Automatic watering system for soil

smc5w

smc5w

Member
Anyone ever tried setting up an automatic watering system for a soil? I have tried the oasis watering system but it doesn't provide nearly enough water.

I was thinking maybe a garbage barrel for a reservoir using garbage bags for easy cleaning, some sort of pump, a timer and some drip line

Thanks for any info
 
Mohican

Mohican

Well-Known Member
I have seen rain barrels with faucets at the bottom. Put the barrel up higher than the plant. Connect a hose and drip ring to the faucet. Open the faucet until the water comes out at the rate you want and let gravity do the work.
 
Gastanker

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
Trash can + digital timer + pump + adjustable sprinkler heads.




Works great after a bit of calibration. Still not as good as thoughtful hand watering IMO but great for going out of town. I tried drippers and just punctured rings of tubing but both require high pressures and tend to clog easily or drip inconsistently. The small sprinklers on the other hand are easily adjustable and gave me little problems.

I went out of town for 10 days and here are before and afters.



 
smc5w

smc5w

Member
VX420 said:
Just go passive Hydro.. thats what your looking for. Yes passive Hydro is SOIL.
Click to expand...
What exactly is passive hydro? Would that be some sort of flood and drain system?
I have looked into flood and drain but I haven't found a reservoir that would be able to water all of my plants
 
smc5w

smc5w

Member
Gastanker,

Nice before and after pics. What kind of pump did you use and does that setup allow you to use nutes?
 
Gastanker

Gastanker

Well-Known Member
I used a cheap $20 400 gph pump like this



And yes you can use nutes - just toss em in your res. I was actually dumping all types of crap in there - literally.
 
VX420

VX420

Active Member
smc5w said:
What exactly is passive hydro? Would that be some sort of flood and drain system?
I have looked into flood and drain but I haven't found a reservoir that would be able to water all of my plants
Click to expand...
No its wicks in the soilof a potted plant that is above a closed rez with ferts. The wick sucks up what’sin the rez to keep the soil moist. AKA passive.. no flood, pumps, air stones, drips... Nothing to PLUG in
 
ddmreinno1

ddmreinno1

Member
VX420 said:
No its wicks in the soilof a potted plant that is above a closed rez with ferts. The wick sucks up what’sin the rez to keep the soil moist. AKA passive.. no flood, pumps, air stones, drips... Nothing to PLUG in
Click to expand...
But you would actually want an airstone and a pump only to oxigenate the water and a pump so the water does not go stagnant

I just the other day posted a thread in general growing under the title wick experiment or opinions wanted both the same
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=opinions%20wanted%20-%20rollitup&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CFMQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollitup.org%2Fgeneral-marijuana-growing%2F532980-opinions-wanted-check-out-thoughts.html&ei=Q2LJT6CICsTs2QX7_OTaCw&usg=AFQjCNGgQ7jHZtSgff5yyzI1A_g_FLsj9A
 
Vindicated

Vindicated

Well-Known Member
I use a soaker hose and cover it with mulch. Five minutes of watering usually last a few days even when the heat hits 100°F. I also like to dig a basin around my plants to hold in extra water during the rainy season. If just one plant needs a little extra water, I'll grab a cup and water it by hand.

Sprinklers waste a lot of water through evaporation, but soaker hoses and drip irrigation are very efficient, especially when you add mulch.
 
polyarcturus

polyarcturus

Well-Known Member
Gastanker said:
Trash can + digital timer + pump + adjustable sprinkler heads.




Works great after a bit of calibration. Still not as good as thoughtful hand watering IMO but great for going out of town. I tried drippers and just punctured rings of tubing but both require high pressures and tend to clog easily or drip inconsistently. The small sprinklers on the other hand are easily adjustable and gave me little problems.

I went out of town for 10 days and here are before and afters.



Click to expand...
basically what i just did, you could have avoided the clog problems with the emitters by running a pressurized system. i actually using a large tote so my ft heaad is only a ft. with the 1/4 hp pump i got(50$ at mendards same price as both the 800 gph and 1/10hp pumps)

i have the wrong emitters but they slow the flow alot i run 50 some emitters (2 sprinklers in veg) for 1 min 2x a day (should have gotten the smaller pump but worth it if i expand) down 10ft of 1/2"pipe and the total of 1/4" tubing is probably 10'

the good thing about the pressurized system is you have to run the pump for very short times which is why i went this route. total cost for my system 200$ upgrade it to larger plants and much further distance 20$ in tubing.

i think my psi is somewhere around 20 because the micro sprinklers are rated at a min of 20 psi i believe
 
dieselman74

dieselman74

Member
im thinking of doing somthing like this will i need a non return valve at the pump end to deal with back pressure...thanks guys for the info:)
 
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