's time to fill in the water.
The video demonstrates the manufacture of a pot with automatic watering:
Conclusion
The autowatering system is very convenient for caring for indoor plants, but you can't overdo it. Otherwise, the flowers will simply get wet from an incorrect adjustment of the water supply.
