Indoor Drip System

[helixturnhelix]

I dont know if this is too out there, but I was thinking about setting up an indoor drip system for my hibiscus.  I think that you could have a 15 gallon bucket as a well and keep a pump at bottom, which is on a timer to go on certain days for a specific amount of time.  From the pump there would be a silicone line which would stem drip lines to each of the plants.  The plants would then sit on a long tray with a drilled hole at the end.  There would then be a piece of tubing from the tray back to the well.  I would think that you could keep your plants going for a while with this set up and I dont think that HVH fertilizer breaks down that quickly.  Do you think this is feasible?

[Charlie]

Great idea, Chris. I've seen a number of indoor systems offered but the big risk with all of them has been the possibility of overflow onto the floor. Your system is unique in providing a way for the water to circulate without overflowing. I like it a lot. You should patent it!    Well, patents tend to be expensive but if you can get yours working I bet a lot of people would be interested in the details.

I've worked with pumps as surely the "fish people" here have, sorry guys , and you all know that ones capable of doing this job would not be expensive.

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

Hmmm, I think I am going to try this out in a few weeks and will be posting a how to do when I get around to it.  I will keep you posted as to whether or not it works.  The real question is how often to set it to go on, and for how long.  I'm glad it seems to make sense, I think it should be pretty similar to setting up a sump (fish reference here) 

[Charlie]

How often it turns on and for how long will depend on conditions - heat, sun, and so forth. This setup is similar to full hydroponic systems, the difference being the use of soil.

Hibiscus can be grown hydroponically, too. I've done it with single pots that pump the water up from a reservoir to the top of the media, in my case it was expanded clay pellets, where it drips down through the roots to the reservoir. Here is a link to a hydro company that offers a multiple pot set up that is sort of similar to what you have in mind.
http://www.genhydro.com/genhydro_US/waterfarm.html

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

I was thinking about growing them hydroponically too.  How did they do compared to plants grown in soil.  I know one of the disadvantages to growing hydroponically is that there are no beneficial soil bacteria.  Do did you see a difference in growth and blooming when compared to their soil growing kin? 

[Charlie]

Chris, I didn't do it enough to answer that. My goal was to see if a different method might encourage slow growing varieties to grow faster. I used Double Date as my test variety and sad to say it was as slow grown hydroponically as it is grown in soil. There are some big claims made by hydroponics growers about increased yields, etc, and it makes sense due to the excellent control of nutrients that hydro growers have. There are beneficial bacteria and fungi available for hydro use that are just dropped into the nutrient tank and circulated to all the plants from there. It is still an intriguing idea to me, and maybe some day......

Charlie

[Cindy]

Hey Chris, I'll help you figure this out!  I want a drip system too!!!!!!!!!!! I've been giving it thought. Let's work on this! I have plenty of houseplants to experiment on and an old house that can't be hurt (famous last words! LOL).

Cindy

[helixturnhelix]

Hi Cindy,

I think I will start this project in about 2-3 weeks.  I will be writing up my findings after I get this figured out.  For now here is what I am thinking. 

1) Getting those really long windowbox trays and drilling a hole in one corner for drainage.  Then retrofitting the hole with a drain that I can connect a tubing to.  Next using silicone to seal the drain and making it water tight.  Then I was thinking of putting large sized river stones to raise the plants sitting on the tray.  This serves two purposes, to make sure the pots aren't sitting in any pooled water, and the extra water left behind will evaporate increasing humidity.  This tray holding the plants must be raised above the reservoir because this system is to use gravity to move the left over water back into the reservoir. 

2) The reservoir is going to be a 15 gallon paint bucket with a nice lid.  I was thinking of getting a normal and cheap pond pump to put in the bottom of the bucket to get the water up to the tray.  From there, I think you would connect the silicone tubing and set up the drip line much like you do in the green house.  Next I am going to cut 3 holes in the top of the lid, 1 for the tubing that is connected to the pump, 1 for the excess to drip back into the bucket and 1 for the air hose that would be connected to an airpump and stone.   It dawned on me that the fertilizer solution should have aeration so that it doesnt come out of solution and doesnt get stagnant.  I also think that well aerated water would be good for the plants, increasing the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide the roots have available to them. 

This is pretty much all I have come up with for now, and this system would be on a timer except for the pump and airstone, which should be on all the time. 

I am pretty sure this should work, any other ideas would be much appreciated  

[jpiper82]

It would be great if you would take a few pics of your project, and post them. We could all learn something from this

John

[Jon]

Hi Chris,

Instead of a pond pump you might want to go to any hydroponics store and buy a reservoir pump. They are small in size and have a tree connection at the end so you can add a multiple amount of drip lines inside the tank.

[Charlie]

Hi Chris,

I just saw this post. Your idea should work well - the aeration is a nice touch! With indoor watering systems the big consideration is how much damage it can do if it springs a leak somehow. Yours would be limited to the amount of water in the 15 gallon can which could be bad but not that bad. Systems that automatically refill using a float valve and a connection to the house water supply could potentially flood the whole place! Regular checking of any tubes and connections should avoid these types of problems. Dogs complicate things for us, as they are capable of doing the unexpected at any moment!

Another type of system I have seen that is good for people with lots of pots of different sizes that cannot be placed altogether in a windowbox tray like you describe works with a reservoir that is raised above the level of the pots. No power is needed to move the water into the pots from the reservoir because gravity does it. Obviously, control of the water flow out of the reservoir is critical. The typical timer control is not good for this type of situation because the pots are different sizes as are the plants and the amount of water they need varies from pot to pot. So, what this system uses is a special ceramic cone that senses the amount of water in each pot that it is stuck into. As the soil dries the cone allows water to flow into the pot and when it is wet enough the cone stops the flow of water. In theory each pot receives exactly the amount of water it needs. I haven't tried this but like the idea - hopefully it works as well as is claimed.

You can find this type of ceramic cone watering device at Amazon and probably lots of other places in various configurations, usually intended to water one pot (search on Plant Sitter, for instance). However, for people with lots of pots a central reservoir with drip lines leading to the ceramic cones in each pot would probably be more practical.

Cindy and my house plant setup is not easy to automate. We have dozens of hibiscus and some other species in 3 rooms and along multiple walls. Actually, as I sit here in the office with windows and plants along 3 walls I can imagine a reservoir on top of a tall filing cabinet and a main hose connected to the reservoir with spaghetti type drip lines going into each pot........

Charlie

[Kyle]

Bumping this post.
The modern day gardener is growing in soil but watering hydroponically.
Soilless, soil, or in ground but watering  hydroponically. 
Many of you already doing this.
This is what I'm working on now for inside and outside gardening.
7-10 day reservoirs highly aerated or 1-3 day fill ups in warm weather.
The 1/4" connectors are to small and don't allow enough water flow and  pressure.
I'm already looking into using 3/4"OD for the loop with 3/8" line to the drippers for a shower effect.  I like to top dress nutrients into the medium and prefer shower dripper to wash it in.

The problem that I face with these mini indoor or outdoor drip systems is the pump and pressure.
In order to get a shower effect with some adjustable drippers 20-30psi is required.
Mag pumps that drop into a reservoirs connected to the main loop are less than 10psi not counting head, bends, length of mainline, and will only drip.
This meas that adjustable drippers need constant attention.
If the main loop  shifts, the water pressure changes and drippers need attention.

I went to the main source for drip needs.
Drip Depot understands what I'm trying to do and they are coming out with Centrifugal Booster Pump in 2019 that will generate higher PSI for these type of drip systems.
I find that drip feeding can run right through larger pots and waste the nutrient solution.
The other problem is leakage at the connectors indoors where the 1/4" connector pokes into the 1/2" loop.

I have seen growers use PVC main line into "manifolds" with grommets to connect the 1/4" drippers as a better option than soft water line systems.
They also use stiffer drip line 1/4" OD called Netfim and it's white to reduce temps in the system.

Also, timers are know to fail. They can turn on and not shut off and reset and do all types of crazy things and empty out a reservoir unexpectedly.    Trying to find an outdoor timer that does seconds or minute intervals is another challenge.

Not to get off the subject but now days growers are using  commercial drip mediums with drip systems.   
They cut back on the organics/TDS in the soil  and focus on synthetic nutrients and feed hydroponically. 
The medium drys quicker so the plants are fed more often 2-3 times a day indoors.

This is what I'm talking about when I say mass aeration in the reservoir. 
The ultra high dissolved O2 is an extra added bonus going directly into the soil.
No dead spots to reduce anaerobic bacteria in the reservoir. 
Add your nutrients and refill the water as needed. 
Easy gardening is fun gardening.   
 
Kyle

     
 

[Kyle]

I also find that using at least 2 dripper is ideal.   
For example with a 10 gal pots, I could have 4 drippers going to it and they are all adjustable.
With 1,3,5 and 10 gal pots all in the same feeding loop control of how much water is preferred.
The combination of multiple drippers, type of drippers, and adjustable drippers allows more flexibility to customize each plant.  This will also help reduce the amount wasted solution or excessive runoff. 

There are greenhouses that pay a person just to check drippers everyday.

Also if you are worried about runoff or getting water on the floor, set the  plants in low rise  flood tables.
Flood tables can be used as a giant saucer so that the run off goes down a drain or into a bucket to be emptied as needed.
3x3 4x4 or 4x8' are some common size flood tables.   
Kyle