Blog 6

I always forget to water my plants, so I was very curious about the drip irrigation system that used a wicking material as a growing medium.  I decided to make my own, with a few modifications.  I had no intention of soaking a blanket in manure tea and laying it in my backyard, so that was the first thing that I changed.  ECHO's design is just a simple siphon; the problem with that design is the water will flow continuously until it's gone, and plants have dynamic water needs.  I wanted a system that only gives the plant water when it needs it.  I inverted a full 5 gallon jug and then put it inside a 5 gallon bucket, and this dispenses water just like an office water cooler.  Then I ran a siphon tube to a second reservoir of water from which the plants can draw water as needed, and when the water level drops below the bucket's water level it makes that characteristic "glug" sound and refills the second reservoir.