Automatic house plant watering?
 

Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.

I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached. This
works pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic
pressure affects this system too much. It can pull more water than is
needed.

Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm not sure
if there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is this
mold harmful to plants?

Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water, like
with a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good
self-replenishing water reservoir.

Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants for two
or three months?

Thanks for your help.

Bruce W.1 wrote:
Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.

I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached. This works
pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic pressure
affects this system too much. It can pull more water than is needed.

Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm not sure if
there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is this mold
harmful to plants?

Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water, like with
a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good self-replenishing
water reservoir.

Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants for two or
three months?


Drip irrigation system with a timer. Or a house sitter.

I'd tend to go with the house sitter for that long of a period, or at least
make sure the part of the system that would always be under pressure has a
safe place to drain if the hose busts.

--
Warren H.

==========
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Any resemblance to the views of anybody living or dead is
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response -- unless you count my dog who desperately wants
to go outside now.
Care for your landscape with Black and Decker cordless tools
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In article ,
"Bruce W.1" wrote:

- Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
- figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.
-
- I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached. This
- works pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic
- pressure affects this system too much. It can pull more water than is
- needed.
-
- Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm not sure
- if there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is this
- mold harmful to plants?
-
- Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water, like
- with a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good
- self-replenishing water reservoir.
-
- Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants for two
- or three months?
-
- Thanks for your help.

Something I read somewhere long ago said to leave them in the bathtub with a
little water in the tub. Cover the tub with plastic wrap. That new cling
wrap with the sealer stuff on one side should work excellently for this
purpose. I don't recall whether the article advised to poke small holes in
the plastic wrap, but I would.
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
http://www.intergnat.com/pussygames/

If you get an ice maker kit for a refrigerator w/ the plastic tube you
can make your own irr. system with little effort. I did this last year
it was for an outside application but will work inside as well.

Suzie-Q wrote:
In article ,
"Bruce W.1" wrote:

- Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm
trying to
- figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.
-
- I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached.
This
- works pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic
- pressure affects this system too much. It can pull more water
than is
- needed.
-
- Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm
not sure
- if there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is
this
- mold harmful to plants?
-
- Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water,
like
- with a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good
- self-replenishing water reservoir.
-
- Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants
for two
- or three months?
-
- Thanks for your help.

Something I read somewhere long ago said to leave them in the
bathtub with a little water in the tub. Cover the tub with plastic
wrap. That new cling wrap with the sealer stuff on one side should
work excellently for this purpose. I don't recall whether the
article advised to poke small holes in the plastic wrap, but I
would.

Two or three months in the tub with no sun? I don't think so.

--

Travis in Shoreline (just North of Seattle) Washington
USDA Zone 8
Sunset Zone 5

In article Xwwae.1449$yc.1094@trnddc07,
"Travis" wrote:

- Suzie-Q wrote:
- In article ,
- "Bruce W.1" wrote:
-
- - Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm
- trying to
- - figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.
- -
- - I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached.
- This
- - works pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic
- - pressure affects this system too much. It can pull more water
- than is
- - needed.
- -
- - Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm
- not sure
- - if there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is
- this
- - mold harmful to plants?
- -
- - Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water,
- like
- - with a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good
- - self-replenishing water reservoir.
- -
- - Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants
- for two
- - or three months?
- -
- - Thanks for your help.
-
- Something I read somewhere long ago said to leave them in the
- bathtub with a little water in the tub. Cover the tub with plastic
- wrap. That new cling wrap with the sealer stuff on one side should
- work excellently for this purpose. I don't recall whether the
- article advised to poke small holes in the plastic wrap, but I
- would.
-
- Two or three months in the tub with no sun? I don't think so.

Grow light? Flourescent light?
--
8^)~~~ Sue (remove the x to e-mail)
~~~~~~
"I reserve the absolute right to be smarter
today than I was yesterday." -Adlai Stevenson

http://www.suzanne-eckhardt.com/
http://www.intergnat.com/malebashing/
http://www.intergnat.com/pussygames/

"Bruce W.1" wrote in message
...
Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.

I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached. This works
pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic pressure
affects this system too much. It can pull more water than is needed.

Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm not sure if
there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is this mold
harmful to plants?

Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water, like with
a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good self-replenishing
water reservoir.

Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants for two or
three months?

Thanks for your help.

I think you could take care of the mould growth with a little hydrogen
peroxide mixed into the resevoir. I had some mould growing in my little
greenhouse because things got too damp, a little spray of H2O2 cleared it
right up.

The best way to keep your plants watered for a month is to enlist a
neighbor. It fosters good community relations at the same time. However,
if this is something that happens very frequently, you should either
rotate neighbors or forget about house plants, since you're not there
much to enjoy them anyway.




Bruce W.1 wrote:
Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
figure out a way to keep my house plants watered...

Mook23 wrote:
"Bruce W.1" wrote in message
...

Sometimes I have to go out of town for a month or two. I'm trying to
figure out a way to keep my house plants watered.

I've tried the ceramic cones that have a water tube attached. This works
pretty well, but only for a few weeks. I think hydrostatic pressure
affects this system too much. It can pull more water than is needed.

Also I've experienced mold growth in my water reservoir. I'm not sure if
there's a solution to this, or if it's really a problem. Is this mold
harmful to plants?

Seems like there should be a simpler way of distributing water, like with
a cotton rope. The toilet reservoir might make a good self-replenishing
water reservoir.

Has anyone devised a way of automatically watering house plants for two or
three months?

Thanks for your help.


I think you could take care of the mould growth with a little hydrogen
peroxide mixed into the resevoir. I had some mould growing in my little
greenhouse because things got too damp, a little spray of H2O2 cleared it
right up.


================================================== ===

The only thing I've used to keep mold out of water is chlorine, but
that's not very plant-friendly, and it evaporates into the air in a few
days, or so I've been told.

Hydrogen peroxide? Is this plant-friendly? Does this also evaporate?
Can you recommend an amount?

Thanks.