Gravity Watering - The best low pressure, passive irrigation system? Thirsty Earth

[@GimmeADream]

Thanks for the link and the tips on how to use the system.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

You bet. ✌️

[@gowsraouf2760]

simple + less moving parts +no planned obsolescence = perfect

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Keep it simple stupid. Low tech is my favourite.

[@brianreynolds5028]

Just bought it...... We will see how well it works. Thanks for the vid

[@DanaMite]

Love it. Appreciate you informing us greenhouse gardeners about this sweet set up. Gonna have to check it out, cuz I hate dealing with timers.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

The more passive you can get something, the better. ✌️

[@kinglowe6109]

very cool looking system! still waiting for the ralph shirts lol

[@jackieow]

This works for a small number of square feet where you are willing to put in lots of time and money per greenhouse unit of space. Cheaper and easier is drip irrigation, where there is a main flexible plastic hose line on the surface with some pressure (pump or gravity, your choice) and the water goes from there (via little holes) sideways through the hose wall partition into a parallel attached lower pressure hose from which the water trickles to the plants. So internal holes step the pressure down from the main line to the parallel attached emitter line, and a second set of external holes from the lower pressure line trickles water out to water the plants. It costs less per square foot and is less feast-and-famine over the territory, since with the clay pots it's a lot wetter close to the pot than it is further away. Easy to pull up the drip irrigation lines and roll them on a spool, dig up your garden without plumbing in the way, and re-use the cheapie but effective watering system over and over later on. If there's a timer on it you can still be off fishing for a week and have no problems. You can have a higher pressure system without an integral pump if somewhere in the network of piping you put a vertical standpipe say 10 feet high, and make sure it is topped off. You just make the standpipe as high as you need the pressure to be, and if it is being fed by rainwater then the sky's the limit. Every 2.31 feet the pipe goes higher, you gain one psi. or 0.432 psi per vertical foot of water.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Great stuff. Thanks for that. 🙏✌️🙂

[@jackieow]

If you have a system involving PVC pipes and want to know what the water level is, or whether they are clogged up, you can use transparent PVC available by special order. PVC is naturally transparent, but dyed white to keep algae from growing inside water lines. So, for a high stand pipe that you want to make sure has enough water, why use a ladder and maybe break your neck? Topped off with clear PVC you can always tell how full it is from the ground.

[@damienbender213]

👎

[@patricklyons7683]

I live in Warwickshire UK & it's a hard water area, so l use distiller's to create pure water. Which no one should live on because it has no minerals, which would draw vital minerals from your body. However for tea & coffee l prefer it,...slowly l get too the point. Minerals will eventually block the filter & require either cooking the terracotta filters clear or chemical treatment them. I still like the concept Dean! A clay lined growing bed for certain plants would help stop water draining away as you no doubt know.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Good points. Hard water would even be a problem with drip irrigation over time. Darn calcium. ✌️

[@mjbates]

Awesome! Thanks for sharing! I'll definitely pick up some of these because I'm going to plant some fruiting trees this year. I use a similar system for our potted Bougainvillea because they're so easy to accidentally overwater. Ours look like a hollow terracotta spike with a water globe that fits on top. It's a super simple system, but it's been working great for years!

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Sweet. This is kinda nice because you can plumb them together with just the one reservoir to make sure is full. 👍✌️

[@abefehr6155]

That's awesome idea I shared it with my family and friends

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Appreciate it. It’s a neat idea for sure.

[@abefehr6155]

@@ArkopiaKZbin hey where can I order one of those Jase medical kit?

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

@@abefehr6155 Right from Jase I believe still: www.jasemedical.com/?rfsn=6472157.fde5b1a

[@abefehr6155]

@@ArkopiaKZbin thank you sir and have a great weekend God bless you and you're family peace be with you all

[@jon_raymond]

Interesting idea. Might think about putting together a similar system using terracotta pots from the dollar store and some 3d printed parts.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

That would be cool. ✌️

[@ChristianBaril]

Lol Guess im not the only one who thought of this hahaha Seen this COMMENT AFTER i posted mine!

[@daviedodds3050]

Good stuff m8! As my wee homesteaders garden is up & running, this is an area that I could improve upon. Save myself a bunch of time by automating feeding & watering. 👍

[@Lon1001]

Look forward to the 6 month review on these, I feel like they won't deliver enough water to the soil, but perhaps they work better than I imagine

[@mirkopg69]

In my cottage in Italy we do the same concept but not terracotta pods just few Mt high and gravity make the rest, we just collect rain water because the well is drained from last 10 years after the last stronger heartquake and we used 19 water tanks like yours 👍👋

[@acanadianineurope814]

How is it possible to have acreage in Sask and not have a well ? Or even better, how is it the gooberment can tell you that you can't 'have' a well ?

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Many “acreages” have many rules, including no wells at some. This is why I advocate people get enough land for agriculture zoning, and never buy in a subdivision. Even if it’s 5 or 10 acres; still government rules.

[@davidking3699]

Interesting... I wonder if over a few years of growth, would bigger plants seek out the water source and these become root bound...? like when trees break into underground pipes and such... Be great to see a longer term experience video... but certainly a great solution for the smaller plants - esp. those that are sensitive to being overwatered... One of the problems we get here in Australia with drippers and such is that ants get into them, and the nozzles get clogged... These look fully sealed from such a problem...

[@chrisgibson9629]

Great video, full of info

[@eliinthewolverinestate6729]

Doing the earth ship planter to reuse the gray water. Hoping to run it by gravity, unless pumping it for toilet. I gotta figure out cistern and keep it from freezing. I have flowing point well, but cottage build site is up on ridge. I use a gas water pump to get water on the ridge. This is till I can afford a real well.

[@KazeOfKami]

These are a sweet idea, especially for my small gardens around my house. My only gripe would be it seems like you could DIY this for much much cheaper than what their site costs. A 5 gallon bucket, a few 3/8 inch hosing with some fittings and cheap terracotta vessels and you're done. Since you don't have any affiliate with them, perhaps you could make a DIY version in the next video. 😊

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Ya. It’s just getting the proper sealed up top for the terra-cotta pots, and all the fittings to it all. That would be cool if the thirsty earth sold the tops for standard pot sizes or something. It’s a pretty cool idea anyways. ✌️

[@Kharnage1974]

Gimmick product with no real benefit to your garden, they water via capillary thru the pores in the clay pot. the water is restricted to a very localized area around the pot. Better off using more traditional watering methods.

[@YouTube_can_ESAD]

@@Kharnage1974 You’re not that bright are you? So close, yet so far… 😂👉🏼🤡

[@primordial_platypus]

Is the terracotta they use any different from common garden pots? Seems like they might have a slightly more porous mix.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

These seem different that a cheap dollar store one for sure.

[@markneuman2070]

Would work good for Johnson-Su compost method.

[@cosmicbeer]

In your opinion, what are the main reasons that this system might not be suitable on a commercial scale?

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

Cost, and it’s easy to install a really long drip line for large scale things.

[@patrickbos825]

That will work perfect by my orange,l lemon and grapefruit trees. As soon as you get that figured maybe you'll be able to come for a visit.😊

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

It’s a pretty cool watering idea. Was thinking even if I do a drip system I can even plumb some of these into some areas. I’ll come visit at some point for sure buddy. ✌️

[@patrickbos825]

@@ArkopiaKZbin that was my thought as well

[@dlk3265lal]

I can't find a review of this system. Does this work well? I'm a small home gardener looking for something that will work as we will be going on vacation for a week in June.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

It does work well, yes. My set up is just too big, but my experiments and tests worked great.

[@hollywinslow4216]

I've been using these in my garden for the last 5 months and so far my tomatoes, spinach and arugula love them!

[@primordial_platypus]

Couldn’t you do away with the 5 gal pails and just plumb it all to your large raised reservoirs?

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

I understand it might be too much pressure. It wants just low pressure gravity; just enough to always keep water in them without forcing water in them, is how I understand anyway.

[@jessicas4295]

Update on the thirsty Earth?

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

It is working very good, but we ended up going with a whole greenhouse drip system powered by a pump, strictly because it’s such a huge area. I have the thirsty earth hooked into some potted plants that are not on the main drip, and it’s working great. 🙂✌️

[@Eli20069]

Oh, the govy didn’t visit you yet?😆

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

For rain water? Maybe gov will want me to add an additional step and let the ground collect the rain water, then use a fuel to pump it back. To “help” 😂

[@Eli20069]

@@ArkopiaKZbin no, about you’re greenhouse! Loll

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

@@Eli20069 I’ve paid $75,000 over the past 9 years in subdivision fees, taxes, house permits, for absolutely zero services (other than road grading). So far they haven’t come for more extortion from me…. yet. 🤪

[@NoName-jg3vz]

they seem a tad $$$$$

[@Kharnage1974]

good job deleting comments.

[@ArkopiaYouTube]

I never delete comments. Ever!

[@kimaschenbrenner7483]

Looks great, good idea