choader

Anyone have an automatic watering system setup for growing inside in soil? I had a thought.

Why not get an old fish tank pump, put one end into a bucket of water, and attach the other end to that 1/4", press fit, poly lines with adjustable drippers on the end? Then, put the pump on a timer for automatic watering. The bucket of water would also keep the humidity up in the grow space (I live in the desert).

anyone see any problems with that? I plan to prototype this next month, unless there is something i haven't thought of.

Any input is welcome.

thanks.

The Choader

weedchiller

Not a soil grower, but you don't water every day, and most timers are 24 hour devices. Cheap ones have a minimum of 15 minutes on. Wouldn't this be too much water?
Perhaps you can get a junk VCR. That timer would repeat waterings 2 or 3 times a week, for just a few minutes at a time. Just add a relay.

choader

How about a cheap yard timer? It's low voltage ourput but I bet I could get a relay or something so it switched power on and off. Then you could water on whatever schedule and not worry.

Any other problems you can think of? Anyone ever do this?

Thanks.

The Choader

choader

I found an Intermatic, 7 day electronic timer for $20usd at Home Depot. That should do the trick!! Now I need to build a prototype to test the pressure and measure flow. How much water would you put on a plant in one watering?

The Choader

Bogart

Well you do not wawnt to drench the soil but you also don't want to let the soil get dry. So depending on the size of pot and how much soil you have in that pot is how much you are going to water. When doing this you should figure out how to mist your plants everyday at the hottest period of the day to keep your plants cool. Don't water too much though