Automatic Watering

[GrassArt]

10 Steps to weight, i mean WATERING!

Hey all, wanted to show ya what I built over the weekend. Thought ya could benefit from it.

Last week I had to go to Calfornia for a week, and didnt have a buddy around to help water my girls. Decided to rig up a watering sys for my Mom's and Seed/Clone Cabinet.

START WITH THE BASICS






Now to start...

So you got your cab....


Empty:


Full:
So, up top I have 3 Dynamite, and 3 God Bud, about 1.5 G pots. Under 1 70W MH and 4 24W T5 Floro's. Seedlings under 4 24W T5's.



So Heres what you need


* Bucket - $5
* 20' 1/2" light proof tubing - $10
* 185gph mini pump - $12
* 6 Soil Plugs - $2
* 6 feeder Lines - $3
* EcoPlus Timer - $22

Also Need - Scissors, brains, pokey thing!

Pump


Timer + Ground plugs + Feeder lines + plug




STEP 1

1) Place Plug in end of hose (either at this point)


STEP 2 (hope u didnt mess up already)

2) FIGURE out how much hose you need. Where you are goign to place your drip lines is where the middle of the pots should be. So, these 6, (God on right, Dynamite on left) each need a feeder line. So I need about 10 feet.



STEP 3

3) Attach the other End of hose (1 end capped) onto the pump!



STEP 4

4) Poking the holes! You must find an object, I have this cool auto poker thing my hydro store gave me, to poke a hole in the hose to plug in a drip line. Yellow Poker, White Hose, black drip line.


STEP 5

5) Measure where you need to put additional drip lines. I useda sharpie to emasure where the middle of my pots were, and where I want my drip lines to line up.


STEP 6

6) Poke and plug some more! 6 for me! Then Plug those girleys in.




STEP 7

7) Throw the pump into the water and bucket! NOT THE PLUG





STEP 8

8) Timing. I have my timer, set to go off, Monday, Wednesday, Friday, for 2 minutes, at 10:30 till 10:32, which is 30 minutes after they wake up. Figure out how large your pots are, how much water you need in your bucket for how many days, then TEST R' OUT! I put 5 dumping into a rubbermaid, then 1 into an actual pot to see how long it would take to get the "drip".



STEP 9

9) PLUG in your feeder lines, set up your hose!


STEP 10

10) Conveniently build your cab to the right height so you can slide your bucket and pump underneath your chamber .





THATS ALL FOLKS







Hope you like it, didnt take long and can be easily expanded.

Obv send me any problems you have.

GrassArt

 

[GrassArt]

And yep it works great!

 

[GrassArt]

Anyone else use one? Questions ..? I'd love to see outdoor ones if anyone has pics

GrassArt

 

[I2KanGrow]

Very cool, GrassArt - I've been wondering how to do something similar for my upcoming trip, this spring. I've been looking @ peristaltic pumps (medical feeding pumps - aquarium feeders, etc.) but they're wildly expensive.

I'd really like to know how this works-out, keep us informed!

 

[2buds]

Nice setup.

For larger scale, big grey Brute trash cans for reservoirs with industrial bulkhead fittings (leak proof for over a year so far) installed at the top and bottom to allow mixing/aerating before watering, soda fountain pumps that auto shut off at 90 psi and auto on at 60psi, 3/4" PVC, 8 way drip line manifolds connected to sprinkler valves all wired to a sprinkler timer allowing individual programs to water 3 separate rooms containing 10 individual valves with watering times adjustable to the second. The things you design when you realize, Oh Shit, I gotta go out of town for a week next month and my girls are drinking dry in 2-3 days

 

[GrassArt]

Time away from your plants is almost inevitable. And knowing that there are some of us who would rather not have someone come over and help garden, this is perfect.

Also, if you are going away, you can raise your lights. Less direct light on the pots soil will allow the topsoil to stay moist longer. Also, turn down your fans, remain air circ, and putting out little trays or glasses of water in the room, so that water droplets evaporate and cause your humidity to increase, so the plants need to transpire less.

My girls were absent from my care for 4 days before I had this system and they seemed fine. Can go away for 2 weeks now tho.

GrassArt

 

[nano]

Thanks for sharing! Exactly what I needed. the timing was perfect

 

[Anghellic]

Man this is such a great idea. Ill have to tag this for later. Thanks man!