My first version of my cheap soil moisture sensor worked great, but it had a couple of flaws. The first issue was construction. I had great luck on my first attempt, but after trying to recreate additional sensors the thin layer of gypsum between the sensor and the probes made it extremely easy to crack. My success rate on later attempts dropped to about 25%. Beginners luck, apparently. The…
width=”550″ height=”412″ /> So you want to build a pond in your garden? There is a right way and a wrong way to go about it. First, you have to pick the area in your yard that will be a good fit. In order to do that, you have to know where all of the underground utility pipes are located. Whether it is water, electrical or cable, you…
width=”550″ height=”366″ /> Sandy soil, clay soil, grass types, it can be a lot to take in. And knowing exactly how to water your lawn to keep it green and healthy can be a task. However, automatic sprinkler systems can help ease your burden. But a sprinkler system isn’t a one-and-done type of project. It takes planning, preparation, and time to achieve your goal of installing an automatic…
width=”309″ height=”412″ /> Living in the rainy Pacific Northwest I have considered setting up some rain barrels to save a little on my water bill, but to also provide a water outlet to an area in my garden where one is not available. The biggest inhibiting factor of doing this sooner was cost, typically rain barrel kits cost at least $100 and though as you can see below might…
width=”549″ height=”412″ /> When standing with the hose in hand watering the garden this growing season here’s something to contemplate: The point of watering is feeding roots but in most cases excess water is wasted falling between and around plants. A watering can is better suited for the task but still lacks precision. One way to ensure water reaches its target is through a delivery mechanism that takes into…
The author had a problems keeping his plants alive and provided the plants could not call out for help, he fixed this with a little bit of electronics. It will call out when it is dry and needs watering by saying phrases such as, “I’M THIRSTY! WATER ME!” It is also detects the ambient light level and makes comments on that as well. This was put together with a…
One problem with growing plants indoors is the requirement for indoor lighting, combined with the need to pour water on plants around such lighting causes a potential electrical disaster. When I heard about Wet Circuits water/tamper resistant power strip I simply had to try it out. Not having the $70 to buy one myself, the nice people at WetCircuits sent me a sample to try out these claims for…
As I have mentioned on my post on watering, I like to dechlorinate my water by filling 5 gallon buckets with water and letting them sit overnight. Though this year I always seemed to not have enough time (or foresight) to be diligent about this and ended up just dragging the hose out and watering the plants chlorine at all. Fortunately our friends at AllFilters have a solution to…
I was contacted by SoilLogic and offered a free sample of their product Moisture X-Tend. Though I could attempt to describe their product, I will let them do it in their own words… Moisture X- Tend helps water penetrate the surface of the potted soil easier and remain within the soil root zone up to 4X’s longer than untreated water. This innovative soil moisture management product helps prevent water…
I wanted to see if (how much) my yields varied by allowing more volume of dirt in my homemade tomato planter, so I made this variation with the same type and size “Husky Cherry” seedling I am using in my 2-liter planter version. The build for this one is also very simple: I started with an organic milk carton given it was already opaque, but if you have the…
This is a very cool project, grab a few rain barrels, timer, water pump, and a solar panel and have automated the tedious task of watering. With all the rain we get (especially this week) in WA could fill up a dozen barrels in a short time. My only suggestion would be to add a moisture sensor to only water when it has not rained lately. Might be another…
With the exception of some of my acid loving plants and flowers I normally do not have to worry much about the pH of my soil. This is because I have amended my gardens with nutrient rich soils in raised beds over my alkaline clay I get naturally in my area. This and the fact that due to natural and manmade causes the rainfall is slightly acidic and given…