Which method saves more water, tray or individual saucer?

[ps3isawesome]

Based on my naked eye's observation, I think the saucer dries up faster.

I kind of regret not collection rain water during the ONLY TIME Nor Cal rained during December.

So I am curious to find out which method saves retains more water.

 

[Sashoke]

Ive thought about this as well, and I think it depends on your conditions a lot.

And I too regret not collecting rainwater. It snowed yesterday, (most likely the only time its ever going to snow) and I so wish I had the mind to collect it while it was there. It melted over night and now its all gone

 

[ps3isawesome]

I've noticed the water level decreased much faster when the tray was less filled up. As I got more plants, the tray (now completely filled) retains water longer.

Ya, well it was just SOOOOO COLD AND RAINNY I couldn't pick myself up to go set up the rain catching system.

Mind you, my system was leaving pots and pans outside LOL. Now I'm paying for my laziness in pretty dollars.

I'm going to copy this system next time, stealing idea from Basedrifter

 

[Sashoke]

I catch my water in a snowsled, but Im going to try and make a system similar to that with a tarp and such.

 

[Stranger]

I expect that water loss from evaporation would be a function of how much of the container's surface area is exposed to air rather than whether you're using a large communal container vs individual containers. I've got several identical trays with a variety of plants in them, and from my casual observations the ones with more water exposed dry out quicker.

That's not to say that there's no evaporation or water loss from the top of the pots, but it figures that the rate is lower.

 

[Tacks]

Based on my naked eye's observation, I think the saucer dries up faster.

I kind of regret not collection rain water during the ONLY TIME Nor Cal rained during December.

I managed to collect probably 60+ gallons of water during those storms. It's been fantastic, I've saved a lot of money buying distilled hahahah. Here's hoping for a bit more rain soon.

 

[Carnivoregon]

I feel so spoiled to live in a place where I just fill up my watering can out of the tap.

 

[Sashoke]

I feel so spoiled to live in a place where I just fill up my watering can out of the tap.

Lucky!

 

[ps3isawesome]

I'm going to compute the total annual estimated cost for distilled water and compare it with the cost of a reverse osmosis filter.

and ya, uhhhh Tacks, I def should've taken advantage of that rain storm. Really regretting not getting my lazy *** off the couch during winter break.

 

[NemJones]

I like trays. they seem to keep it much longer

 

[jimscott]

I'm guessing, all things being equal, whatever allows for more surface area exposed to the air, will evaporate faster.

 

[SubRosa]

I'm guessing, all things being equal, whatever allows for more surface area exposed to the air, will evaporate faster.

Probably true. I would think that if they're kept outside the color of the containers would matter more if. White will heat up least, so it would evaporate the slowest.

 

[SubRosa]

I'm going to compute the total annual estimated cost for distilled water and compare it with the cost of a reverse osmosis filter.

and ya, uhhhh Tacks, I def should've taken advantage of that rain storm. Really regretting not getting my lazy *** off the couch during winter break.

You'll need to know the approximate lifespan of the membrane with your particular water. If you can find a reef aquarist in your vicinity they would likely know. It's highly dependent upon your input water. Fwiw with a 5 stage 100 gpd unit that makes water for my plants and my aquarium business I get around 2 years out of a membrane with input water running around 200 ppm predominantly from limestone. I make and use a fair amount of water, probably 25 gal a week. I do flush my membrane before each use.

 

[CorneliusSchrute]

Though I responded to this question on another forum, I figure my two cents here might also be warranted.

Large troughs are the way to go. The more volume of water the greater the capacitance for heat or lack thereof. As such, more water will evaporate less quickly. That's partially why ponds and lakes don't go bone dry in the heat waves of summer. My Sarracenia troughs, when filled with potted plants and water, will go weeks without being topped off even during intense andbprolonged heat waves. Though surface area is a huge factor, so is overall volume and heat and light transmission through the sides of a tray (i.e. clear drip pans). My custom troughs provide all the right conditions to maintain water level when filled.

I have had great success with the pictured setup.