Rainwater: The best for the plants
Simple irrigation systems for the greenhouse
When it comes to plants, rainwater is the best, what you can get. It can also be used in the greenhouse – and thus even do without drinking water.
The big barrel, where rainwater is collected for the plants, belongs to the garden like rake and spade. There the watering cans were and are being filled, Clay pots and potted plants watered. Filling and dragging the watering cans is not only a tedious and difficult job for older gardeners.
So the plants get rainwater instead of drinking, simply because there are automatic irrigation systems, which can be connected to the house water pipe. It would be much better, to build an irrigation system for greenhouse and garden, where the focus is on the rainwater storage tank. Whether it is the classic rain barrel, a tank, housed in the greenhouse floor or the connection to the large cistern, which was purchased for the use of rainwater in the house, does not matter. But the memory should be big enough, that he about 100 liters of water per square meter of cultivated area.
Building blocks for the rainwater system
nurseries, who have been using rainwater for a long time for cost reasons, have large water collection basins or underground tanks, where they can store the amount they need. Hobby gardeners need considerably less storage capacity, a 100 liter water butt is definitely too small for a garden irrigation system.
Plus it's cheap, accommodate the rainwater storage tank in the greenhouse, because then the slightly tempered water is always available. Underground tanks or plastic containers are therefore ideal, which can be accommodated under the greenhouse tables. They are available in all sizes, recently also made of light, fiberglass reinforced polyester.
The system for the greenhouse is very simple: The water runs through a filter into the tank via the rain collector on the downpipe, from there it is connected to irrigation hoses by means of a submersible pump, passed mats or sprinklers.
You can do without a pump, if the water tank can be set up above the taps, on the garage roof next to the greenhouse, for example. In this case, the water runs into an intermediate storage tank, which is refilled again and again by means of a float switch and from the drip hoses, Suction wicks or storage mats are fed.
Which irrigation system is suitable, depends on the use of the greenhouse. Where to plant directly in the ground, you put irrigation hoses on the surface of the ground or in a gravel bed in the ground. Moisture sensors in the floor regulate the water intake from the storage tank.
To keep potted plants moist, irrigation mats are ideal, which are constantly kept wet with the help of a regulator. The plants take the water through the bottom of the pot or (even more effective) via glass fiber wicks, lying on the surface of the potting soil.
Heavenly good rainwater
What falls from the sky, is still the best, what plants can get, but pollutants, However, dust and soot degrade the quality. This can change the pH of the water (usually 6 to 7) change. Is he just included? 5 or below, small amounts of Biosmon or nettle are mixed with the water- or. horsetail broth too. Algae preparations are also useful for improving the water and balancing the pH value. For elevated tanks, the content of which is only filled in, when they are empty, You can also add some fertilizer from time to time, which makes the rainwater even better.