Water Saving Garden Tips
Water Saving Garden Tips
Rain barrels and water conserving irrigation methods for an organic and eco-friendly garden inside and out!.
Due to the persistent drought conditions in Atlanta's history, we have experienced watering bans, causing many urban gardeners to forgo their summertime passion of growing tomatoes and other vegetables. During the most recent ban, Atlantis Hydroponics®' owner Steve Sevener decided to put his hydroponic knowledge to use in his own front yard, building a garden of tomatoes watered entirely by a recirculating hydroponic drip system fueled with water collected in rain barrels! Three rain barrels on each side of his house provide up to 300 gallons of rainwater collected from the gutters. This rainwater is free, not affected by the watering ban, and is efficiently conserved through the use of a recirculating system made possible by pumps.
For purposes of comparing different techniques in his urban gardening experiment, Steve ensured that each side operates independently from the other. Here's how the hydroponic gardener designed and built his garden. Get creative and build your own urban oasis! Learn more about how this was done using Exteriorscaping.
Interiorscaping also called hydroculture, is a form of hydroponics that delivers the nutrient solution passively. The plant's roots sit in an inert media called grow rocks, hydroton, or diatomite. These porous rocks do not deliver any nutrients, rather they hold the plant in place to allow the water-nutrient solution to pass easily through them and feed the roots. Traditional potted plants sit in soil, so the roots are actively searching for nutrients from the dirt. In hydroculture, the nutrients are being directly feed to the roots, allowing the plant to spend its energy on growth.
Wouldn't you love it if your plants could tell you exactly what they need? Interiorscaping makes that possible! The plant and grow rocks sit inside a liner, which sit inside an outer decorative pot filled with water and hydroponic nutrients. A water level indicator pokes out of the surface of the rocks, letting you know when it is empty. No under-watering or over-fertilizing, resulting in a perfectly happy, soiless plant that is never thirsty!
Click here for more information on Interiorscaping