Automated Irrigation

Discussion in 'Growing Marijuana Outdoors' started by KGB_Quietus, Feb 25, 2010.

  1. automated outdoor irrigation systems?

    Okay, I just curious to see if anyone on here has tried coming up with some sort of automated irrigation systems for outdoor grows. Or some other ingenuity out there for providing water to your precious plants.

    I'll start, this is a little extreme for some, but I will am currently in a testing stage and designing as I go. It involves a 1 1/4" Sand Point Well. Amazon.com: Water Source #WP-3080 1-1/4x30 Well Point: Home Improvement

    Its very simple you obviously you need to have the right soil conditions and a higher water table. But in simple terms you drive this screened pipe into the ground and once you hit the water table you hook up a pump (which can be a a hand pumped also for those of you who dont want to spend the money for a dc pump) And voila you have water where ever you want!

    I Personally will be using a 12v submersible pump I install into the 1 1/4 pipe and run it off of two car batteries wired together. Obviously I have a timer installed between the batteries and pump setup. I just need to figure out how much water I want the plants to get in a 24 hour period. Then how long the batteries will last with that watering schedule. During the rainy season I will just shut it off. And if we have a rainy week I will have to go out there and shut if off. But I will never have to drag water out there multiple times a week! :D

    I picked up a pump for 99 dollars
    Two car batteries I already had
    I got the 1 1/4" sand point for 40 dollars
    The extra 1 1/4" galvanized pipe and fittings came to around 30 dollars
    DC timer 19.99
    I had an old garden hose laying around I rigged up for supplying water.

    Total : Around 175 dollars (more if you need to buy car batteries)
    (I had wire for the batteries and pump, and garden hose which has holes in it for every plant it needs to supply) :D

    Any thoughts or added ideas??? lets hear them!!!
     

  2. I'm thinking that if you have some sort of drip system, coming out of a PVC pipe that has a garden hose leading to it, that is attached to some sort of large container raised above ground level, you may be able to use gravity and water pressure to power a constant drip system. I'm sure it has been thought of before, as I have not researched automated irrigation systems at all. So, yeah... idk.
     
  3. okay you could put up a large container and setup a drip system which is controlled by a battery operated timer like this one here (the cheapest one I could find $29.95)
    9001EZ - DIG DC Threaded Hose End Timer Analog for drip and irrigation systems.

    That may be a cheaper setup but you still need to CARRY water there. I still prefer my original setup which may have cost me a almost two hundo, but you figure how much lights and electricity cost for inside grows are. A one-time 200 dollar bill is nothing!
     
  4. An automatic outdoor drip system is a good idea and relatively easy to build but here are a few things to keep in mind:

    1) Don't skimp on the timer - it pays to buy a high quality one like the Hunter SVC's. If your timer messes up then your whole system goes down.

    2) Be sure to filter your water. You do not want your lines to clog up. Be sure to clean your filter regularly. As with the timer, it pays not to skimp on this. Those cheap $20 filters are a joke and clog up really easy. You want to commercial/vineyard type filter.

    3) If you can bury your lines. The cooler your lines stay, the less salt build up you get. If you are going to be running fertilizer through your system this is a must.

    4) Don't run fertilizer and water off the same system. If you run both off the same drip tubes I can almost gaurantee your lines will be clogged before the end of the season.

    5) You still need to check your plants - don't think that an auotmatic system means that you can go weeks at a time w/o checking in. Drip system break and need repair frequently - you need to check it regularly to make sure everything is working right. It is also very easy to over-water you plants with a system like this.

    6) Make sure your preassure is as even as possible. If you are on a hill, the lower lines will always fill first giving those plants more water. Do not hook up too many emitters to a main line or the ones at the end will not have enough pressure to work right. It takes some tweaking to get it so that all your plants are getting the same amount of water.
     

  5. holy shit. that is sooo not happening where i live. so in theory, you can dig a hole and it will eventually fill with water?:confused:
     


  6. Yes, in theory you could dig a hole and once you hit the water table it will continually stay full of water. It just depends on your location how deep that hole needs to be. IN my location the water table is roughly 15 to 20 feet deep. I have nice sandy loam soil so I can drive a sand point in really easy add the necessary amount of pipe threaded onto the end of the sand point and voila I have water. I can install a sand point well and hook up the pump in less than two hours.
     
  7. wow. 15-20' is nothing. *dude...your gettin a well*. if i had a well it would solve all my heat problems.:(

    thats one major part of the equation solved if you can get water. but i do agree with blaze21. dont skimp on the timer.

    grow forth and prosper.


    .
     
  8. Heh your lucky KGB that sort of set up would never work where I'm at the water tables is waaay to deep. Best of luck to ya sounds like you've got a good plan going.

    Send me a msg if you want any tips I've been doing my OD off an automated irrigation system for years.
     
  9. Some guy I know, totally not me, has been using a weeper hose (a porous hose that oozes water out of it's pores). It's buried about a foot down in the soil, and has a normal hose leading to a raised tank. It never gets clogged like a drip line, and gravity/pressure/capillary action keeps the soil perfectly moist. Lovin' it.
     
  10. Dosatron - the horticulture industry standard.

    HTH

    LD
     

  11. I've seen a setup like this. The guy swears by it. He does have a controller regulating everything other wise you would just over water your plants.
     

  12. These would be nice to use for a greenhouse or large inside grow, But a couple miles into the woods is a different story.
     
  13. Yeah plus the dosatrons break pretty easily from what I've seen. You can get the same effect just using a recirculating pump in a fertilizer tank powered by a 12v pump w/ a solar power and a good timer. Costs less and is much more reliable....
     
  14. KGB_Quietus

    The Dosatron line of products are non-electric and use the water moving through the unit to inject your 'whatever' into the system. They work on very low water pressure levels.

    HTH

    LD
     

  15. I stand corrected this would work
     
  16. If you only have a few plants, Jorge Cervantes' idea is simply and easy. Just get a gallon jug of water, poke a tiny hole in it, and let it drip at the base of your plant.
     
  17. Hello,

    your information so good.this is very useful for me

    thanks.
     

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