Home made self watering container

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Moderator: Izhar

Izhar
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Home made self watering container

Post by Izhar »

Self watering containers are very popular among the gardeners in USA and are very handy when it comes to container gardening, watering the pots daily can be time consuming and any missed watering can cause damage to the plants making them weak and prone to infestation.

Taking the idea from internet, I made my first self watering container.

Requirements:
1)Two plastic buckets of different sizes, such that the larger one can be fixed on the smaller one with some gap in the bottom.
2)PVC pipe 1.5" diameter
3)Scale or tape for measurements
4)Some tool to make holes (I used an old large screwdriver for that purpose)
5)Cotton cloth ribbons, which will serve as a wick (not shown in this pic)
Image

How to make:
1)Measure the buckets and place the larger bucket inside the smaller one and mark the point on the smaller bucket where the larger bucket's bottom ends.
2)Make a hole in it which will serve as a excess water drainage hole
Image

1)Make holes in the larger bucket's bottom.
2)Make one large hole as per the diameter of pipe in the center (or in any side, choice is yours) the pipe will serve as inlet of water reservoir
Image

1)Cut one end of the pipe in such a way that water can easily flow from it, because it will touch the bottom.
Image
Image

1)Place the cotton cloth in the drainage holes in such a way that some part of it remains dipped in the water reservoir while the other part runs through the length of whole larger bucket.
Image

1) Now place the pipe in larger bucket's hole and put the larger bucket in the smaller one
Image

Add the water through the pipe and put the potting medium in the larger bucket. The water will be absorbed in the medium through capillary action of the wick, excess water will be drained from the drainage hole..

I am planing to plant tomato in it.. will keep you people posted whether if it worked or not..
khabbab
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by khabbab »

I am very interested. I am curious about the wick portion. Kindly post the pics of the cotton which you use.
Lahore gardening blog
http://www.lahoregardening.com
Izhar
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by Izhar »

I used pieces of an old jersey as wick..
Muhammad Arif Khan
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by Muhammad Arif Khan »

How many pots you have and how many you want to covert?
Izhar
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by Izhar »

Sir, only this one.. planted a tomato seedling in it.. and so far so good..
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by KAMasud »

What if i may put forward a suggestion, go to a aquarium fish shop and ask from them for air pipe tubing, it is the same size as a medical drip bag tubing. valves, tees, crosses, etc use your imagination i guess and set up a drip irrigation system gravity fed. You can hide the tubing and the fittings easily. When you see the items in the shop then i suppose you will understand what i am talking about. Its pretty self explanatory.
Regards.
Izhar
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by Izhar »

Yes, i understand what you are talking about as i am an ornamental fish keeper myself... :mrgreen:
KAMasud
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by KAMasud »

Panorama Center. Yusaf bhai and Tariq bhai mahroom. Must have come across them, i used to breed them when imports were banned during Zia's time.

You might also know a small little nursery in old Defence Market (Kalla Pull to Korangi road) under a water tank. Was there when it was inaugurated in early 80's. Well loved the Orchids and their tentacles are slowly spreading all over Pakistan i notice. :o
Regards. :)
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by KAMasud »

Oooops, Regrets. Was trying to write tentacles. Sorry plz delete.
Regards.
M Farooq
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Re: Home made self watering container

Post by M Farooq »

KAMasud wrote:Oooops, Regrets. Was trying to write tentacles. Sorry plz delete.
Regards.
There used to be an edit/ delete button for modifying your own post. I cannot find it now. Unfortunately, the literal meaning of orchid in Latin is equally inappropriate for non-scientific community.
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