| A few folks asked how my automatic watering vacation experiments worked out, so I thought I'd post. (Hi Jen, Hi Terry.)
1. The Gilmour automatic Watering Timer I bought at Lowes -
Wonderful, especially at $24. I hooked up the hose and sprinkler, set the timer for 1/2 hour each morning, moved a few things to make sure they were covered, and that was that. The "ch-ch-ch" variety of sprinker worked nicely. ($5 - 10) The timer works perfectly and everything was great when we got back. It is battery powered (AA), waterproof, and small.
2. The Contraption - I had to rig something for some vines I have in pots that I couldn't move. This worked nicely also. I'm sure its been done before -
I took some empty 2 liter soda bottles (Ginger Ale is green, so I used that.) I pulled the labels off and cut a hole in the bottom of the bottle. (So now it has holes at both ends.) Over the spout, I rubberbanded a piece of cheesecloth. Turned upside down, I "screwed" it into the soil in the pots that I needed to water, and then filled it up. It worked! There was still a little water in the bottles when we got back, and the soil was moist. |
