Idea for self watering- any thoughts

[More basil]

I am thinking of getting some large, lidded polystyrene boxes to make a self watering system. The boxes can be bought very cheaply and hold up to 40-ish litres. The plan is to make holes in the lid and put capillary matting through. On top will be flower buckets for toms or growbags for herbs such as basil or parsley. The capillary matting would the be fed into the bottom of the buckets/growbag. I would add a pipe through the lid for filling the boxes.

Any thoughts? My main concern is whether the lids would be strong enough once hols are punched through them. I imagine the growbags would be OK as the weight is distributed but not sure about the buckets.

[muddled]

This chap has made a self watering system that seems to work really well.
He used wood for his planters which I think would work out expensive but the ideas could be used in plastic planters too

How to make a genuinely ‘self-watering’ container garden

[veggiechicken]

Not sure what you mean by polystyrene boxes but, if its like the stuff they use in packaging, I wouldn't be confident in its strength.
Could you use a row of flower buckets, place a wire mesh grid over the top (perhaps framed for rigidity) and rest the growbags on the mesh?
There are lots of ideas for self-watering systems on the Vine.

[Bigmallly]

I'd use the boxes as planters & put upturned 2lt bottles of water in for irrigation.

[More basil]

Interesting ideas, thank you.
I have been looking at fish boxes (like these http://www.jbpackaging.co.uk/20kg-po...58SAM.html)and similar to copy a design that's used by a lot of people in Denmark. This is the idea (excuse the Danish text)
Kapillrkasse - Pindstrup DJURSLAND - XL-BYG Webshop.

The holes in the lids are filled with soil which draws up the water. Over there, they sell for about £9.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Do you have a fishmonger anywhere near you? If so they will gladly give you the boxes as they are non returnable and they have to pay to get rid of them. I got quite a few from my local Makro store.

[More basil]

Good idea, thank you! Can always give them a good wash. Am now curious-do you use yours to grow things in/on?

[Laney]

Hi snap I'm planning a set up too, but with a black plastic storage box from the loft. Found super bargain£4 irrigation kits from eBay which arrived last week, will fit butt taps and can fill the tank with compost tea or rainwater etc from a nearby gutter. Filter will be fitted. I'll watch your progress with interest to see how your toms etc go on top, intriguing! :-)

[maverick451]

Hi

I think this may help you

https://thehandygardener.wordpress.c...g-planter-box/

[Kristen]

I think just laying some capillary matting (I recommend covering it with micropore plastic sheet, reduces evaporation, stops algae growing on it, and keeps and muck spilt from pots off it too, which prolongs its life) and then figure a way to provide a slow-trickle of water onto it. You can dunk one end on a "tank", but as the water level falls and the matting has to wick-up a greater height, its efficiency falls off. If you can get a "feed" onto the matting (a dripping container of some sort) I think that would work better

I have downpipe (horizontally) around my greenhouse bench, with slits in and into which the leading edge of the capillary matting is tucked. The downpipe has up-turned bends on the ends - to stop the water falling out! I water directly onto the matting, between the pots, in the morning and fill up the downpipe as a reservoir - but if I could provide a nice, gentle, constant supply to the pipe I could leave them to it! Having said that, I like watering manually, without a level of work that makes it a time consuming chore, as it gives me the chance to check the plants over and spot if anything needs doing to them.


Staging with capillary matting on top


Down-pipe fitted to front of staging - sorry bit hard to see, might be easier to spot by comparing the Before and After photos?!

[More basil]

I just love this forum! So many ideas and so much knowledge about all sorts of stuff. It didn't for instance occur to me that fish boxes are single use. Thank you all for your great advice and ideas, will look into them and update this post when I've worked something out. Kristen- can't blame you for wanting to water every day, what a lovely greenhouse. Maverick- that looks very like the idea I am trying to copy.

[maverick451]

Just to add that I think im going to use capillary matting as the wick between soil layer and the water reservoir rather than use a pot of soil as wick

Simular to this but with the polystyrene box construction

DIY Self Watering Pots