Plant Irrigation Indoors: Set Up A System For Watering Houseplants

Setting up an indoor watering system doesn’t have to be complicated and is so worthwhile when you’re finished. Plant irrigation indoors saves time that you can devote to other areas of your plant’s needs. It also allows plants to get watered when you’re away from home.

Indoor Plant Watering Devices

There are a few indoor plant watering systems that you can purchase and put together, including smart irrigation systems. There are also self-watering stakes and self-watering containers. These are ready to use straight from the box.

We’ve likely all seen the bulbs that are used to water our plants. Some are plastic and some are glass. These are attractive, inexpensive, and easy to use but the capabilities are limited. You might use them if you just need to water your plants for a few days at a time.

Numerous DIY watering devices are discussed on blogs online. Some are as simple as an upside-down water bottle. Most, however, tend to drench the plant and don’t allow much control of the amount of water you’re providing.

Indoor Drip Plant Watering System

If you want an automatic houseplant system for watering houseplants that works for the entire season, such as in a greenhouse where you’re growing multiple plants, you can use a drip system on a timer. Drip watering is better for the plants in many situations and less likely to spread diseases.

The setup is not so simple as some already discussed, but not difficult. You’ll need to invest a little more but purchasing a system kit ensures you have all the materials. Purchase the entire system together instead of buying it piece by piece. They include tubing, fittings to keep tubing in the proper place, emitter heads, and a timer.

The installation process begins at the water source. If a water softener is installed, hook up in a way to bypass it, usually by installing an additional hose bib. The salts used in the water softener are toxic to plants.

Install a backflow preventer in this situation. This keeps water that carries fertilizer from flowing back into your clean water. Hook up the filter assembly along with the backflow preventer. Insert the timer, then the hose thread to pipe thread adapter. There may also be a pressure reducer for your water source. For this system, you’ll need to look at the plant’s setup and determine how much tubing is needed.