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water Water Setup Question

DrHavanger

DrHavanger

I'm wanting to setup a automatic watering system for my setup. I'd like to have the setup where the water is drawn from a central location and routed to each plant.

Below is a picture of what I'm trying to describe.



The end circles would be the hoses that are meant to seep/leak water out.

My questions are:
1) is this pratical
2) how would I figure out how big of a pump I would need
3) what would be any downfalls
4) what changes would you make
5) if i setup a time to run the pump, say 1 minute, would the plants closer to the pump get more water then the plants that are farther away

I'd like to start with a small number of plants and be able to expand it.
 
Nice graphic.

1- yes
2- no clue, sorry.
3- potential of over/under watering but watching closely could fix that.
4- not sure...
5- Also not sure, but if you look at drip watering systems for outdoor gardens as a potential example. I've never used one, but I've heard many positive things about them.
 
get that tank up high and use a water solonoid from a landfill washing machine .
growing plants are not all that hard .... I saw a guy put them outside in dirt and every few weeks it would rain and they grew good..
 
@ Poisonette: Thanks

@ POTAWIE: I thought about gravity fed, but I think it would be harder to control the flow of water, though I think the suggestion of a water soleniod might fix it. Also, I want to use it for inside use only, so the link you provided wont work exactly, but it's kind of what i'm aiming at.

@ shayneyasinski: tell me if i'm wrong, but is a water soleniod a mechanicaly/electricaly controlled valve? Your right, it would be easier to just plant them outside, but that isn't a option for me
 
@ shayneyasinski: tell me if i'm wrong, but is a water soleniod a mechanicaly/electricaly controlled valve?


they are what the washer uses to let water in the machine .
very easy to work with as you can run a simple walmart timer to it and the setup will run around $20 for all the parts.
 
GrumpyBear said:
you could put the tub of water underneath all the pots and use wicks...
Click to expand...

i'm not familiar with that type of watering, i've seen other people talk about it on other threads. i think i understand the the basics of it... the wick brings the water to the pot when it gets dry, right? it seems to me that it would keep the dirt moist all the time, causing root rot and increase the exposure to mold and other nasty stuff.

i went to my local big box home fix it shop today and checked out the plumbing section. i got confused real quick :confused: some of the different attachments had listed inner and other had listed outer diameter, some were threaded and others weren't and they came in different metals and plastics :eh:

Can anyone explain what this all means?
For example, the pump i'm looking into has a id of 3/8 and i can find a hose with a id of 3/8 (or should i be looking for a hose with a od of 3/8), but the seeping hose only lists 1/2... doesn't specify if it is id or od. i think it's od, but didn't want to walk across the store, pick up a measureing tape, and walk back. another problem is that the only attachment that i could find at that store that went from 3/8 to 1/2 was copper and the attachment also neglected to specify if it was id or od. :mad: not only that but how in the world does the attachment stay attached to the hoses which aren't threaded :evil:
 
DrHavanger said:
i'm not familiar with that type of watering, i've seen other people talk about it on other threads. i think i understand the the basics of it... the wick brings the water to the pot when it gets dry, right? it seems to me that it would keep the dirt moist all the time, causing root rot and increase the exposure to mold and other nasty stuff.
Click to expand...

the size of the wick determines how moist the soil stays. too moist means you need a thinner wick, too dry needs a thicker wick...it works for african violets...
there's also little terra cotta thingmies you could use: http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=45295&cat=2,2280,33159 but those might not be cost effective in larger quantities...
 
Someone mentioned these wetpot things here before:

http://aquagardening.com.au/wetpot/wetpot-intro.htm

These work on osmosis and gravity feed. I did see them at the local hydro store in some pots, and it seems that the roots will grow to them and around them. Downfall to this may be plant stabilisation as they are place more or less just below soil level. Also, if you are growing more than one plant in a pot, one plant may miss out.

When done growing a plant, I wonder how hard it would be to remove the roots from the clay pot/carrot?

RS
 
I'd put in a fish tank pump on a timer (both can be powered by solar - cheap & easy)

Use the little drip-feed nozzles on the pipe ends to maintain a constant pressure from front to back & prevent overwatering.
 
stillmanz said:
I got wetpotz they are really good. but only in OZ
Click to expand...


I know, and I wish I could get them here. I have looked at several work arounds, but that would be a lot of work for something that may not work.
 
bentalphanerd said:
I'd put in a fish tank pump on a timer (both can be powered by solar - cheap & easy)

Use the little drip-feed nozzles on the pipe ends to maintain a constant pressure from front to back & prevent overwatering.
Click to expand...

I think i'll end up using a tupperware (or similar) tub, much cheaper than a fish tank to hold the water and will be able to find a lid that would easily fit. Also, i think i may end up going dripper becuase i think the soaker hose would act as a filter and filter any nutes i may add, though all of my nutes are water soluble.

Another problem is there aren't any hydro stores where i live, all i have are big box stores :(
 
DrHavanger said:
Another problem is there aren't any hydro stores where i live, all i have are big box stores :(
Click to expand...


That's what I've been whining about this spring. No organic nurseries, and no hydro stores in Columbia that I can locate. I've threatened to drive to Charleston, about an hour and a half away, to shop for good garden supplies.
 
billyboy said:
A 20 litre bucket with a little powerhead pump on a timer will work , the thing to look out for is siphonage.
Click to expand...

I've been looking through your harvest thread billyboy (by the way, excellent plants :drooling:) and it looks like you used a drip setup for your T. Scorpions. Do you mind explaining if you pruchased it as a whole unit or if you pieced it together?
 
DrHavanger said:
@ shayneyasinski: tell me if i'm wrong, but is a water soleniod a mechanicaly/electricaly controlled valve? Your right, it would be easier to just plant them outside, but that isn't a option for me
Click to expand...

Solenoid is a mechanical valve that uses an electrically energized magnet to open or close. They are specific to use (pressure, voltage and etc) so it is not just a case of going to the hardware.....
 
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