Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by SueinWA, May 7, 2008.

  1. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Here is an interesting concept being used in southern Africa for watering crops, and might be useful in other low-rainfall areas.

    The people bury low-fired porous clay pots up to their brims among the plants, and keep them covered with lids. The water slowly oozes out at a speed the plants can assimilate without waste. The lids reduce heating and evaporation.

    https://www.info.bw/~saccar/clay.htm

    Sue
     
  2. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    I have thought about this before, and it seems a great idea. Does anyone have a kiln that we can all make pots?
    We could make a working bee of it and share costs.
     
  3. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    g'day sue,

    this is a method or very similar to how the indian asian farmers do irrigation by burying earthenware pots (unglazed) into the ground these are bulbous shaped with a narrow neck of enough length to allow the body of the pot to be well covered and they simply top up the device as it empties out, so waste what so ever, and they cap it so frogs etc.,. can't get it, saw this on a doco' about a decade ago.

    guess unless you are into pottery making getting the right shaped items and enough for our gardens would bear a cost outside some of our pockets ranges i would suggest.

    there is a link on our site to a company here in aus; that makes what is called a clay pot irrigation system (wet pots i think it is called?), would suggest though that the system could be not as good for water management as the water would need to be clean clear water so as to not clog the pores of the pots, so grey water use would be out. and good water management begins with using water more than once.

    len
     
  4. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    I don't know much about pottery, but if I recall correctly from my general reading in the past, many people in third-world countries don't actually have kilns, but either fire the pots in a fire pit, or just in a fire. I also believe the clays used are the most common available, like terra cotta.

    As to Len's observation that greywater couldn't be used, it really isn't a necessity that greywater has to be used as-is, untreated. .

    Couldn't slow sand filters be used to cleanse water where it could be used for watering plants without much fear of contamination? For this purpose, I would suspect that you could stack two plastic trash barrels filled with sand, both with perforated bottoms, with the bottom one raised on two or three concrete bricks to provide drainage into a container. It would probably be even more effective it you had a couple of 3" (8cm) layers of charcoal embedded in the sand. Pour greywater into the top of the top barrel, and it would gradually work its way through the sand and charcoal, and end up in a clean container below that perhaps had a spigot on it, or a hose draining into another clean container.

    Sue
     
  5. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    um yes filtering could be done but then technically it may not be grey water as such? also it adds a process that needs resources and maintenance into a simple system, and as there are nutrients of sorts in fresh grey water filtering could also minimise those benfits, but yes filter away if you wish. much simpler to direct water with fresh grey water, and yes if un-glazed terra-cotta/earthenware pots are easy to get then use them with fresh water.

    no fear for us using our grey waters, we make our own laundry gel, and use that eco' friendly dish detergent and so very littel as we wash with soft rainwater, not a single instance where there could even be invisaged that their is a problem occuring, our washing machine water mostly gets used on potted plants both natives and exotics again with no signs of stress, the only stress is they don't get watered enough. the detergents also act as wetting agents.

    len
     
  6. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    Are you sure the grey water would be a problem in the pots? I suppose they might eventually clog, or perhaps fill up with small solids, but especially for annuals would this just mean a clean out every year or so?

    the pots might infact filter the grey water on the way out of the pot.
     
  7. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    I've been wanting to try a sort-of-similar system, using plastic two-litre milk/juice/drink containers. You drill a few holes (maybe 2-5mm dia) in the bottoms (and maybe sides?) of them and leave the lids on, then bury 2 or 3 up to their necks around each of your fruit trees. You remove the lids to fill the bottles every few days, replacing the lids afterwards to keep pests out. This should deliver a slow seepage of water over a longer period of time, similar to what these clay pots are doing. You might need a small hole in the lid to allow air in while the water drains out so you don't create a vacuum.

    I haven't tried it yet, but I think this will work. Any comments?
     
  8. ppp

    ppp Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    It might be difficult to regulate the flow, as I would imagine it will either flow out within, say, half an hour (especially if you put an air hole in the top), or, it might just sit there.
    What about drilling a hole in the bottom, no hole in the top, but push a porous "wick" through the bottom hole, maybe a little bit of string? - otherwise, perhaps the soil up against the hole will form enough of a wick.. hey I might try to give this a go too..
     
  9. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    Yeah, I was expecting the soil to act a bit like a wick. It might take a few goes to get the flow right, and it'll probably depend a lot on the soil surrounding each container. I think a bit of cotton rag pushed through a hole in the bottom of the container could work well and keep the flow down - that might be worth trying.

    I'll try to set something up and report back.
     
  10. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    g'day ppp,

    yeh the porous pot would act like a fliter and once clogged might be the devil of a job to clean it out if it can be cleaned out? and again the grey water has nutrients that aren't needed to be filtered out. and lifting these pots out of the ground to effect cleaning would also be an unenviable task, the ots i say them using like urns about bucket size in roundness with a narrow neck so water can't evaporate out. the indian/asian system i think is permanent placement of the urns/pots.

    like the earthen ware pots orange/brown colour they are porous so when used to hold plants dry out farily quickly. if you are going to drill a hole in it then you may as well use a leaky hose or dripper system. but generally consider those to also be for clean water.

    len
     
  11. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    I don't know that an earthenware pot would ever actually "clog" if used with greywater. Sure, you'd build up sediment and it'd eventually fill up with crud. But I think the moisture will still seep through. Think about an unglazed terracotta pot full of soil/potting mix - even though it's completely full, water still evaporates through the sides. Everyone always advises that unglazed pots dry out faster than glazed ones.
     
  12. thepoolroom

    thepoolroom Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    But yeah, you'd be missing out on any non-soluble nutrients in the greywater.
     
  13. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    yeh bit diffrent tpr,

    in pots the potting mix isn't in solution, or liquid suspension, like all matter is in grey water is. and for us the sedimantation that occurs on settling is what is best put into the garden while it is suspended.

    len
     
  14. SueinWA

    SueinWA Junior Member

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    Len, I'm sure that using the greywater directly is perfectly fine in most cases, and the nutrients would certainly be a benefit. What I'm thinking of is when you pour clean water or greywater directly around a plant, esp in sandy soil, the water runs away too quickly to benefit the plants, either across the top of the soil or just rushing downward.

    I just thought this jar method might be nice for those with really minimal water for their plants, as it would seep out more slowly where the roots might be able to utilize it more fully.

    Poolroom, I've never thought of burying the plastic jugs, but I have used them on the surface for watering plants. The size of the hole seems to be most crucial. Mine were slapdash, made with the tip of an icepick, and they ran empty too fast. So I put the lid on, which slowed down the water (more as a suction problem developed because no air was entering to replace the water), but the jug collapsed inward due to suction, then the wind blew them across the yard. The next time, I just put the cap on loosely to keep out bugs and debris, and that alleviated the suction problem, but the size of the holes was still the main problem. And the wind still blew them away when they were empty. Maybe only burying them halfway would solve some problems.

    Sue
     
  15. gardenlen

    gardenlen Group for banned users

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    Re: Low-tech, low-waste plant watering

    yes sandy soil is another issues for most thoguh we have composite or clay soils, but with sandy soil say in the gardens or wher trees are planted with lots of mulching and adding of organic matter (needed id' suggest) wouldn't the detergent value of the grey water still act like a wetting agent and make the soil less hydrophobic (if that is the right word?) and also tend to hold the particles of sand together for some time? and the solids in greywater are what are most attractive to the worms for starters, and worms would be pretty much a front line critter in trying to improve sandy soil as they are with other soils well i would imagine.

    in sandy soil (i have never know the pleasure or other of having to work with it for various reason), i would imagine that when planting trees i would leave a dam effect around it so when you water it at least runs into near the tree instead of escaping all over the ground? and also i would be thinking i would need to dig a rather larger than normal hole for say trees/shrubs and back fill with organic matter to get a structure starting as the tree roots develop and eventually find the sandy soil which my be amanding some by now? and greay water applied as fresh as direct from laundry/kitchen/bathroom etc.,. would be on my regime. i'd plant my trees in a recessed position moe than at ground level or a raised position.

    maybe those pots wouldn't be as effective in sandy soil?? only time and trial would tell.

    len
     

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