I don’t have much trouble getting my adult children to take care of our dog and cats when we go away for a few days. They balk at taking care of my plants. “Make me a detailed list of what to water,” they say. I reply, “I can’t do that. Just walk around and water the ones that need it.” Rather than dealing with the kids, and I include my husband here, I sometimes set up an elaborate drip system on a timer. This time I just put the containers in the shade garden, and put a sprinkler on a timer. Hope I don’t lose too many.
Orbit timer with 2 9V batteries has worked flawlessly for years. Backflow, pressure regulator, and hose complete the arrangement.
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Timer is set and ready to test.
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| From Wild Suburbia |
Plants are arranged by water needs. All ready to go!
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| From Wild Suburbia |
I haven't used this particular time, but did work with another hose timer that was used as a drip system for potted plants. It made watering easier for sure, though getting the right timing was tricky since it wasn't at my house where I could monitor how long the cycles needed to run. But it's great to know that your plants will probably still be there when you return home.
Hi James. Yes this worked out well, especially for the water-loving herbs. I seem to have lost a Salvia clevelandii that was out of reach of the spray. Not a bad record.