Hydromatic Container Gardening

For those of you familiar with potting mix or soil based container gardening, we know that due to the high surface area of the container and wasteful drainage, water retention can be an issue especially in drier climates. Introducing Hydromatic Container Gardening to solve the problem of keeping your precious plants sufficiently watered.

The containers themselves are divided into two distinct sections, the top layer which contains the growing substrate such as potting mix or soil, and the bottom section containing a reservoir to contain excess run off from rain or regular watering.

The reservoir is made from plastic and has an overflow outlet and 'sump' plug. The barrier between the substrate section and the reservoir has necessary drainage holes to ensure the roots of the plants are not saturated and allows the excess water to drain into the water reservoir. The barrier also includes a hydrophilic 'wick' perhaps made from a fibreglass-like insulation material, to allow the reservoir to feed the roots of the plants as they transpire.

In the case of dry weather or neglecting to water your plants, the dry soil and the 'suction' of the roots allows the wick to facilitate the flow of the water from the reservoir into the substrate. As the system tries to equalize - as the dry substrate becomes wetter due to the osmotic action of the wick - the soil eventually reaches a natural equilibrium and the purpose of the water reservoir is realized.

In dry climates, or those experiencing a drought, one can relax as we know our plants will sap up the water from the reservoir and stay healthy.

This Hydromatic Plant Grower system basically creates an artificial water table inside the container. To prevent algal, fungal or stagnant water a combination of a small copper button (anti-algal/bacterial prophylactic measure) and a solar powered electrolysis mechanism ensure that the water does not harbour plant pathogens.

To prevent soil and capillary roots from blocking the drainage holes at the bottom of the growing substrate section, a metallic razor sharp alloy ring cap around the drainage holes slows the decent of the roots strait into the reservoir. Additionally perhaps a plant hormone (that inhibits growth) embedded plastic can repel the roots from reaching the reservoir directly.

With the Hydromatic Plant Grower one must take care not to over-feed the the plants, since extra nutrients will accumulate in the reservoir and possibly cause a toxicity problem. Should this happen the reservoir should be drained completely and filled with clean fresh water.

Using this system we can grow plants in containers that are much more water efficient than existing systems by reducing losses via drainage and also accumulating water excesses. The downside is that this product will be much heavier than a 'normal' ceramic or plastic container and therefore may not be suitable for some situations in high rise apartment buildings etc.