When flower growers need to leave home for a while, they are very worried that during their absence no one will look after their pets. Although if you have good friends or neighbors, then you can ask them to take care of the flowers while you are away. However, this is not the only solution in such a situation. A fairly effective method of caring for plants is the use of automatic watering of indoor plants.
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Providing water regime for flowers
The easiest option to provide plants with moisture during your absence is put containers with flowers in a bowl of water, and then you can be sure that for at least a week, and possibly two, your plants will be provided with enough water. This method is beneficial for the owner in that he does not have to spend additional funds. However, it is still better to use the automatic watering system for indoor plants, because it is able to maintain the optimal moisture content of the flowers for a longer period.
How to prepare flowers for your absence?
Any grower, regardless of experience, knows that if you water the plants well, they will have enough moisture for about two weeks. Therefore, if you have a planned departure, then it is necessary to carry out in relation to your pets certain preparatory activities:
remove the flowers from the windowsill and pick them up in a less illuminated place, as this way you can reduce the amount of moisture evaporated from the soil;- before leaving, you should prune flowers and buds, as well as thinning the foliage;
- try to arrange the pots in a heap to maintain high humidity in this area. As a container for flower pots, you can use a pallet or a basin, the bottom of which must first be filled with a layer of wet expanded clay. The flowerpots themselves are installed on it, after which you need to additionally pour a couple of centimeters of water into the container;
- To make your flowers comfortable in the summer during your absence, arrange a transparent film cap over them, thereby creating the effect of a small greenhouse. However, when deciding to use this method, keep in mind that in this case the plants will be under somewhat stressful conditions. Therefore, if you will be absent for at least a week, it is recommended to prepare cuttings of your pets and place them in a jar of water.
Organization of independent moisture intake
The main advantage of the automatic watering system for indoor plants is that they the roots are regularly supplied with moisture in the required quantity. If you decide to make the homemade greenhouse described above, then you can increase the efficiency of its operation by supplementing it with such a source of water, thanks to which your pets will receive life-giving moisture for several weeks.
The organization of an automatic watering system for indoor plants with your own hands has its own characteristics. At the same time, there is an option that is easier to implement. It will require ordinary plastic bottles, in which you must first make small holes in the lids. Next, the bottles are filled with settled water, turned upside down, and then placed between the flower pots.
Throughout the day, moisture will flow to the bottoms of the pots in small drops, maintaining the moisture content of the expanded clay layer where the flowerpots are located. However, you need correctly calculate the diameter of the holesso that the water is supplied in the required amount. You can find out the optimal diameter experimentally. After that, you just have to decide how much volume of the bottle will be enough for your plants to constantly receive life-giving moisture.
When determining the size of the bottle, it is necessary to proceed from the size of the earthen ball in the pot. For example, if you have rather large pots in your room, then several large bottles of water are placed between them. If your mini garden is made up of tiny pots, then this will be too much for them.
Industrial automatic irrigation devices
If you have sufficient financial resources, you can solve the problem of providing plants with moisture by installing an automatic automatic irrigation systems for industrial production.
one of the most commonly used for these purposes is the Aqua Globs system. Its design includes a glass bulb that is connected to a ceramic cone. The latter in working condition must be immersed in the substrate, this will ensure its uniform moistening. The cone itself is made of a porous material, through its pores, water enters the substrate in small drops. If you are going to maintain moisture for plants that grow in a sufficiently spacious tub, then you can install several such devices. Water flows through these cones thanks to a connected special rubber hose;- the industrial Gardena system is also often used for organizing autowatering at home. Its main working elements are a pump, a timer and tubes. Its capabilities allow you to supply moisture to 36 plants at the same time.
Other methods of water intake
Other commonly used automatic watering systems for indoor plants include a method in which flowers are connected to a container filled with water. through improvised wicks... Cords, strings or woolen threads are suitable as the latter. It can also be ordinary bandages that need to be twisted, giving them the appearance of a cord.
When the wicks are ready, one end is immersed in a basin or other container of water, and the other is attached to the pot, fixing it in the substrate with a peg or clothespin. This design will provide a difference in capillary pressure, as a result, water will be directed through the wicks from the basin to the pot. The automatic watering system for indoor plants, based on the use of wicks, allows you to achieve a constant supply of plants with moisture at minimal cost.
Safety of automatic watering of indoor plants
If it is important for you that your pets feel good during your absence, then for more confidence it will not hurt you check in work the selected automatic irrigation system. So, it is advisable to make sure that moisture enters the pots through a homemade wick well enough, and whether you are not mistaken with the water supply in the basin.
It is possible that after a day there will be no water left in the basin, and this is very dangerous for your flowers, which can dry out and die. Therefore, first of all, you need to choose bottles of suitable sizes so that your plants do not experience a moisture deficit during your absence.It is also necessary to correctly calculate the height of the basin with water so that moisture flows through the wicks in the required amount.
Capillary mats
You can also solve the problem of providing your pets with moisture with the help of capillary mats. They usually look like mats made of absorbent material... These products are presented in large quantities in specialized shopping centers, while they are distinguished by an affordable price.
Typically, capillary mats are placed on any available surface, such as a wide table or window sill. However, for effective use, one end must hang down into a container of water. Before laying the rug, be sure to lay an oilcloth, otherwise moisture can damage the table lining.
Sometimes the size of the mat does not allow the end to be immersed in a container of water. In this case, special strips can come to the rescue, which need to be moistened in water, after which one end is placed under the mat, and the other is immersed in a container. The effect of using these strips will resemble homemade wicks that provide moisture. Also, to organize an autowatering system at home, you can use special pallets, which are based on the principle of operation of capillary mats.
Their design contains:
- deep pallet;
- shallow inner tray;
- capillary mat.
A large sump is used for water, a small sump is placed in it with a rug underneath. Next, a flowerpot with flowers is placed on it. Every day, moisture will go through this rug to the flower pots. The advantage of this method of organizing the irrigation system is that it avoids decay of plant roots.
Thus, today there are many automatic watering systems for indoor plants, each of which has its own characteristics. Therefore, if you are going to leave for a while and want to be sure that your plants will be provided with moisture, then you can choose any of the proposed systems that suits you best. Moreover, if you do not have sufficient funds to acquire an industrial production system, then if you wish, you can make a simple system self-watering organization. Moreover, it will demonstrate the same level of functionality as the factory systems.
Conclusion
The owner, who is not indifferent to his indoor plants grown in the apartment, will try to do everything possible to create favorable conditions both during his presence and in those moments when he will have to leave the house for a while. Such situations are not uncommon, so you need to have a plan, as in this case, to help the plants survive this period.
If the grower does not have the opportunity to find people who could take care of his favorite flowers in his absence, then he can do much easier - to organize a self-watering system for indoor plants with his own hands. Today there is many variants of such systems, which differ not only in cost, but also in functionality. Therefore, the owner can only get acquainted with the features of each irrigation option in order to determine what suits him best.
