How to water cucumbers outdoors. How to organize underground watering in a greenhouse using dug plastic bottles? Drip irrigation from cucumber bottles

Watering is an essential part of caring for any crop. We can say that without regular irrigation, not a single vegetable will grow, and if it does, it will not please the gardener with a bountiful harvest. Unfortunately, you cannot limit yourself to simple watering from a watering can or a bucket, because each plant has its own requirements. For example, cucumbers are prone to drip irrigation. You can establish such a system by creating a clever design with your own hands from improvised means.

Device and principle of operation

Drip irrigation is responsible for the timely irrigation of plantings when using containers in which water can accumulate, for example, from plastic bottles. It allows fluid to be directed to each sprout, reaching the root zone. Plastic bottles create a direct interaction between water and earth. When the bottle is in the soil, the following process occurs: water seeps through the hole, the earth gets wet and plugs it. When the soil dries up, the hole opens and moisture flows into it again. Natural regulation takes place.

This method is very suitable for cucumbers, because this culture requires large volumes of heated liquid. Sometimes the water consumption even reaches 5 liters per square meter of the garden. With the help of a drip device, watering crops becomes very convenient. It turns out to avoid excessive irrigation, which further leads to decay and the appearance of fungal diseases. Although there are a number of pre-built systems available in stores for this procedure, it is quite possible to make a device yourself, saving money and installation time.

Pros and cons of the fixture

Drip irrigation from plastic bottles has many benefits. The use of the device allows you to significantly save water, which is much more wasted in the case of a hose or watering can. Watering does not require significant time, because the system is able to work autonomously.

Often the garden bed remains on its own while the owners leave for the city, but the plantings do not fill up and do not dry out. Drip irrigation is used everywhere: both in a polycarbonate greenhouse and in open ground of any composition. Plastic bottles are an affordable and cheap material that does not require any additional costs.

The process itself is very efficient. Warm moisture, which had time to warm up in the sun, gets exactly where it needs to - to the root system, and then evaporates very slowly. Fertilizers are also directed to a specific area. A hard crust does not appear around the sprout, and the top layer does not break and remains intact. In addition, there is no need to additionally loosen the soil. It is believed that weeds are extremely unlikely in such an area.

Unfortunately, the plastic system also has certain disadvantages. The holes are often clogged, although this moment can be adjusted by using old nylon tights. The volume of liquid will be limited - as much as fits in the container, and it will not be enough for a large area. In general, the larger the area of the cucumber plantings, the more inconvenient the use of bottle designs - too many of them will be required, and the appearance of the garden will suffer.

On very hot days, some of the moisture will not reach the roots, evaporating along the way. In addition, the system will not be able to participate in heavy soils, since the bottles will often start to get dirty.

Manufacturing methods

There are a number of possibilities to install a dropper with your own hands. Some of them are suitable for both open and closed ground, and some can only be used under certain conditions.

In the greenhouse

In the greenhouse, a variety such as overhead drip irrigation is often installed. Parallel to the cucumber rows, a structure is made of planks and wire. The bottom of the bottles is cut off, they are suspended with the neck down by piercing from both sides. A hole should also be cut in the cover. The amount of water used for irrigation will depend on the number of punctures. It is necessary to mount the structure carefully, because if water gets on the leaves illuminated by sunlight, burns are likely.

The height of the structure varies from 30 to 50 centimeters, and the length depends on the length of the bed itself.

In the open field

If you put the bottle upside down, you get a universal system. A plastic bottle is taken, in which, with the help of an awl, holes are to be made in certain places. They begin at a height of 3 centimeters from the bottom, and end where the narrowing begins. Usually about 10 holes are punched, but this number usually depends on the structure of the earth and the volume of the container itself. After that, a hole is dug near the cucumber bush.

The bottle must be placed in it so that only the neck remains above the ground - the upper conical part, in which there are no longer any holes. Before instillation, the container is wrapped with a cloth. Then it settles in the hole, is gently filled with water, and the lid is filled.

If there is a possibility of the bottle being squeezed by the ground, piercing the cap can fix the problem. It is also important to fill the container with liquid on time.

Homemade drip tip top-down is even easier. The bottom of the bottle is cut off and the lid is tightly screwed on. Holes should be punched out around the container. The bottle is buried so that the planting is adjacent to it, but the roots were not injured - an interval of about 15 centimeters should be maintained. You can wrap the top with gauze to prevent debris from entering. This method is also universal.

The next type of watering is called root watering. To create the system, small bottles are taken, the volume of which does not exceed 1.5 liters, and the caps are pierced through them. Gauze or a piece of nylon fabric is pulled between the lid and the neck, then everything is tightly twisted. After that, the container is placed at a slight slope, and you should try to bury the neck as close to the root system as possible. The bottom should also be slanted.

Instead of covers, you can also buy special attachments that simplify the installation process.

There is another unusual way to create an artificial dropper. Take the refill of the finished ballpoint pen, rinse it with solvent to remove all ink residues, and close it on one side, for example, with a piece of a wooden stick. Somewhere at a distance of 5 millimeters from the end of the rod, a puncture is made with an awl - usually half the diameter of the rod. The bottle is set either on the bottom or with a sealed neck in the ground. In the second case, the bottom must be cut off.

When the bottle is at the bottom, a cut is made at a height of 15 or 20 centimeters from the bottom, where the rod is inserted. If the bottle is buried with the neck down, then the hole will be located in the area of narrowing of the neck, and the rod is again fixed there. The containers are filled with water and then placed next to the plantings. It is important to close the lid tightly so that the water does not evaporate quickly. It is very convenient that such a structure can be moved and water the bushes in turn.

How to setup?

The system will work effectively if the containers are sized correctly from the outset. According to gardeners, one liter of water can irrigate plantings for five days, three liters for ten days, and 6 liters for two whole weeks. Therefore, it is better to use voluminous containers, especially if you have to leave the summer cottage for a long time. Ideally, the volume of the bottles should be 2 liters, if necessary - 5 liters.

The holes should be made very small so that their diameter ranges from 1 to 1.5 millimeters. Otherwise, the water will start to drain too quickly.

The number of punctures and the size of the bottle also depends on the condition of the soil. When watering cucumber plantings, you will have to withstand the temperature regime, because temperatures below ambient temperature can cause irreparable harm. The optimal heat of water varies from +18 to +20 degrees in the case of open ground and from +20 to +25 degrees in the case of a greenhouse. If the heat comes, reaching +30 degrees, then the water should be brought to +25 degrees. Ideally, naturally heated settled liquid should be used.

Irrigation intensity is determined by the number of holes and their diameter, so it is very easy to adjust. All this is selected individually depending on the needs of the plant. In principle, it is considered optimal when one drop of water flows out in a few minutes. According to experts, the watering rate in open beds reaches 4 or 5 liters of water per square meter of soil before the cucumbers bloom, and then from 10 to 12 liters per square meter during the formation of ovaries and ripening of fruits. In the case of drip irrigation, this volume is reduced to 80%.

Additional protection from soil and other debris should always be provided. Bottles should be wrapped in burlap, nylon or some kind of non-woven material. Usually, one container is taken for each bush, but if the territory is small, then one container will be enough for three or four plantings. It would be nice to install drip irrigation even when the seeds are planted, which will eliminate the situation of damage to the roots. You should not bury the bottle too deeply, because the cucumber roots are located quite close to the surface.

For information on how to make drip irrigation from a plastic bottle, see the next video.

Proper watering of cucumbers is one of the important components that ensure the high-quality growth of vegetables, large-fruited and a bountiful harvest. Cucumber, as a true tropical inhabitant, simply adores high humidity, but only in combination with stable warm air. When it is cold and cloudy outside, often the plant practically does not need watering. The roots absorb soil moisture very poorly and, if there is an excess of it, they immediately begin to rot. In this case, the death of the bush is considered almost the norm, which is extremely difficult to avoid.

How to properly water cucumbers outdoors? How often should you do this?

Cucumbers require different irrigation regimes at different stages of growth. Young shoots that have not yet passed into the flowering stage have enough moisture in a moderate amount. In the open ground in the beds, they are watered only as the top layer of the adjacent soil dries up (about once every 4-5 days). An excess amount of water during this period allows the plant to gain a thick green mass, but seriously inhibits the formation of flowers.

At the time of the formation of ovaries and during the period of intensive ripening of fruits, cucumbers growing both in open ground and in a greenhouse need abundant and frequent watering (approximately once every 2-3 days, depending on external weather conditions). Only warm, but not hot, water is used for humidification. In the daytime, plants are not watered, as this can provoke severe sunburn on leaves, stems and fruits. All water procedures are carried out in the evening, when the ambient conditions allow moisture to be absorbed evenly into the surface of the plants and into the adjacent soil. Water must be poured very carefully so that an overly hard jet does not damage the delicate root system and does not compact the topsoil too much.

So that the watering of cucumbers is carried out evenly and does not take a lot of time, some gardeners put a practical and convenient irrigation system on the plots, or organize drip irrigation using ordinary plastic bottles.

Why water cucumbers with yeast?

If you need to activate the growth of cucumber seedlings and make them stronger, more powerful and strong, edible compressed yeast is added to the water during watering. This solution stimulates the growth of cucumbers and provides the young shoots with the necessary vitality.

Watering cucumbers in a greenhouse: simple rules for getting a bountiful harvest

When watering cucumbers in a greenhouse, you need to make sure that the ground under young shoots is always moderately moist, but in no case wet. An excess of liquid is as dangerous as its lack and, as a rule, leads to a deterioration in the general condition of the plant, the loss of the first ovaries, deformation of the fruits and a general decrease in the level of yield.

The moisture content of the soil in the greenhouse should always be kept at approximately the same level. Gradually drying out and subsequent excessively abundant watering of cucumbers provoke the development of root rot and cracking of the root processes.

If the weather is record hot outside, you can water the vegetables daily. However, you should calculate the volume of water consumption and do not use more than 7.5 liters per 1 square meter. At the time of a cold snap and the onset of dampness, watering cucumbers should be sharply reduced and reduced to 1-2 water procedures within a week. You can choose the time for watering yourself. Agrarians consider both evening and daytime moisturizing procedures permissible and do not set any standards in this matter.

Drip watering cucumbers with bottles: do it yourself irrigation

When the heat is sweltering outside, gardeners have to spend a huge amount of time and a large amount of water on additional watering of cucumbers. These efforts and associated costs do not always pay off. To optimize costs and provide vegetable crops with the necessary life-giving moisture, many install an impromptu drip system for watering cucumbers on their sites, designed from the most common plastic bottles. It provides plants with sufficient moisture and can significantly reduce overall water consumption.

The most common ways of arranging drip irrigation with plastic bottles

Take a 2 liter plastic bottle. Puncture several neat holes with a sharp object in the walls at a distance of no more than 3 centimeters from the bottom. Their number is not standardized and is determined for each type of soil empirically. Bury the bottle treated in this way upside down to a depth of about 13-15 centimeters. Fill through the neck with water at room temperature as needed.
Prepare a 2 liter bottle in the same way as described above, however, make the holes closer to the neck. Cut off the bottom with a sharp knife or scissors. Screw the cap on the bottle and bury the neck down into the ground. To prevent water from evaporating, cover the cut with a plastic lid. If there are heavy clay soils on the site, you do not need to make holes in the bottle. It is enough just to tightly cover the neck with fine-porous foam rubber and bury it in this form. For light soils, this option is not suitable, since the water will literally instantly go into the soft soil.
For varieties with increased moisture requirements, you must take a 5 liter bottle. Small holes in it should be only on one side, but along the entire height. On the other side, you need to cut out a larger rectangular window through which water will subsequently be poured. Bury the bottle horizontally in the ground so that the small holes are at the bottom.
If you do not want to place the container in the ground, you can hang it directly above the borage. For this, the holes must be pierced in the lid itself, or in a circle around the neck. During the day, the water naturally warms up in the sun and falls on the cucumbers already warm, not cool.

Watering cucumbers is a serious process that requires responsibility and a careful approach. To properly organize it in a greenhouse or outdoors in a garden bed, you will have to spend time and make some effort.

If there are no funds for the installation of an industrial irrigation system, you can make convenient drip irrigation of cucumbers with your own hands using such inexpensive improvised material as plastic bottles. They will provide vegetables with the necessary moisture and will save both watering time and water.

Among the rules for watering cucumbers there are some norms that must be observed, regardless of where the vegetable grows - in a greenhouse or in a summer cottage. The most important are the following points:

you can't water the plants too often - I can rot the roots;
irrigation water should only be warm, not cold or hot;
in a particularly dry period, watering of cucumbers can be slightly increased, and on damp days - reduced to a minimum;
when watering, avoid erosion of the soil and exposing the roots - this leads to the death of the shoot.

In order for the seedlings to develop as needed, not to thin out in the stem and not to lose the ability to form ovaries, it is worth adding a natural organic product - pressed yeast to the irrigation water for cucumbers. They will provide the plant with the necessary energy and accelerate the process of fruit ripening.

Useful Tips

Many summer residents are trying to create drip irrigation, so they are trying to find out more about it, because by installing such irrigation, you can leave the entire system almost unattended.

The main plus of drip irrigation is that it works autonomously, and you do not need to stand with a hose or walk with a bucket full of water to water the seedlings.

However, it is worth noting that ready-made drip irrigation, which is fed from the water supply system, is very expensive.

A good and inexpensive alternative to ready-made irrigation is drip irrigation fromplastic bottle ... This option cannot be called completely autonomous, since you will have to add liquid to the bottles.

The benefits of drip irrigation

With all this, the creator of such irrigation will still have time for other activities.

Several important advantages of drip irrigation:

1. No need to purchase material - everyone has plastic bottles.

2. Such watering is easy to manufacture, even for inexperienced summer residents.

3. Drip irrigation saves time and effort.

4. This irrigation is easy to use - just go to the bottle and refill the liquid.

5. The root system develops due to the fact that all moisture goes under the top layer of the soil, thereby nourishing only the roots, without spilling over unnecessary territory. It also strengthens the roots of the plants.

6. Water consumption is much less and swamps are not formed.

7. The excess surface remains dry, which means that there are no conditions for the growth of weeds.

Read also:Crafts for the garden and vegetable garden

Simple do-it-yourself drip irrigation

As already mentioned, this type of watering not only costs almost nothing, but it is also very simple to do it.

1. Prepare several plastic bottles and make holes in the bottom of each bottle to allow water to seep out.

* The volume of the bottle depends on the area of the site. The minimum volume is 1.5 liters.

2. Bury the bottles in the ground at a distance of 1 meter from each other.

3. Now just fill the bottles with water.

* Watering speed directly depends on the diameter of the holes in the bottles.

* Experts advise making sure that water flows into the ground slowly.

* If desired, you can dilute compost tea in water - it is believed that the water will become more useful.

DIY watering and a flower bed from plastic bottles (step by step instructions)

In this design, you can grow vegetables or herbs at home.

You will need:

Thick thread

Screwdriver

Hammer

Stationery knife.

1. Cut the plastic bottle in half.

2. Use a screwdriver to make a hole in the cover.

3. Cut a piece of thread 3 to 3.5 cm long, fold it in half and tie a knot at one end.

4. Thread the thread through the hole in the cover so that the knot is on the inside of the cover. On this thread, water will descend directly into the ground, giving the earth as much water as it needs.

5. Screw the cap back on and insert the top of the plastic bottle into the bottom, neck down.

* Keep track of the amount of water and refill the container if necessary. However, first pour water on the ground and only then use the structure from the top of the bottle for watering.

Read also:15 original and useful crafts from plastic bottles

Do-it-yourself watering at home (video instruction)

DIY watering from a plastic bottle

DIY irrigation system for summer cottages

You will need:

2 liter plastic bottles

Screwdriver

Stationery knife.

1. Take a utility knife and make 2 cuts with it at the base and 2 more cuts in the middle of the plastic bottle.

2. Use a screwdriver or awl to make 2 holes at the bottom of the bottle.

3. Check how much water is pouring out of the bottle. Ideally, it should drip.

4. Make a small hole in the ground to hold the bottle.

5. Pour into a bottle of water.

How to do watering with your own hands

You will need:

1.5 liter plastic bottle

Screwdriver or awl

FUM tape

1.Use an awl to make holes on the side of the bottle. To make the process easier, heat the awl - it will more easily penetrate the bottle.

2. Insert the watering hose into the bottle. However, you should first wrap the end of the hose with FUM tape, thereby ensuring a tight connection between the bottle and the hose.

3. Use a hose clamp to tighten the neck of the sprinkler assembly.

* You can create vertical irrigation. You will need a small post inserted into the ground. Attach the hose to this post.

4. You can improve the design with ordinary plastic handles. Use a 3L plastic bottle. Make holes in it slightly smaller than the diameter of the fountain pen. Disassemble the handles and insert the top half of each handle into the holes.

If necessary, seal the structure with FUM tape.

Make a hole in the cover and insert the hose adapter into it. It is advisable to treat this adapter with silicone glue to make it more tight. This design will provide water to a large area of your garden and / or vegetable garden.

DIY drip irrigation from plastic bottles

This drip irrigation is best for plants with a small root system. It will not be able to feed long roots, but is great for watering shallow roots.

You will need:

Plastic bottle with lid (1.5 - 2 L)

Awl, small nail with a hammer or screwdriver

Office knife or scissors.

1. Make several holes in the plastic bottle cap. This can be done with an awl or screwdriver. It is advisable to preheat the instrument.

2. Make a small hole next to the plants. It should be deep enough to fit 1/3 of a 1.5-2 liter plastic bottle.

3.Use a utility knife or scissors to cut the bottom of the bottle.

4. Insert the bottle into the hole with the neck down. Secure the bottle in place with earth. Place a few stones around the bottle to prevent dirt from getting inside.

5. Fill the bottle with water.

Make a few more similar designs for the rest of the plants.

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation for summer cottages

You will need:

Plastic bottle with cap

Stationery knife or scissors

Awl, screwdriver or small nail with a hammer

Thin fabric (cotton) or old nylon tights (to create a filter).

A cloth filter is needed so that soil particles or small debris do not clog the watering.

The size of the bottle depends on the size of the plant you are preparing to water for. For example, for one plant, a small bottle with one hole on one side is sufficient.

1. Make holes all over the plastic bottle. At the same time, leave a little more than 2 cm to the bottom of the bottle. You also do not need to make holes in the cap. A 2 liter bottle should contain about 10 holes.

2. Make a hole next to the plant. Its size should be equal to the size of the bottle.

3. Bury the bottle, leaving the neck on the surface.

4. Fasten the nylon stocking on the neck.

* The bottle can be closed with a lid, or left without a lid. The only difference is in the rate of evaporation of water from the container.

Now just refill the bottle with water as needed.

DIY hanging drip irrigation from bottles

This watering is more suitable for short plants, including cucumbers or herbs. To make it, you need to make a frame in the form of the letter P or G.

1. Bury the posts in the ground at both ends of the garden and attach a long stick to them, which should be parallel to the garden bed. The height should be such that the neck of the hanging bottle is about 50 cm from the ground.

* Bottle length - no more than 40 cm.

* The number of plastic bottles depends on the number of plants.

2. Use an awl or screwdriver to make several holes in the bottom of the bottle. Also make holes in the lid (the number depends on how much you want to water the plant).

3. Cut off the bottom of the plastic bottle, and next to the cut edges make holes through which you need to push a wire or strong rope and hang it with the neck down to the frame.

* Water drops from the bottle should not fall directly on the plant, but between adjacent bushes.

* Now it remains only to add water as needed.

How to make drip irrigation from a plastic bottle for summer cottages

Cucumbers are a moisture-loving culture, without timely watering you will not get a good harvest. The fruits, if they are born, will be bitter, tasteless, what if there is always no opportunity to be at the summer cottage? Do-it-yourself drip irrigation of cucumbers using plastic bottles is a good solution to the problem, both for the greenhouse and in the open field. In a dry summer, he is a real salvation for summer residents, if there is no time to visit the garden regularly.

Watering cucumbers with bottles is very convenient

What is the advantage

Drip irrigation using plastic bottles has a number of advantages:

the material is available, the organization of the system costs practically nothing;
the procedure is so simple that anyone can cope with the task with their own hands;
significant savings not only in money, but in effort and time, because filling the bottles with water is easy;
you can safely leave the site for the city without worrying that the land in the greenhouse will dry out and the seedlings will die;
the plant receives moisture directly to the roots;
water flows evenly and dosed, the roots are not washed away by a strong stream of water;
drip irrigation in the greenhouse is especially good: thanks to this method, the surface of the earth remains dry, which makes it impossible for weed seeds to germinate, it does not compact, if it is covered with a layer of mulch, then it is not required to loosen it;
there is also less evaporation, this prevents dampness and disease from developing in the greenhouse;
when there is no central water supply at the site, this significantly saves water resources;
if tap water is used, meters are installed in the house, this will not significantly affect payments;
the liquid in the bottles warms up, which is important for the growth of cucumbers, they are stressed and sick from cold water;
the system is easy to install, it is easy to replace damaged containers.

Watering intensity can be adjusted by making additional holes in the lid

Are there any disadvantages

Despite the positive qualities of the method, it also has disadvantages:

on a large area in the open ground with your own hands, such a system is difficult to organize, and it is impractical;
this type of moistening is more suitable for temporarily maintaining the required soil moisture in the greenhouse and in the open field, while the owner of the beds is absent, but they cannot replace high-quality full-fledged watering;
when used on heavy soils with a lot of clay, the holes are often clogged.

Types of watering from plastic bottles

Although the advantages of this type of irrigation are obvious, it is worth considering its capabilities in more detail, choosing the method that is most suitable for the situation, It should be taken into account what is acceptable for greenhouse conditions, which is better suited for open ground. Plastic containers can be:

dig into the ground to a shallow depth;
set close to bushes with cucumbers;
fix on suspended structures.

Varieties of drip irrigation with bottles: suspended, drip-in, standing, with a canister-dispenser, a bottle-dispenser and a dispenser-tube

Method 1

This type is suitable for open ground and greenhouses at the same time. To make a miniature irrigation system from a bottle with your own hands, you need:

Measuring 3 cm from the bottom of the bottle, heated to redness with a needle, or a thin nail, pierce the holes with an awl.
They are arranged in 3-4 rows, they can be placed in a checkerboard pattern. How many punctures to make will have to be determined independently, it depends on the type of soil: the denser it is, the more holes, but the exact number is determined over time. If the soil is too damp, the bottle is replaced with another one with fewer punctures.
Bottles are buried upside down between cucumber bushes.
It is allowed not to put on the lid, if there is a desire to leave it, it is necessary to make a hole in it, otherwise, after the bottle is empty, it will shrink and lose its shape.

Bottles are dug in between cucumber bushes

Method 2

The second method resembles the previous one, but in this situation, the bottom is removed:

Holes are made at the top of the container, close to the throat,
Punctures can be avoided, foam rubber is tightly inserted into the bottle neck, this option is acceptable for very heavy loams, in sandy open ground the liquid will seep almost instantly
The lid is twisted, the bottle is dropped with the neck down.
To prevent rapid evaporation of moisture, the cut-off bottom can be placed on top, it is more convenient to simply turn it over. Some advise not to cut it off completely, but pour the water, bending it a little.

Method 3

If there is often no opportunity to appear on the site, during periods of long absence, five liter plastic bottles are used:

holes in them are pierced on one side over the entire area of the container;
a hole is cut in the wall on the opposite side, sufficient for it to be convenient to pour water;
the bottle is buried in the supine position, with small holes downward.

In this case, the period of self-watering will stretch for several more days.

5-liter bottles will provide cucumbers with water for several days

Method 4

There is another option when the bottles are not placed in the soil, but suspended over the plant. The method is good for greenhouses:

the soil near the roots is not washed out;
the water in the container warms up well;
optimum humidity is created.

Here, holes are made in the lid itself or near the neck, you can not do them at all, you just need to adjust the cap so that the water flows out on its own in a small amount. After filling the container with water, it must be hung upside down. Watering will take place on its own.

But this method is more complicated due to the installation of supports with your own hands, and sometimes water gets on the leaves, which is undesirable. This can cause burns in sunny weather. To avoid this, the containers are suspended close to the ground.

In the open field, the bottles can be simply laid out on the beds, after having punctured the holes.

The irrigation structure can be made suspended

Secrets of preparing watering

The main secrets of watering preparation include:

Ordinary plastic bottles are suitable for watering directly into the ground, but it is important to organize the preparation process with your own hands correctly, for this you should know a few secrets:
For drip irrigation of cucumbers, two-liter bottles are best suited, sometimes you can use 5-liter containers.
Punctures in plastic must be made very small, the value should not exceed 1, maximum 1.5 mm, otherwise the water will go away too quickly.
To keep the soil out of the bottles, you can wrap them with non-woven fabric, burlap, or use unnecessary stockings.
How much plastic container you need for high-quality irrigation depends on the number of plants. Ideally, a bottle is taken for each bush, if there is not enough space, 1 container for 3 or 4 bushes is enough for cucumbers.
The frequency of visits to the site, weather conditions, and soil characteristics should also be taken into account. In the open ground, at the beginning of the growing season, 3 or 4 liters of liquid per week is enough for a bush, as soon as flowers appear and the first cucumbers have set, the rate increases to 6 liters. If the weather is hot, sometimes 12 liters are required at intervals of 3 days. During rain or cold snaps, the rates are reduced. In the greenhouse, the evaporation process is more intense, so a little more water is required.
The best time to install the system, the moment when the seeds are planted, then the roots will definitely not be damaged.
The containers are located at a distance of about 15 cm from the bush, the depth of its embedding should not exceed 10, maximum 15 cm. It should not be too deep, the roots of cucumbers are located close to the surface. The bottle can be placed straight, some use a slight tilt of 35-40 degrees.

Plastic bottles for drip irrigation are a good alternative for the gardener, it greatly facilitates his work, helps to preserve the soil near the roots.

Do-it-yourself drip irrigation is not only suitable for cucumbers, it can be used for eggplants, tomatoes, shrubs and flowers.

If you try, you can make an automatic watering system from bottles, organize a shower for plants.

When spring comes and the earth warms up, the time for the vegetable garden and garden begins. Summer residents and villagers take up the planting of various fruit crops. But for a good harvest, it is not enough just to plant and weed the plants, they need constant watering, especially when the weather is sunny and dry. One of the best watering options when there is not a lot of water or time each day is drip irrigation. This method has many advantages over traditional methods, but only a few disadvantages. So what is the essence of drip irrigation from a plastic bottle?

Drip irrigation is when water flows in even small portions directly to the roots of the plant if the irrigation device is in the ground, or next to the plant in a hole when it is on the surface. Water is received only by the cultivated plant itself, and not by the nearby growing weeds. There is no need to buy a drip irrigation device, you can make it yourself without any special costs. It is best to use a plastic bottle for this, such a device will last for several years with a careful attitude.

Pros and cons of drip irrigation

With this type of watering of the plant, significant water savings occur when compared with conventional watering from a hose or watering can. In addition, you do not have to loosen the ground, as after abundant watering, since drip does not create a dried crust that interferes with the growth of the plant. There is no spreading of water in different directions.
Possibility of autonomous irrigation of plants with water. This is very convenient for summer residents who are not on the site every day. The construction will work independently, without endangering the site and the country house.
The ability to apply fertilizer with ease in the required proportions, and only the plant itself will receive it.
Also, a significant plus will be the fact that you can use drip irrigation both in greenhouse conditions and in the open field. If this is a place open to the sun, then the water in the bottle will heat up during the day and irrigation with sufficiently warm water continues at night.

Although this method is very convenient, it cannot be called perfect. Its disadvantages are that:

Irrigation of large areas is almost impossible. To do this, you will need a lot of drip irrigation devices, and this will be inconvenient and no longer rational.
If the soil is heavy and contains a lot of clay, then when the irrigation attachment is in the soil, it can become clogged and must be cleaned.
Such watering cannot completely replace the full-fledged traditional moistening of the earth, especially in hot summers. With the help of irrigation, you can only maintain humidity, but you still have to water the beds abundantly from time to time.

What is needed to make a drip irrigation device?

The set of tools and materials is small and can be found at any owner of the house. The design will differ from the expensive purchased one in materials, but not in efficiency. So, we need:

Plastic bottle. Its size depends on which plant and how long it should irrigate it, small ones are not recommended, with a volume of 0.5 liters, it is better to take a container ranging from 1 to 5 liters. Such containers usually remain from purchases made in the grocery store, and you will not have to purchase them separately.

The approximate ratio of the size of the bottle and the time of consumption with low watering:

The accuracy of the data depends on the number of holes in the bottle and the variation in the irrigation method.

Hole punching tool. For this, a thin carnation or a thick needle is suitable, depending on the size of the future holes in the bottle.
Textile. It should be either a piece of thin cotton, or nylon tights, and in the second version, longer use is possible, since nylon is stronger.

Option number 1. A bottle dug in the bottom of the ground

We take a prepared bottle, in size it should be such that it fits well in a garden bed between several plants. If it is necessary to water only one bush, then the bottle can be small, and the holes in it are only on one side, close to the plant.

Next, we take a carnation, step back from the bottom a few centimeters and make small holes. If the diameter of the holes is too large, then the water will flow out quickly. It is necessary to make about 10 holes, they should be located in the middle of the bottle, do not touch the neck part.

Then we dig a hole in the diameter of the bottle and dig it in there, leaving the upper part outside. It is better to put a capronk on the neck to prevent debris from entering. Pour water into a bottle with a watering can and leave. Water will gradually evenly flow to the roots of the bushes and irrigate them.

Option number 2. Bottle, hanging with the neck down

For this method of irrigation, you first need to make a structure above the crops, which will hold a bottle of water. It can be two rooted sticks and a crossbar between them, on which you can hang a bottle on the hook, if there is a metal mount that looks like a small horizontal bar, you can also hang it on it. The maximum height is 45 - 50 cm, and the minimum is 35 cm (we take into account the size of the bottle).

We make holes in the lid; for this, a carnation is again suitable. The more holes in the lid, the more water droplets will fall on the plant. We cut off the bottom of the bottle with a knife or scissors, water will be poured into it. We hang, fill in water and stretch the fabric from debris.

Option number 3. A bottle buried with a neck in the ground

We take a bottle, we select the dimensions in the same way as in the previous case. This method is inferior to the first only in that water will flow more to the very bottom of the roots of the bushes, and in the first option, it will spread along their entire length. We remove the lid and make several holes in it, it is not recommended to make more than 4 holes, the water will quickly leave and it will have to be poured often. If it is a 5-liter bottle, then the lid in it is large and the holes must be made larger, if it is a liter or 1.5-liter bottle, then less. We cut off the bottom completely, we will pour water into it.

We make a not very deep hole next to the bush, such a depth is needed so that the bottle cap is not much lower than the roots, it is advisable to place it a little higher - then all the moisture will be used up as intended.

Option number 4. A simple method with a purchased attachment

Such a device can no longer be called completely handmade. In specialized shops for gardeners, you can find a special oblong nozzle with holes, which is screwed onto a bottle instead of a cap. Next, you just need to stick it into the ground along with the bottle you put on. The bottom can be cut off, or you don't have to work, because when the water runs out, you can twist it, collect water without much effort and wind it back up, and then return it to the ground. This method practically does not differ from a buried bottle with the neck down, just a little easier.

The disadvantage is that such nozzles are most often standard and the maximum volume of a bottle can be 2.5 liters, for 5 liters it is already more difficult to find such a nozzle in width. The advantage of such a nozzle is that it can irrigate not only plants in a greenhouse or open ground in a garden, but also flowers in pots at home; a small 0.5 liter bottle is also suitable here.

Video - Do-it-yourself drip irrigation for giving at no cost

How to apply fertilizers using a plastic bottle irrigation attachment?

Those fertilizers that are to be dissolved in water or diluted with the finished liquid must be poured in already diluted form into a bottle.

How to properly make a solution in the ratio of water and feeding - read the instructions and strictly follow it. They will spread evenly around the root, allowing the plant to consume them. This does not apply to those after which abundant watering is necessary.