As summer advanced into Ahmedabad (later than last year), it brought on 40+ temperatures. In addition, Ahmedabad is very very dry, with hot winds. Our plants started dying left, right and centre. Some of the casualties were - Marigold (yet again), a chilli plant (who could not be photographed), Jasmine, Zamia, Rose (again, could not be photographed) and the indoor succulent (no photo of this either).
A self watering project had been on the cards for a long time, but it involved many steps. First, I identified a Syntex tank to store the water. Then we searched for a plumber on Fix91 and UrbanClap. We found a good one on UrbanClap who knew what he was talking about. He had previously setup a hydroponic kit for someone. He was supremely excited with our project, as were we!
He decided that the white pipe (used for the RO waste water) would be ideal. It is sturdy and does well in the sun. He bought the various joints like T-joint, elbow-joint etc. He also bought the drips for the irrigation, which was our preference.
Finally, this weekend he set it up. He brought someone over to build a stand for the tank, so that it is at a height. He made a hole at the top, so that vaccum is not created when the water is extracted. He made a hole near the bottom for the pipe connection. This pipe is connected to a valve, with an on and off position. After the valve, the white pipe network has been connected.
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| Water storage |
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| Valve connection |
He has made one connection to the pots under our window. Another branch runs along the other wall to water the wall. From here, one branch goes down to one end of the balcony. Another branch also goes down to the balcony, along the railing.
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| Branch 1 |
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| Branch 2 |
We tested it out today and it works like a breeze! We turn it on in the morning for about 10 mins and the plants get enough water to last the day. The lawn was taking up the most water because it did not have a drip. Now we have put a drip and water the lawn with the AC water instead.
The first time we filled the tank with tap water using the garden hose. After that, we put in any waste water that we can manage to. For instance, everytime we clean the aquarium, we get about 2 buckets of water. This is best put in the tank. The water is rich in nutrients and can be used to water plants to get better foliage as it contains Nitrogen and Phosphorus. We also put the RO water and AC reject water in when possible, else we use that directly in the lawn or the indoor plants.
