Ahead of vacation, you are planning a vacation on the sultry sea coast. Already bought tickets, collected things. And for the last time looking around the apartment, you remember about indoor flowers. If there is nobody to come to water them, then you run the risk of seeing dried bushes after arrival instead of lush greenery. But everything can be corrected if you build drip irrigation from medical droppers. Such a simple remedy will allow the flowers to last long enough, especially if additional measures are taken. Today we are talking about how to automate the irrigation system of domestic plants during your absence.
What is drip irrigation?
This is a system that provides constant wetting of the soil in small portions. This is much more beneficial for a plant than a simultaneous flow of water. The soil does not dry out, and also does not get too wet, which can also damage the roots. Drop watering from medical droppers is an excellent assistant for the grower, especially in the summer and during the holidays. In fact, there are a lot of variants of the automated watering system; we will try to touch on all the simplest and most reliable ones. Do not forget that we set out to find a way not only to preserve our plants, but also to provide them with optimal conditions for growth and development.
How to make drip irrigation from medical droppers with your own hands
In fact, it is much longer to describe than to do. You will need ordinary droppers that you can buy at the pharmacy, a reliable high stand and a large water tank. How big is depends on the length of your departure. For one large ficus, a bucket of water will be enough for it to last two to three weeks. If you have a large garden, you will need to properly prepare it for your departure, but more on that later.
The technical side of the issue
In fact, even a child can collect drip irrigation from medical droppers. Think in advance where your plant will stand. It is advisable that this is not the sunniest and hottest place in the house. Next, transfer it to the floor. Nearby there should be a stand, for example a window sill or a table on which you can put a container of water. Now open the package with the medical system. She looks like a syringe, from which comes a tube with a needle at the end. In the middle of the tube there is a wheel that allows you to adjust the fluid speed literally in seconds. The next point will be the activation of our system. To do this, pour water into a large bucket and place it on a stand. It remains to insert one end of the tube into the bucket, and stretch the other to the plant.
The main difficulties
Do-it-yourself drip irrigation from medical droppers is not difficult to do, but here there are some nuances. First of all, it is necessary to take into account the elementary laws of physics. The tube should not be bent, otherwise the water will not move along it. You can use the holder for the drain pipe from the washing machine. Its shape allows the tube to descend smoothly, without excess, to the plant. The second point is the location of the tube inside the bucket, which will serve as a source of water. An ideal option would be a container with a hole at the bottom through which you can pass a tube. Then the water pressure will ensure its movement until the tank is completely empty.
Another point is the need to adjust the water supply. For this you need to have in stock a few days. Set the slowest mode and observe the condition of the soil, as well as the flow of water.
If your home garden is big enough
Indeed, if one or two plants grow at home, then this method is a real find, but what if there are several dozen of them? In fact, you can make the same drip irrigation from medical droppers with your own hands, just take a larger water tank and arrange all the pots around it. Each of them will have its own βlife pipeβ. The system turns out to be bulky and unaesthetic, but it is suitable in order to save flowers from death.
Additional measures for the holidays
Homemade drip irrigation from medical droppers is quite simple and reliable, but if there are really valuable plants at home, then you should be safe in case something goes wrong. To do this, all indoor flowers are recommended to be put on the floor in the coolest room. Windows should be shaded. Between the plants you need to place bottles of water so that it evaporates and gives moisture, and cover each plant with a plastic wrap. Drip irrigation with medical droppers along with such precautions can keep your garden intact for a very long time. After arrival, arranging the flowers in their places, you can continue to use this simple technique, replacing the bucket with a plastic bottle, which is easy to hang next to the pot. Daily adding water to it, you will free yourself from the tedious watering and will please the plants with a constant soft rain of warm water from the sun instead of a cold flood once every few days.
Methods for automatic watering of domestic plants
Drip irrigation with a dropper is not the only way to protect plants from drought. Very often practiced the method of "thread" watering. To do this, even when landing through the drainage holes, a thick synthetic thread is threaded (it is better not to use the wool, as it will quickly rot). The top of the thread is cut flush with the surface of the soil, and a tail 5-10 cm long sticks out of the drainage hole. It is necessary to purchase a wide and shallow tray that is filled with expanded clay and filled with water. Pots are placed on top, and the threads serve as a conveyor belt that transfers moisture.
A modification of this method is the placement of flower pots in the bathroom, on the bottom of which there is a thick towel soaked in water. A pre-spilled pot can, under such conditions, wait long enough for the owners to arrive.
Automated system for home greenhouse
To do this, you will need some more materials, time and effort. DIY drip irrigation from droppers is a real work of art that will give life to indoor plants every day. First of all, you need to provide a diagram of how all the elements of the system will be placed, namely:
- Stand for storage tank, its height - at least 2 meters above the soil.
- Pipes carrying water from the water supply to the tank and from it to the plants.
- Connecting and stop valves for all pipes and hoses, tees, plugs and taps.
- Disposable droppers.
In fact, this is a modernized drip irrigation from medical droppers. The photo shows us a system, the installation of which begins with the distribution of hoses throughout the greenhouse. This option is also suitable for a room, but in this case you need to think about how to beautifully decorate the entire system. One end of the hose is attached to the pressure line, and plugs are installed on the second. The supply line itself is connected to a tank of water.
Now you need to make a markup exactly where the pots with plants will be located, and therefore individual droppers. In the marked places, punctures are made with an awl, the end of the dropper is inserted into them, which in the hospital is attached to the container with the medicine. The second end, with a needle, goes to the roots of the plant.
Despite all its simplicity, such a system combines strength, reliability and durability. And most importantly, you can control the flow of water to different plants using the fluid regulator, which is located on the medical dropper itself.
Maintenance of system elements
The container itself, pipes and hoses can last for years, but fragile droppers need regular cleaning. If you do not remove and rinse them regularly, they will become clogged with impurities contained in the water. In order to extend their life and increase the periods between cleanings, you can install a filter in front of the supply line. This measure also affects delicate indoor plants, the roots of which also suffer from impurities contained in the water. This is how automatic drip irrigation from droppers works. There can be any number of home flowers, such a system will cope with watering completely autonomously. You just have to enjoy the luxurious home garden.
Alternative option
If you often leave the house, but want the plants to always feel good, you can try to implement an irrigation system using plastic bottles. She works equally well both in the garden and at home. The essence of the method is as follows: a plastic bottle, in which several punctures are made, is buried in the soil (a bed or a large pot). On the surface there is only a neck with a stopper through which it is filled with water. For about 4 days, such a bottle is capable of feeding 3-4 bushes of tomato. In relation to domestic plants, this method is suitable only for large flowerpots.
To summarize
The drip irrigation system is one of the most effective. When it is used, a crust does not form on the surface, the roots are not injured and do not erode. The plant constantly receives moisture in small portions, which is an ideal watering. That is why such a system gives the best results, contributing to the ideal growth and development of the green pet. There are automated systems that are expensive, and medical droppers allow you to create an exact copy of them with your own hands almost for free.