Many housewives have problems watering houseplants and balcony boxes when on holiday or away for a few days. If you don’t have someone to temporarily take over this role, there is a very simple, self-sufficient watering system that can take the worry off your shoulders.
Tensiometers are instruments that measure tensiometry based on the principle of operation of a ceramic element based on the diffusion property of a water molecule. Read more: https://agrismartgreen.com/talajnedvesseg/talajnedvesseg-mero-eszkozok-tenziometerek/
The water stored in the soil is used up by plants and evaporates from the soil surface. The amount of water used depends, among other things, on the temperature, humidity, the amount of water that can be stored in the soil, the salinity and the soil structure. When the soil dries, the ceramic element of the tensiometer allows water to seep into the soil from inside the instrument. As the instrument is closed, the internal pressure is reduced by the decreasing water volume, creating a vacuum.
In fact, the ceramic element senses the amount of water in the soil and recharges it when it starts to decrease. The water in the tensiometer is very small, so if the soil around it is dry for a long time and the water level drops below a certain level, it can no longer be used as an instrument.
The formation of a vacuum means that a suction capacity occurs, which can be used to replace the water used up inside the tensiometer with a
from the water tank. So we have created an automatic irrigation system without an external energy source.
More specifically, the plant itself is the driving force, and the system will use just enough water from the reservoir to meet the plant’s needs, plus an amount to compensate for evaporation losses.
How does it work?
The plant’s roots take up the water from the soil, and when the plant has used so much water that the soil has dried out, the ceramic element releases the water from its interior, creating a vacuum, or suction, which sucks the missing water out of the reservoir through the thin tube. A single water reservoir can be used to feed several ceramic suction tips belonging to different plants.
Instructions for use:
- Remove the cap from the tip, soak it for a few hours, it is important that the water completely covers the part.
- Fill the ceramic element completely with water, replace the cap. Make sure the cap is airtight!
- Place the ceramic element in the soil of the watered plant, completely in the soil.
- Put the end of the tube into a bottle or flask filled with water. It is advisable to rubberize the end of the tube to a wooden rod, so that it can be positioned more stably in the vessel. It is essential that there is an airtight connection between the ceramic tip and the water reservoir.
Try to refill the vessel regularly, if it fails and the ceramic tip sucks air, the system must be restarted starting with the soaking (point 1).
There is a version of this method of watering where the ceramic tip can be attached to a plastic bottle and inserted into the soil of the plant one bottle at a time. The advantage is that airtightness is automatically achieved, the ceramic element does not need to be pre-wetted, and the low overpressure ensures an uninterrupted water supply to the plant. The downside is that the bottle seal is not always leak-proof, you have to test which bottle works well, the small overpressure can cause overwatering of certain plants, and it’s not quite as aesthetically pleasing.
There is also a ceramicless version of the watering head that can be screwed onto the bottle. This version does not have self-regulating capacity, water simply runs out through the perforation, most likely overwatering the plant or leaving the water at the bottom of the reservoir. !! Do not use this to water your plants!!!
Important!
Only a suction tip with a good quality ceramic element will automatically provide a constant moisture balance for your plants!
The top of the range of tensiometric irrigation is the tenzio-controlled irrigation control system from Blumat of Austria.
This system uses a low-pressure water source, which can come from a tap with a pressure reducer or from a tank held in an elevated position from which water flows out by gravity.
At the heart of the system is the tensiometer valve, which uses the suction force generated in the ceramic tip. When the tension rises as the water supply in the soil improves, a thin plastic tube is squeezed, trapping the water. Alternatively, when the soil dries and the tension drops, it will release the pressure on the pipe, allowing the irrigation water to flow out. On top of the valve there is a control knob to adjust the irrigation.
Several plants can be watered at the same time using the tensiometer valve by extending the free-flow pipe end and feeding it with a few adjustable drip buttons.
A larger rooted plant can also be watered thoroughly with such an arrangement, e.g. by placing drip buttons at 3 points around the base of the plant.
Advice and quotation: kalla.tibor(at)tmarkt.hu
