Here in Sydney, (plus most of NSW and indeed almost all of Aus) we are in drought, so I have been spending some of my time working out ways to maximise our water use. One way I have come up with allows us to use greywater from the house to deep water out perennials, working with our previously installed low tech, low cost but highly efficient deep pipe waterers. Information on how to make and install deep pipe waterers is available elsewhere on this site and also on our YouTube channel.
Our problem, as I see it, is that if we gather water from the bathroom, laundry or kitchen, say if we wash and peel veg into a bucket, or use a bucket to catch the water coming from the tap before it flows hot, or whatever, to apply the water to the garden, we toss it onto the well mulched soil surface. As with any watering of the soil surface, it may or may not make it through the mulch, some will be lost to evaporation and what does make it into the soil will encourage surface root development rather than deeper roots, which makes the plants more susceptible to droughts.
What I wanted to do was to come up with a way to easily (gotta be easy or it won’t happen!) pour the water deep into the soil without meaning we have to stand around for 15 minutes pouring while the water soaks slowly into the soil. If it uses (for us) existing infrastructure, is quick simple and cheap to make, from parts which are readily available, so much the better!
The answer, it turns out, is the 'deep pipe reservoir'or DPR. (if you can think of a sexier, more catchy name, please let me know).
The DPR consists of three parts mainly –
1. a 100mm x 50mm PVC taper level invert,
2. a 1 metre length of 100mm diameter PVC pipe, and
3. a 100mm PVC straight coupling to keep them both together.
Total cost for the setup is a bit over $25.
Add in a bit of blue glue to hold it together and a bit of shade cloth or equivalent mesh and a 105 – 127mm hose clamp (at $3.45). Admittedly, if you do not intend to put any water into the DPR which has solids which may clog the holes in the Deep Pipe waterer, such as veggie peelings or food residue from plates rinsed, the shade cloth and clamp and not required.
The manufacturing is easy as possible, apply some PVC pipe glue to the outside of the taper level invert and the inside of the straight coupling, then insert the taper level invert into the straight coupling and hold it in place for a few seconds, then repeat the process with the 100mm PVC pipe, inserting it into the other side of the coupling. Cut a piece of 120mm square gauze or shade cloth (if used), place it over the top open end of the 100mm PVC pipe and secure with the hose clamp.
To use just remove the mesh and C-clip securing it from the top of the deep pipe waterer and slide the open end of the DPR over the now open end of the deep pipe waterer. Now that it is installed, water can be poured from a bucket or whatever container is in use, through the top mesh, filling the inside of the DPR. Then it is just a case of allowing the water to drain into the deep pipe waterer, thereby providing irrigation for the chosen plant. The DPR may be left in place for subsequent watering of the same plant, or transferred to another plant which requires irrigation.
The DPR is light, strong, cheap to make and easy to use. If you have deep pipe waterers in place, make one today, if you don’t, start making and installing them today, don’t you know we are in drought?
