Watering system - revamped!

While we were very grateful to have the drip irrigation installed, the pipe used to transport water from the tank to the pots had very small diameter. This really slowed down the transfer of water and increased the disparity of flow at different points. If one drip was more open than the others, then the water would totally stop in the others. So we decided to increase the diameter of the carrier pipes, while keeping the drip pipe the same. The drip pipe allows for modularity as the connectors can be clipped to the pipe easily. 

I ordered all the material from the Amazon, buying a started drip irrigation kit for 10 pots. It consisted of drips, drip pipe, hole piercer, stopper and connectors between carrier and drip pipes. Separetely I ordered 50m of the 16mm carrier pipe and pipe connectors for the 16mm carrier pipe. I also ordered wall clamps for the larger pipe. 

As with all things, the final step took the longest! We couldnt nail the wall clamps into the wall well enough. It took a lot of effort, even with a new and heavier hammer! So, we hired a plumber to come and execute what we wanted. He had it setup in leass than 2 hours! 

We also bought a lawn sprinkler to ensure equal water to all areas of the lawn. Due to the low pressure, it doesnt cover the entire lawn in one go, so we move it around. But despite that, it is a life-saver! Our previous lawn had died, so we replaced it. After replacing, we wanted to ensure that the same does not happen again.

The entire setup can be seen in the video here.

And finally, with all this water, the grass was growing pretty fast. We had enlisted the services of our scoiety gardener to trim the grass. But we wanted to remove that dependancy too. So we bought a manual lawn mower. 

We also bought a lopper to trim the branches of the chikoo tree. It had many branches that were growing inwards and scraping others. This leads to diseases due to poor air circulation. The lopper was used to cut these branches. 

With all these things in place, we were set to expand our garden!

Watering system for the terrace

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. 

Water storage

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. 

Branch 1

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.