Watering pot plants when on holiday

Is this likely to work. I have around 36 x 3 inch pot plants with seedlings. I intend to put them on a large tray sitting on several layers of newspaper, tilt the tray slightly so there is a deep & shallow end. the pots will be at the shallow end, the idea being that the pots will soak up water from the wet newspaper. To keep a supply of water I will fill several 2 litre bottles of water turned upside down with the neck in the deep end. The theory being the water will only come out if the level in the tray drops below the bottle neck and only an amount that will cover the neck of the bottle.

Tray will be in a shaded place not getting sunlight so less evaporation. Located in Scotland so chances are it will rain anyway.

feasable?

Reply to
ss
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Have a look at my earlier thread "Gravity fed drip irrigation for tomato plants". Some people have made some interesting comments re the tray approach.

MM

Reply to
MM

By the way, don't do what I did and assume it's going to work straight off the bat! You need to plan and implement whatever system you decide upon in plenty of time for your holiday.

MM

Reply to
MM

You can get special capillary matting for that

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AKA a chicken waterer. In principle that will be ok. Done something similar indoors, but using rubber bung and short length of glass tube in the neck of the bottle. If used outside, temperature changes day-night may cause the air at the top of the inverted bottle to contract and expand, pumping out water which will soon become exhausted. You will need to use reasonably thick-walled bottles otherwise they'll collapse inwards when you invert them. You will also need to support the bottles, otherwise they will probably fall over at the slightest disturbance.

Another idea here where he just pricks a hole in the bottom of the bottle

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, and lots here
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For indoor plants, the usual recommendation is to line the bath with many layers of newspaper, ensuring it goes well up the sides, saturate it with water and stand the pots on it. The wet newspaper serves two purposes: it creates a high humidity around the pots, and also provides some capilliary watering from below. It's also well shaded.

Reply to
Chris Hogg

Yes I did read your earlier thread but I dont have enough time to get the parts and set up. I do intend to get something similar set up for my late summer hols.

I do have a couple of willing neighbours but they are likely to do more harm than good.

Reply to
ss

You should get one of these lazy watering dodahs. They are excellent.

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When I was a kid I had tomato plants in my bedroom and I was worried about the watering while we were on our fortnight's holiday. I stood on the windowsill and drilled a hole in the gutter above me and fitted a length of TV coax with the insides pulled out. This cable/pipe led to my tomatoes. When we got home from our holiday, with mam grumbling because it had been a very rainy fortnight, the kitchen below my bedroom was flooded.

Bill

Reply to
Bill Wright

I actually have the kit (never used it) minus the timer BUT I turn my water off at the mains before I go on hols, reason being when we moved in here 4 years ago came back from hols turned dishwasher on and flooded the kitchen, fekcin mice had chewed through one of the plastic pipes. I am sure the mice problem is now cured but I am wary just in case.

Reply to
ss

You can purchase pre-drilled hose for trickle irrigation. There is a roll flat version. Used to be called *oozy hose* but Google couldn't find any.

Reply to
Tim Lamb

Poundland had the layflat version last time I looked

NT

Reply to
tabbypurr

I confess doing the same, especially in the Winter due to the experience of a burst pipe. I considered myself lucky that the floor is on a slight slope, meaning that minimal water got into the living room!

Reply to
Fredxxx

So this is outside is it? Can you not afford a few layers of capillary matting as newspaper is pretty naff in that context. I used to use similar systems to what you describe in a green house. The way I made the bottles stable was by bending some stiff galvanised wire so they had a neck shaped U in the middle. Two at right angles so the flat bits formed feet and allowed the small gap to keep the water at a given depth. Evaporation and green slime were the main issues if left for more than a few days though. Kind of depends on how big each tray is obviously!

Brian

Reply to
Brian Gaff

I intend to place them around the outside of a bucket and then rope them / gafa tape whatever to hold them in place. I can fill the bucket with water so it is heavy and wont topple over.

Reply to
ss

For the keen gardener , mate has used these in a commercial greenhouse for years, bit of an intial cost , but durable and well made in the U.K. No power to fail or software to crash....

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Aquavalve and a cover can be used to feed a large tray at less exceptional cost.

Reply to
Adam Aglionby

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