Callum Morrison is a Finalist for the Regional Achievement and Community Award.
Callum has been working on the Waminda House Community Garden in Benalla, Victoria and started out with the Potbot, now updated to the Dirt Bottle Irrigation. The garden has overgrown during a cold winter but should be re-started again soon.
Since writing the previous article on Potbot irrigation,
Here is an update.
It appears also that the dirt I used in the bottle was soil with seeds. When it started raining here enough to stop watering, I no-longer flooded the bottle and a few weeks later I noticed little sprouts in my bottle – it had become a terrarium ! Easy to shake up the bottle if blocking with roots became a problem. Maybe they will need to be covered in paper, mulch or in the soil with an snorkel extending up to let air out and water out to indicate it is not blocked and has filled.
I have also come up with a another version that just uses inverted bottles in place of the pots that would be even cheaper and more practical.
The inverted bottles would need a vent hole in the top as extra storage for the dripper dirt bottles each time watering batch is released from the tank.
Mosquitoes have not been a problem but grass when brush cutting and leaves caused occasional tube blockage issues so inverted bottles in place of pots might be an improvement. More photos and diagrams soon and how this irrigation system is the start of something much bigger.
Please click this link Dirt Bottle Irrigation for a powerpoint animation that demonstrates how rain amplification can occur.
Note:
– These articles contain research ideas and our local experience. Note that your circumstances, site risks, local public health issues with water quality and mosquito control issues may be very different. Check with local authorities if you are unsure and make the appropriate adjustments or take appropriate precautions to protect yourself and others from these local risks.
