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Automated watering

My quick vacation with my family this weekend made me realize how high-maintenance my CPs are right now. I've read about people using miniature pumps on a timer to water their nepenthes in terraria. What kind of pumps are you people using, and where do you get them? I'd like to automate watering of plants with different needs, and therefore need multiple pumps. So i'd like to find the least expensive pumps that will reliably do the job.

I was also thinking it would be nice to run the pumps when the tray runs dry. Does anyone use a float-switch or some kind of moisture-switch to control their watering system?

Thanks
 
My friend and forum member Joao Robberto Gabbardo, an engineer in Brazil, has invented a circut diagram for such a system, and I am sure he would be happy to provide such to you. If you write , please send greetings from William Dawnstar. His address is:

jrgabbardo@cpovo.net
 
</span><table border="0" align="center" width="95%" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tr><td>Quote </td></tr><tr><td id="QUOTE">I'd like to automate watering of plants with different needs, and therefore need multiple pumps. [/QUOTE]<span id='postcolor'>

I think it would be far less expensive to use valves instead of pumps. If you were going away for just a few weeks every year, I can't imagine tap water hurting most plants just for that time. You could buy a six station timer and six automatic valves and all the hookups for about 150 dollars, and I could tell you how to hook them up.

If you want to use pure water, you would need a storage tank, a booster pump and a floation device for every "program" i.e. every different catagory of water requirement. This could get pricy. You would also still need a separtate automatic valve and a multi station timer.
 
We use those cute little pumps that are used for desktop fountains. They are about 10 dollars each. They have to be submerged so the easiest way to do it, is place the pump in a 5 gallon bucket of RO water. If you set it to run for a half hour a day then one pump should handle about a half dozen plant or so. The down side is that for continous operation on a long vacation you need the overflow water to run back into the original container. If you don't mind alot of water in your terrarium you could place a second pump in one corner of the terrarium and just tilt a bit to that side before you go on vacation. You will want two seperate timers so that the second pump can continue cleaning up for a few minutes after the second one is off. Also the bucket will have to be elevated to almost the hight of the tank since these aren't very powerful pumps.

Total cost about 50 bucks.

joe
 
Thanks everybody. Tim, i agree with you, but LOL my plants are in my (only) room, in my dorm. I think that's overkill right now.
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Joe, where do you get those pumps? I can't find anything online for less than $25 or so.

I probably could get by with just one or two, and put the plants that can't sit in water up on pots.

This will be in memoriam of my first cape sundew, that dried up too quickly while i was away. RIP
 
harborfreight.com

item
45303-0VGA
 
Check Wal-Mart for its close out desktop fountains. I usually pay about $5 per fountain.
 
Thanks Joseph and Copper. Now, if only i had a Walmart.

I just bought a couple $10 fountain pumps and an ultrasonic mister from wholesalepumps, so i guess i'm taken care of for the time being. Is the tubing available at HD or something?
 
I have thought about using this system from Charlies Greenhouse Supply.
Plant Saver

Later this summer I hope to be using an automated system to water my darlingtonia, etc. I bought a 150-200 gph aquarium pump on sale to hopefully use. My plans are to build/buy a bog container. The bog will either have a constant flow of water or cycled timed water supply. The runoff would be collected in the source tank and recycled back into the bog. My hopes are to have a water storage container large enough that it will run for a week without refill, and that the water will stay cool to keep the Darlingtonia from having heat stroke.

On a side note: Has anyone tried those water crystals? Not sure of the correct name right now, but they come dried and they are soaked in water. Once they absorb water they look like jello. I have used this stuff with plants in the past, but not cps.

thanks
 
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HD sells 1/4 inch tubing pretty cheap.

Nick, the "plantsaver" is overpriced and runs on betteries. Better to buy cheap pump and timer.

joe
 
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