Do-it-yourself watering system
At first glance, drip irrigation systems may seem a bit complicated, but the truth is that they can really make your life easier. Plus, making your own plant watering system can save you tons of money! Plants depend on us because we have to maintain a consistent watering schedule, but it's easy to get caught up in other responsibilities and sometimes gardening duties fall by the wayside. While many plants can recover from a short period of drought, some plants, such as tomatoes, can fail quickly if not watered regularly, and signs of stress will quickly become apparent.
So that you don't have to take care of your plants all the time, make a DIY watering system so that your plants are constantly watered and you can get back to more important things.
Home watering system
Converting a regular hose into a garden or lawn watering hose is actually very easy! All you need is a hose, a cap that screws onto the end, and a drill to make a few holes. Putting the cap on the hose will force the water to flow through the holes, so if you run the hose through the plants, the water will be distributed evenly.
Using a 0.5 CM wide drill, make evenly spaced holes along the same side of the hose. If your garden is really big, you may want to connect a second hose. Once everything is connected, let the hose run a bit so the water starts to harden. Do not turn it on at full capacity - this is a drip system , not a geyser.
Leave it on for about half an hour and run it every couple of days depending on the amount of rain. If you're worried about forgetting and leaving it on too long, you can purchase a timer that will automatically turn it off.
Do-it-yourself gravity drip irrigation system
Use gravity to water your plants with this cool project that looks like something you'd do in school! All you need is a large bucket, a 0.5 CM diameter tube, silicone sealant and a dropper. Insert the pipe through the bottom of the bucket (don't forget to seal around the pipe), attach the dripper, lift the bucket and place the tip of the dripper where you want to drain the water.
You can connect multiple hoses of varying lengths to the same bucket to reach different areas of the garden, but if the garden is quite large, you'll probably want to use multiple buckets. Fill the buckets with the amount of water you want to supply to your plants and then just let it go! This consistent and even watering method is sure to keep your plants happy.
Do-it-yourself drip irrigation systems for potted plants
It's a great way to keep your plants watered while you're away on vacation! All you need is a two-liter plastic bottle, a lighter, a pin, a small stake or skewer, and duct tape. Remove the plastic cap from the bottle, heat the pin in the flame of the lighter, then make four holes in the cap. Fill the bottle with water, replace the cap and keep it upside down.
For the first few seconds the water will start to flow, but after a moment a vacuum will form inside the bottle and the water flow will stop. Glue the stake to the bottle so that it is about 4-6 cm from the cap. Press it into the soil so that the cap is slightly below the soil surface, but not too close to the plant to avoid damaging the roots.
As the sun heats the bottle, pressure will build up inside the bottle, which will slowly release the water over time. Leave it for a week and you'll be back to evenly watered potted plants!