My Grandmother told me back in the '60s that I needed to use my head for something besides a hat rack
I may have finally fulfilled her wish! . So this is explaining just one of my goofy ideas that actually is working extremely well.

So I got real tired of dragging 150 feet of hose pipe out to water 6 flowerpots I have by the drive entrance and then rolling it back up once a week for five years and counting. I only hod to do it once a week because the pots have built in water reservoirs (another project of mine) that hold about 25 gallons combined.

Anyway, I used a small condensate pump I had on hand to catch and pump the condensate water from my AC unit into a 5 gallon bucket that was set up level with the flower pots. A standpipe in the bottom of the bucket hooks to 200 feet of PEX tubing that is buried ~4" deep and connects to the water reservoirs in the pots out at the road. The water level equalizes between the bucket and pots via gravity. If it rains a lot it simply runs out the overflows. The 6 pots are all connected with tubing. I got lucky and crossed the drive at an expansion joint. A few minutes in the fall to disconnect and drain for the winter should be easy enough for freeze protection. I haven’t had to water the pots manually yet this year since putting in the system. If not running the AC for a week or more I can easily manually fill the bucket from a nearby faucet.

Clever.

Doesn't the standing water act as a breeding location for mosquito?

For our potted plants, I just drop a Y-valve onto the garden spigot with a drip irrigation timer and just run the drip hose out to the plants.

I like it. Big fan of using your brain to prevent future work.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Doesn't the standing water act as a breeding location for mosquito?

Yes, but easily solved. I have a self-watering garden and use Mosquito Bits which is a naturally occurring bacteria, Bti, that affects mosquito, blackfly and fungus gnat larvae. Completely organic and very low maintenance (i.e. add a few bits to water every 2-weeks).

They also make mosquito dunks for large bodies of water, but the bits are perfect for my application and the OP's application.

Bits vs dunks:

We usually mix Neem powder into our potting soil to keep away fungal growth but it has an ancillary benefit of being generally insect repellant as well.

Did not help with a brief rodent invasion and they feasted on the roots of my English Ivy for a brief time a few years back.

That Ivy survived for years before the great freezing adventure that was last winter. I had to start over.

quote:

Originally posted by Aeteocles:
Clever.

Doesn't the standing water act as a breeding location for mosquito?

For our potted plants, I just drop a Y-valve onto the garden spigot with a drip irrigation timer and just run the drip hose out to the plants.

The standing water is enclosed in the containers with only a 3/8 inch hole for overflow and the fill pipe, so far the mosquitos have never been found in one and I have had and used some of these pots for about ten years. Just to be sure, some people put something in the holes of their pots like a bit of plastic scrubby or such, mosquitoes aren't to bad here and haven't been an issue. I do put a critter safe donut thing in my bird bath like tatortodd posted, I could add it to the flower pots. I may run a tube from the overflow holes down to the ground as well.

I do have drip irrigation in the bed between the sidewalk and house (220 sq feet) and to some hanging ferns and am adding some now around the pool deck. That takes a lot of water and I am thinking I may add a rainwater tank to replace that.

I also have drip irrigation run to my bird bath to keep it full... That was a stroke of genius as well!

The 6 pots this feeds hols about 25 to 30 gallons and they used that much up in 6 to 7 days in hot weather so I'm using FREE water, saving almost 100 gallons a month in the hottest weather and when the plants are large and transpire a lot. Plus it is chemical free water, unlike my treated public water source so perhaps better for the plants.

The only issue I have seen so far is the clear tubing exposed to the sun, lets algae grow in it. Replacing it with black, or painting it, will stop that.

Also, if need be I can flush the main line with city water pressure if it ever clogs.

Pay off for the materials via the water saved is about 10 months. Thats 10 hot summer months so possibly a couple years in practice.

quote:

Originally posted by 83v45magna:
We usually mix Neem powder into our potting soil to keep away fungal growth but it has an ancillary benefit of being generally insect repellant as well.

Did not help with a brief rodent invasion and they feasted on the roots of my English Ivy for a brief time a few years back.

That Ivy survived for years before the great freezing adventure that was last winter. I had to start over.

Have to remember that trick, I bet those were some sick rodent though, that neem oil is nasty stuff!