Auto-watering for flowers - how to save plants from drying during the holiday?

Indoor plants are not only beautiful decor and purified air in the house, but alsogreat responsibility. Many owners do not really think how to water flowers during the holidays. In the best case, they ask one of their acquaintances about it, at worst - they just let everything go by themselves, hoping then to restore the damage caused by a prolonged absence. More responsible and advanced plant breeders prefer to use automatic watering systems. They can be professional or collected with their own hands.

Passive auto-watering: pluses, minuses and rules of organization

On average for indoor plants, the period of two weeks without regular watering is not readable. But to leave the flower pots just so it is impossible, before leaving you will have to carry out several manipulations that increase the chances of planting for a normal existence:

1. The soil should be watered abundantly. Even if the plant variety prohibits this, once every few months it is considered permissible.
2. Pots must be removed from the window sills in places with good shading. This can adversely affect the growth and development of plants, but they will not perish.
3. Flowers and buds are best cut, it is additionally recommended to thin the leaves. This will significantly reduce the pet's need for water, but will negatively affect its decorativeness.

Tip: If there is no experience in pruning plant elements, it is better to consult the experienced gardener beforehand, or even not to do it yourself, but to seek help in the greenhouse. Incorrectly performed manipulation can lead to the fact that the flower will later be restored for several months and even years.

1. All available plantations need to be assembled in one place, even on one massive pallet. At the bottom lay out the expanded clay and fill it with water, we put pots on top. Such a system allows to ensure an economical consumption of moisture, but there is also a negative point - the multiplication of pests will occur more actively.
2. A good effect is provided by a greenhouse for indoor plants, made by hand from a piece of plain polyethylene. True, this option is suitable only for the most persistent colors and leave them under the film can only be for a short period of time, no more than 2 weeks. Demanding environmental conditions in such a greenhouse can rot or slow down considerably in development.

This method of auto-watering is quite aggressive, it is recommended to use it only after planting or replicating samples with cuttings. Saplings just have time to take root in the water, if necessary, replacing a ruined flower.

Features of installation and use of wick-water irrigation

It is much safer to use the techniques of active watering, one of which is the wick system. It can be easily assembled with your own hands, you just need to perform the following manipulations:

• We take a container of impressive size, fill it with water, put it so that around could be placed pots with greenery.
• We cut the long cord from the fabric fibers into pieces. One end of each element is lowered into the water, the second - we dig it into the ground of the flower.
• If manipulation is carried out at the stage of transplanting indoor plants, it is best to draw the cord through the holes in the bottom of the pot.
• After the preparatory phase, it is necessary to moisten the earth lump and make sure that the wick is too wet and submits moisture.

Contrary to popular belief, the system is located in such a way that water is fed from the bottom up, not vice versa. Otherwise, the moistening will be too active and can provoke rotting of the roots. The effectiveness of the device made by oneself and the duration of its operation depend on the needs and dimensions of the sample.

Convenient drip irrigation from a plastic bottle

Another convenient and safe method of automatic watering is the use of a drip structure. Water at the same time will be fed into the soil not constantly, but with a certain periodicity. The most difficult point is precisely the determination of the fluid feed rate and the debugging process.

• From a plastic bottle we make a deep funnel, cutting the bottom. In the lid of the container we make several holes. We put the neck of the bottle into the net and screw the lid.
• The drip irrigation system is installed above the pot, fixed and filled with water, ensuring the supply of liquid to the surface of the soil.

This device is best used for feeding large indoor plants, for example, monsters or ficus. For more delicate specimens, it is better to use the most common medical dropper. The container with liquid is mounted on a tripod, and from the end of the discharge tube drops of water fall on the soil. It is only necessary to fix all the elements qualitatively and adjust the rate of moisture supply.

In addition, the drip autopow can be represented by special bulbs manufactured in different sizes. There will not even be much strain. Simply fill the flask with water and insert the discharge tube into the soil. As the earth dries, air will penetrate into the vessel, releasing just as much moisture as necessary. With such a system, you can safely leave pots with plants even for a long time, the main thing is to correctly calculate the volume of the tank.

Appointment and advantages of capillary mats

For the auto-watering of not the most demanding plants, capillary mats are allowed. It can be ready-made appliances or hand-made designs. In the second case, it is sufficient to take a cut of tissue that conducts water well, but is not prone to rot. We put the material on a pallet, we put pots on it.

The free end of the product is lowered into a container with water, located just below the soil level. This is the simplest and most affordable approach, which can preserve the freshness of plants for two weeks. As a conductor is recommended the use of a terry towel or its analog.

If for plants in the absence of the hosts still be carried out additional care, you can simply put pots with moisture-loving flowers in the bathroom( most importantly, regularly bring them to light), and not so demanding - in the shade. At the same time, it is desirable to place them above the source of water, after having taken care of the quality drainage.

Read the article about why a monster can not be kept at home