How to build a drip irrigation system with a few euros and a few minutes

To solve the problem of how to water the plants of our small garden on the balcony, here's how to build a do-it-yourself drip irrigator with a few euros

He is about to end up run over, his mother saves him

Time ofsummer, vacation time. With the summer we must pay close attention to our beloved plants; in particular to those that have a greater exposure to the scorching sun and that need one for this greater watering during the day, especially in the torrid ones of August.

In addition, we must pay particular attention to dry leaves and flowers which, due to the high temperatures, wither much faster; let's remember to eliminate them as they can favor the appearance of parasites. Spider mites and mealybugs are not good friends of our plants.

This increased need for care obviously does not go well with our holidays. How to succeed then to water the garden on the balcony correctly and at the same time enjoy your well-deserved vacation?

The most immediate answers that come to my mind are two: the first is buy an automatic irrigation system, very effective, but also very expensive and not very ecological. The second is to ring the bell of our neighbor again this year who will be happy to water our small rainforest and to be attacked by swarms of thirsty people. mosquitoes tigers just for the sake of pleasing us.

But if you too are not very inclined to these two alternatives and want risolate the problem in a more creative and green way, here is the solution: build a drip irrigation system with a few euros and in a few minutes. The idea came from one of our readers who made one for his balcony.

What we will need

- a carabiner
- one tank for liquids with adjustable tap
- a few meters of wire to hang out the rubber-coated laundry (the size will depend on the size of the tank you purchase)
- a piece of garden hose about 10 cm long and with a thickness equal to that of the tap of the tank.
- A Cork or rubber of the same diameter as the length of pipe
– due connectors for drip system (or more, according to your needs)
- a few meters of distribution pipe for drip system (also in this case the size will depend on the number of pots to be watered)

The materials

The choice of the tank will determine the water capacity of our irrigation system and consequently its duration over time. The greater the capacity expressed in liters, the more days the plant will be able to water a more or less high number of plants and vegetables. These factors will also affect the number of connectors and meters of distribution pipe to be purchased.

The assembly

1. First of all, we wrap several coils of our clothesline around the tank, creating a sort of harness, in which we will pass the carabiner in the upper part so as to create a hook to hang our container.

2. Now let's take the piece of garden hose and drill two holes in the second lower half where we are going to insert the connectors of the system. We insert the cork or rubber plug into the lower end of the tube just below the connectors.

Finally we connect the free upper end of the tube with the adjustable tap of the tank. (See photos 03 and 05)

3. Now let's cut the distribution pipe into two parts (or more depending on the number of connectors and pots to water), the length we need to reach the plants and connect them to our connectors. Before setting up our new watering system, we just have to make a very small hole in the upper part of the tank, near the cap, in order to create a suction of air that will facilitate the exit of the water through the tap. .

The table in opera

Our drip irrigation system is finally ready and just waiting to be put into operation. We just have to fill the tank, place it in the chosen point, adjust the opening of the tap according to the amount of water needed by the plants and that's it.

The plants will have "to drink" and we will have our well-deserved rest.

Lorenzo DeRitis Photo and idea: Massi websign