Upcoming watering dilemma

I am beginning to worry a bit (as we all do) about going on vacation in a couple of months...at that time, my temperate trees will all be dormant and outdoors, but I have several tropicals that I overwinter in an unheated garage under fluorescents. I am reluctant to have anyone come in to water them...too many variables, you know :-) I use an automated system outdoors, but am in a quandry regarding what to do regarding my indoor setup. I know I could set up an automated system indoors, but am reluctant to do so, considering the constant water pressure that will be on the system...a leak/break at the hose bibb would be disastrous.

Does anyone know of or had experience with a gravity fed system that might work. I don't think I need to worry about heavy moisture levels at the time of year I will be away (late Jan/early Feb), but I would like to ensure that the plants are kept evenly moist.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,
Tom

A large elevated bottle of water (like one of those old-fashioned office water fountains with the jug on top?) with a tubing set up with tubes to each pot with drip emitters?????

I've seen in catalogs where they sell drip emitter tops that are screwed into liter bottles, then jammed into the soil for slow watering.

Tom Simonyi wrote:I am beginning to worry a bit (as we all do) about going on vacation in a couple of months...at that time, my temperate trees will all be dormant and outdoors, but I have several tropicals that I overwinter in an unheated garage under fluorescents. I am reluctant to have anyone come in to water them...too many variables, you know :-) I use an automated system outdoors, but am in a quandry regarding what to do regarding my indoor setup. I know I could set up an automated system indoors, but am reluctant to do so, considering the constant water pressure that will be on the system...a leak/break at the hose bibb would be disastrous.

Does anyone know of or had experience with a gravity fed system that might work. I don't think I need to worry about heavy moisture levels at the time of year I will be away (late Jan/early Feb), but I would like to ensure that the plants are kept evenly moist.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Regards,
Tom

There are low pressure drip systems that can be run from a large reservoir, that are designed to be run on a timer.

Something like this would probably work, and maybe could be adapted for the scale of your needs:
http://www.altgarden.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=900

That one doesn't run on a timer, but it isn't a constant-drip system, so root rot should hopefully not be an issue...hard to tell without actually running it for a while.

Again, this would require experimentation, but products like this one are designed to prevent root-rot in hydroponic environments where its a real problem:


http://www.altgarden.com/store/cart.php?m=product_detail&p=4

Many thanks to you both....

Tom

How long will you be gone? If it is two weeks, maybe a little more, you can enclose each plant in a plastic bag, seal it, and leave it under the lights. Make sure there are no dead leaves, twigs, anything that can mold, in the bag. They will do fine.
Iris

Thanks, Iris.....in the meantime I have located a system that looks o.k. - relatively inexpensive - less than $100.
It is called the "Oasis Automatic Water Distributor." I thought others may want to check it out as well, and I would be very interested to hear from folks that may already be using it or have used it in the past.

Regards,
Tom