DIY drip irrigation from plastic bottles for tomatoes with video and photo

Growing a tomato is very hard work. The main problem of this business is that there is almost always not enough time to come and water the tomatoes, so some craftsmen came up with an original, life-saving method - watering a tomato in a greenhouse through plastic bottles. This method will help save water, do not harm the soil and does not allow moisture to get on the leaves. Now we will look at how to organize a similar system in your greenhouse at no cost, including time and effort.

Preparing everything you need

Knowing people recommend installing an irrigation system at the time of planting tomato seedlings.Why is this needed? The fact is that when the bushes more or less grow, the installed drip irrigation bottles can touch the roots of the plant, which will also grow. List of required tools:

Plastic bottles, the volume of which should be 2-2.5 liters.
Hand drill.
Small diameter drill (2 mm).
Knife or scissors (sharp).

Someone may not understand the meaning of having a drill in this list, but it's simple. With it, you will make holes in the lid. They will need to be made from 3 to 4 pieces, it all depends on the type of soil. If there are few holes, the liquid flows out very slowly. By the way, in the absence of a drill, it does not matter, you can safely use a red-hot nail of a small diameter. It is necessary, holding it with pliers, to heat the nail over the column of the gas stove, so that it turns red.After that, you can easily make holes in the plastic with them.

Next to do the bottle:

Wash it well and remove the sticker if there is one.
Next, using a knife or scissors, you need to cut the bottle. This is done just above the dividing line.
Try not to cut off the bottom completely, as it can act as a hinged cover that will keep the water from drying out.

How to properly install the system

There are several good ways. Let's start with the one that is used most often. So, if the bottle is ready, it must be buried in the ground to a depth of 10-15 centimeters. To make irrigation better, you need to install the container right next to the root. However, it is worth considering that this is only possible if the installation of the system occurs along with the planting of seedlings.Otherwise, you can dig in a bottle at a distance of at least 15 cm from the trunk of a bush.

It should be borne in mind that wet soil will clog into the holes of the cork and watering will stop quickly. To avoid this, tighten the cork outside the bottle with a nylon stocking or lay a piece of burlap on the bottom of the hole. The cap must be screwed on well, then set the bottle in the ground, but at an angle. It remains only to fill the hole with earth. Next, fill the container with water to start watering. Keep in mind that water should be used up gradually so that it lasts for several days. In the case when the liquid is poured out quickly, it is necessary to reduce the diameter of the holes. During the summer, especially dry, a glass of water per day should go to one plant. If everything is done correctly, the water will need to be added about once a week.

Now let's discuss another original way.Its essence is that holes are made throughout the bottle in 5-6 rows at a distance of 2 cm from each other. Next, the container must be buried, placing it in an upright position in the same hole along with the seedlings. The method is slightly inconvenient, because you need to fill the bottles through a narrow neck, but there are also advantages, for example, water does not evaporate, since almost the entire bottle is in the ground, and the container will not fall, it will not be blown away by the wind.

Irrigation through straws

There is another method that is used less frequently than the previous two, but it has a place to be. To organize the irrigation system, you should find rods from pens, from which the writing unit and ink residues are removed, or you can use a narrow diameter straw for cocktails. The system is installed in the following way:

The refill is well rinsed, it should be completely free of ink.
One side should be covered with something, such as a match or a piece of wood.
Next, go down 1 cm from the plug and pierce the hole. The free end is inserted into the bottle, which is previously buried in the ground. The rod is brought directly to the soil.
Where the connection of the tube and the rod occurs, you need to cover it with plasticine.
The tube should be brought directly to the stem so that drops of water fall on the root system. If the water pressure coming out of the tube is too weak, you should slightly increase the size of the hole, make it wider. This is not always possible and a new straw must be used.

This method may take a little more time and effort than all the previous ones, so it is not as popular. It is necessary to look for the rods, rinse them from ink, close one side. However, if you use straws for cocktails, it is still easier, since all that remains is to plug one of the sides and create a hole.

The advantages of this method of watering

Now consider the advantages of drip irrigation with your own hands from plastic bottles for tomatoes:

The most important thing is that you do not need to spend money, the method is available to absolutely everyone.
Simplicity. It will take very little time and effort to install an irrigation system in this way.
It is possible to organize the flow of fertilizers dissolved in water directly to the roots.
You don't have to constantly water the plants, you can safely leave them for a week and not worry.
Protection against fungal diseases that form due to excess soil moisture.
No need to loosen and soften the soil.
Irrigation will take place with warm water, as the liquid in the bottle will warm up to ambient temperature.
The watering method is universal. It is great for cucumbers, cabbage, tomato, peppers, eggplant.

Please note that you do not need to apply the method for plants whose roots are fruits. When using watering a tomato through plastic bottles in greenhouses, do not completely forget about manual watering, as sometimes it is still worth irrigating the leaves, this is useful.

Tips

It is allowed to use the method of drip irrigation with plastic bottles and in open ground for peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and other things. Tomatoes are recommended to be irrigated only in this way, as they really do not like a lot of moisture. If you use the system for eggplants and peppers, it doesn't hurt to water them extra, as they love moisture.

It is also recommended to install under cucumbers by watering from bottles. In addition, they need to be watered additionally from a watering can, as they are lovers of moisture. However, if you forget to water them one day, they can survive it, because sometimes there is no time to water at all or flies out of their heads.

Conclusion

So we looked at several ways how do-it-yourself drip irrigation of tomatoes using bottles is performed. Surely many do not want to spend money on special ready-made systems, and they will like this method. The costs for it will be minimal, and often they are completely absent. You no longer have to constantly come to the greenhouses and water the seedlings, as this will happen automatically during the week.