Growing tomatoes is very hard work. The main problem with this business is that there is almost always not enough time to come and water the tomatoes, so some craftsmen came up with an original, life-saving method - watering tomatoes in a greenhouse through plastic bottles. This method will help save water, will not harm the soil and will not allow moisture to get on the leaves. Now we will look at how to organize a similar system in your greenhouse without any costs, including time and effort.
We prepare everything you need
Knowledgeable people recommend installing an irrigation system at the time of planting tomato seedlings. Why is this necessary? The fact is that when the bushes more or less grow, the installed bottles for drip irrigation can touch the roots of the plant, which will also grow. List of required tools:
- Plastic bottles, the volume of which should be 2-2.5 liters.
- Hand drill.
- Small diameter drill (2 millimeters).
- Knife or scissors (sharp).
Some may not understand the point of having a drill on this list, but it’s simple. Using it you will make holes in the lid. They will need to be made from 3 to 4 pieces, it all depends on the type of soil. If there are few holes, the liquid flows out very slowly. By the way, if you don’t have a drill, it doesn’t matter; you can safely use a hot nail of small diameter. You need to hold it with pliers and heat the nail over the column of the gas stove so that it turns red. After this, you can easily make holes in the plastic with it.
Next you need to deal with the bottle:
- Wash it thoroughly and remove the sticker, if any.
- Next, using a knife or scissors, you need to cut the bottle. This is done just above the dividing strip.
- Try not to cut off the bottom completely, as it can act as a hinged lid that will protect the water from drying out.
How to install the system correctly
There are several good ways. Let's start with the one that is used most often. So, if the bottle is ready, it needs to be buried in the ground to a depth of 10-15 centimeters. For better irrigation, you need to install the container directly near the root.However, it is worth considering that this is only possible if the system is installed together with the planting of seedlings. Otherwise, you can dig in the bottle at a distance of at least 15 cm from the trunk of the bush.
It must be taken into account that wet soil will clog into the holes of the plug and watering will quickly stop. To avoid this, you should tighten the cap on the outside of the bottle with a nylon stocking or place a piece of burlap on the bottom of the hole. The lid must be screwed on well, then the bottle must be placed in the ground, but at an angle. All that remains is to fill the hole with earth. Next, fill the container with water to begin watering. Please note that the water should be used gradually so that it lasts for several days. If the liquid pours out quickly, you need to reduce the diameter of the holes. During summer, especially dry summer, one plant should receive a glass of water per day. If everything is done correctly, water will need to be added about once a week.
Now let's discuss another original method. Its essence is that holes are made throughout the bottle in 5-6 rows at a distance of 2 cm from each other. Next, the container needs to be buried, placing it in a vertical position in the same hole along with the seedlings. The method is slightly inconvenient, because you need to fill the bottles through a narrow neck, but it also has its advantages, for example, the water does not evaporate, since almost the entire bottle is in the ground, and the container will not fall or be blown away by the wind.
Watering through straws
There is one more method that is used less frequently than the previous two, but has its place. To organize a watering system, you should find pen refills from which the writing unit and ink residues are removed, or you can use narrow-diameter cocktail tubes.The system is installed in the following way:
- The rod is washed well, there should be no ink left in it.
- One side needs to be plugged with something, for example, a match or a piece of wood.
- Next, you should go down 1 cm from the plug and pierce a hole. The free end is inserted into the bottle, which is previously buried in the ground. The rod is brought directly to the soil.
- Where the connection between the tube and the rod occurs must be covered with plasticine.
- The tube should be brought directly to the stem so that drops of water fall on the root system. If the water pressure coming out of the tube is too weak, you should slightly increase the size of the hole, making it wider. This is not always possible, then you need to use a new tube.
This method may take a little more time and effort than all the previous ones, which is why it is not as popular. It is necessary to look for the rods, wash them of ink, and close one side. However, if you use straws for cocktails, it is still easier, since all you have to do is plug one of the sides and create a hole.
The advantages of this method of watering
Now let’s look at the advantages of do-it-yourself drip irrigation from plastic bottles for tomatoes:
- The most important thing is that you don’t need to spend money, the method is accessible to absolutely everyone.
- Simplicity. Installing an irrigation system in this way will take very little time and effort.
- You can organize the flow of fertilizers dissolved in water directly to the roots.
- You don’t have to constantly water the plants; you can safely leave them for a week and not worry.
- Protection against fungal diseases that form due to excess soil moisture.
- There is no need to loosen or soften the soil.
- Watering will take place with warm water, since while in the bottle the liquid will warm up to ambient temperature.
- The watering method is universal. It is great for cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant.
Please note that you do not need to use this method for plants whose roots are fruits. When using watering tomatoes through plastic bottles in greenhouses, you should not completely forget about manual watering, since sometimes it is still worth irrigating the leaves, this is useful.
Adviсe
It is allowed to use the drip irrigation method with plastic bottles and in open ground for peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other things. It is recommended to irrigate tomatoes only in this way, since they really do not like large amounts of moisture. If you use the system for eggplants and peppers, it won’t hurt to water them extra, as they really love moisture.
It is also recommended to install under cucumbers, watering from bottles. In addition, they need to be watered additionally from a watering can, since they love moisture. However, if you forget to water them for one day, they can survive it, because sometimes there is no time to water at all or it slips out of your head.
Conclusion
So we looked at several ways to do do-it-yourself drip irrigation of tomatoes using bottles. Surely many people do not want to spend money on special ready-made systems, and they will like this method. The costs for it will be minimal, and often they are completely absent. You no longer have to constantly come to the greenhouses and water the seedlings, as this will happen automatically within a week.
