When the owners are away, it becomes necessary to water indoor plants. Neighbors don't always help, but it is necessary to save flowers.
How to save indoor plants while away
The plants can last two weeks without watering. To do this, they must be prepared as follows.
- Water generously.
- Choose a place where there is less light so that moisture does not evaporate much.
- Cut off all buds and flowers and thin out the leaves.
- Put all the pots together in a large tray on a layer of expanded clay filled with water from below.
- Cover it all with foil.
The simplest automatic watering devices
Flower pots can be filled with water bottles with a hole in the lid. They are lowered down with a hole, and moisture is gradually absorbed into the soil. The simplest device for automatic watering of indoor plants of industrial production is a flask with water connected to a ceramic cone immersed in the ground. After the flask is released, ittaken out of the pot and refilled.
DIY automatic gravity watering system
Auto-watering indoor plants can be done using a conventional dropper. Needles and tips must be removed from it. You will also need: a hose from a car glass washer, a plastic bottle of drinking water (5 liters) and a simple ballpoint pen.
The section of the handle is cut off and inserted with the threaded end into the hole made in the bottom of the bottle. From the inside, a cap with a sealing rubber washer and a pre-cut tip is screwed onto the makeshift fitting so that water comes out through it.
Parts of the hose of the infusion system of the dropper with the water flow regulators located on them are cut off. The tubing system is then connected using plastic tees to water plants in multiple pots.
The main water supply line is assembled from washing hoses, and the outlets to each pot are made from thin hoses with flow regulators. The whole system is connected to a plastic tube made from a ballpoint pen and fixed in a bottle. Where the hose is not put on a tube or tee, it is heated with a hairdryer, put on a wooden expander.
Do-it-yourself automatic watering of indoor plants is done by installing a container above the flower pots so that the water drains under the influence of gravity. Rods made of wood or plastic are stuck into the soil of the pots, and an irrigation system is attached to them. Each plant has its own hose with a regulator. For the movement of water from the bottle, a constant slope must be ensured in order to create a regular pressure and a uniform flow of liquid. The free end of the hose is closed with a cork, after which watering through the entire system is adjusted, depending on the needs of the plants. At the exit of the bottle, it is desirable to make a general flow regulator so that water is supplied periodically.
One indoor plant watering system may not be able to do the job when there are a lot of pots. You can make several leads (in the form of branches). Water is supplied to each group of pots separately.
Auto intermittent irrigation system
The automatic watering device for indoor plants is best done with periodic water supply. This requires a pump and a timer. Pumps are used submersible and external. A small DC device needs a 12V supply. An old computer power supply will suffice. It will provide a current of 4-5 A. As a control device for turning the pump on and off, you will need a daily timer, the step of which does not exceed 1 minute.
The automatic watering system for indoor plants can work without a pump if you install a solenoid valve that will temporarily open the water supply and then close it again on command from the timer. In this case, the container with liquid is installed above the flowerpots. Automatic watering of indoor plants (system) is assembled as follows.
To the power supply inA timer is connected to 12 V and set to turn on, for example, for 2 minutes at a certain time of the day. Then a 12 V pump is connected to it, observing the polarity. Polyethylene hoses must be securely fastened so that they are not torn off by pump pressure. Clamps should be worn everywhere at the joints.
Do-it-yourself automatic watering of indoor plants is done in such a way that the water container is located below the flower pots, and the liquid does not flow out of the system by itself. In order for the pressure in the system to be uniform, water can be supplied to a collector of a larger diameter, and from it it can be diluted into pots of flowers. To relieve excess pressure, one hose must be routed from the manifold back to the tank and a flow regulator installed on it.
Auto watering indoor plants. Reviews
Users note that the automatic watering system is not entirely reliable. There are comments that it eventually becomes clogged with calcium s alts. Now there are many ways to deal with this, for example, rinsing in solutions that remove scale. Can be watered with rain or softened water.
As the liquid level in the tank decreases, the flow also decreases. To do this, you can take a container of a larger width. The use of a pump ensures the correct pressure in the system.
Devices for regulating the flow of liquid in a dripper are not designed for long-term operation. The polyethylene hose loses its flexibility and its performance deteriorates. You can replace the material or find another one, for example, made of rubber.
Many growers have trouble managing water flow for small plants. Only a timer with periodic watering will help here. In addition, ceramic hose caps can be used, through which moisture passes slowly.
Conclusion
There are many ways to water plants, you can choose any. If you have to leave the house unattended for a long time, the most reliable will be automatic watering of indoor plants, which is enough for 2-3 weeks. Proper use ensures a reliable and metered supply of water.
