Vacation checklist
I just came back from a week long vacation to my home town in Toronto, Canada. Like many of you I worry about my garden when I go away for more than 3 days. Are my vegetables going to survive in the hot and humid days of summer? What about the Calibrachoa and Lobelia that needs constant watering, are they going to make it? Will the Earthboxes do what they were advertised? I had my fingers crossed and here's my checklist.
Drip-it Pro Watering System - I don't have much luck with these but it's better than nothing. Last time I used them the water level was the same after several days and I couldn't figure out how to make it work.
Fill up the water tank and secure the solar panel for my DIY solar drip water system - this system is setup to water my most water hungry plants - Mandevilla, Fairy rose, and herbs box.
Load up the two Earthboxes with water.
Watering crystals - first year I've used these and they seem to do a decent job. I mix them with the soil and use them mostly for the plants under shade. So far the plants only need occasional watering on hot days. I don't use them for edible plants because I'm not sure if they are scientifically proved to be safe.
And hope for the best! Stay tune for my next post to see what my garden looks like after I come back from vacation.
DIY Drip Irrigation System (at work!)
Few weeks ago I tested the drip irrigation system indoors and it worked pretty well. I've modified it a bit, I used the solar panel and pump that i purchased last year and an aquarium 2-way valve to control the water flow. The solar panel powers the pump and the valve control the speed of the water drip. Don't worry if you don't have the solar panel and pump, the idea is still the same and it'll still work. You just need to make sure the water source is placed higher than the plant.
I used the solar panel because I wanted the watering system to work only when the sun is out. This way I can prevent the risk of over-watering the plants. Since i planted mostly drought-tolerant plants this year, I only put the drip on two plants that needs consistent moist soil-Mandevilla and the Fairy Rose. This system can be expanded to water more plants but I'll keep it to two for now.
DIY Drip Irrigation System (Testing phase)
Take a look at the working model here.
As you know, container plants need more water than plants in the ground. This is because the roots in the pot cannot grow beyond the limit of the pot. Sometimes I find myself watering twice a day in the summer. Watering is especially hard for me because I don't have a water source on my deck, that means every time I water my plants, I need to make at least 5 trips with my watering can. Last year I couldn't keep up with this chore and ended up with a few casualties.
I have tried the Drip-It Waterers which didn't work for me at all, soil was bone dried after a day. I have also tried Patio Dripper Kit but after almost a whole day of setting it up, the result was very disappointing because only a few pots received enough water.
I have been testing this DIY drip irrigation, the result is very impressive. When the weather gets warmer I will test this outside. This setup is done without hooking up to a hose or sprinkler system. For a small test system like this, it's only US$2.28.
Ingredients:
1 Large bucket (example or any available container)
1 Aquarium airline tubing - 12' ($1.49 per pack)
1 Aquarium 2-way valve (US$0.79 per pack)
Directions:
1. Here's all you need to get started.
2. Cut a section of the airline tubing and connect to both ends of the plastic valve.
3. As a test, I grabbed a pitcher filled with water. Here's the important part, to start the water flow, you need to place the pitcher higher than the plant. Put one end of the airline tubing in the pitcher, and the other end in the pot.
4. The dial on the valve is to control the water flow. Use it to increase or decrease the amount of water the plant needs.
5. That's it! Here's a picture of the drip irrigation system at work.
