PimpGear

I am a guerrilla gardener and i am wondering if and how can i make a water system or water conserver, i am planting away from my home in some hills and i plan on visiting 1-2 times a week maybe even skip a week or two, have any ideas for conserving water or water systems? that i can make? or buy? thanks

Socal

I have the same problem I'm experimenting with drip systems the only thing I have is mounting a water container to the side of a pot with a hole near the bottem connecting the two to keep the soil moist but not over watered I hope this helps.

SmokyRobnsn

how about filling a plastic trashcan, then drilling some holes in the bottom and running some drip hoses out of it? that should work----that's what I plan on using.

D Fabulous

A novel idea in this regard is to find high water in the mountains, at altitude, and then route it down to a lower spot close by. It is possible to create water presure in a hose this way, and route it to a drip system that feeds water to your plants continuously. Take a 5 gallon gas can,
and punch small holes in it. Run a hose out of the main orifice and secure it somehow. Bury the can in a river or stream under rocks, so that it is hidden and submerged. Bury the hose coming out of it, and run it down hill to your garden area. A little engineering can save you a lot of work, and this rig can be used year after year.

this was quoted straight from the grow guides here at hc,.. props to the writers!

frodo

I don't know how much rainfall you get where you are growing, I'm close to a large mountain with semi rainforest on it and we use the fern fronds to catch rain into a bin or bucket above the plant, and have a drip hose buried into the root area of the plant. Just a really simple system for half a dozen of so plants. Also you could plant them lower them the soil line so that they are in a depression which will catch water. An ideal mulch is straight worm castings as they hold up to eight times their weight in water and really improve the taste!! Frodo

PimpyGrub

Well,
I'm not much one for engineering, but I believe in the novel of idea of planning ahead. The idea with the gas can and the river thing is good, but won't work in all areas. See, I live in S Mississippi, the only river's we have here are better known as a creak and as we all know, creeks down here are genereally the lowest ground you can find. Which is why they exist cause all the water drains to there, but...if you find a creak that has high walls but he walls come back down, do you think that you culd plant on the other side and have it be all hunky doory? Do you think they would get enough water in the soil from the creak?
Peace Out,
Grub

__________________
"Blunts before *****es"
-Grub

Petro-fried!

I live in Wisconsin, I'm also Grueilla farming in a swamp thats about two blocks away from my house. In the middle of this swamp there are a couple of pine tree's and the ground is elevated here. I had an Idea to dig holes for my plants and then fill them in half way with moss off the bogs, Im figuring the bogs will act like a spunge soaking in water, Im gonna fill the rest in with soil and make a pile like bout a foot high or so, Im thinking when the plant gets big enough the roots will grow into the moss, I was just wondering if this will work? the swamp is great for Grueilla farming there are no dear or people that go down there and its close to my house.

Keep Smok'n,
Petro

flipped wig

I'm using soil moist
it's a polymer crystal that absorbs water and the roots can use this water when they need it. I purchased mine at worm's way. but you can probably get it at most horticulture store that carry organic nutrients and supplys...
I hope this helps you.

frodo

Petro-fried, there are a few wee problems that I can see with your plan, firstly conifers (pine trees etc) have this really neat trick that their sap system carries a type of phenyl that is used against insect attack after wounding. This also extends into the large root system and thee phenyl is pumped into the soil surrounding the tree in the drip line. This has a second effect of killing off any competitive growth underneath the tree. notice that pretty much but nothing grows under pine trees? It's the same with eucalypt trees over here. So I suggest looking for a slightly clearer area, and perhaps mix some soil with the moss into the holes to prevent dry spots happening. Best of luck Frodo.

PimpGear, another way of collecting water or overnight dew is to dig a hole in the ground, cover it with a tarpaulin so that the tarp sags into the middle and pin the edges with tent pegs or whatever. This is really effective especially if you can keep it in the shade. Regards, Frodo

Petro-fried!

actually i went down to my spot and found out it was o'most imposible to dig a hole were i was planing on growing, but intsead i gatherd up a pile of moss and dumped poting soil over it, my plan seams to b working great, there's been a lot of rain lately and the soil doesn't wash away and it stays really warm, i wasn't expecting for anything great to happen, but im pretty impressed. the only problem i have is the leaves are getting little speckels on em', is this a problem at all ? i think there may b a pest problem also

keep smok'n,
pep