| The Smart Valve® is unique product. Completely different from all other plant watering devices available in the market today, it delivers water to plants on trays or in planters, only when required by plants.
Incorporated into a standard container (planter, trough, tray, etc), Smart Valve® can increase the interval between watering and maintenance visits to months. The plant's transpiration properties and the condition of the soil, determine how much water is required. Smart Valve® delivers water, when needed, automatically.
No supply of electricity is required for the Smart Valve® watering system, which renders time switch and watering computers redundant. These devices typically switch on and off watering systems regardless of the plants' need as they are in no way linked to the plants' own transpiration cycles but are instead based on some arbitrary time base.
Such devices may, therefore, initiate a flow of water when the soil is already waterlogged or prevent delivery of water even if the soil is dry. Incorporation of an electronic water sensor into a time switch controlled system is expensive and cumbersome.
In contrast the cycle of the Smart Valve® follows the normal pattern of plant transpiration. These properties make the Smart Valve® a practical alternative to conventional watering methods for both interior and exterior applications.
Applications
A recommended application is shown below where a Smart Valve® is connected to a water container which is placed within a suitable tray or trough. A layer of capillary matting on the base of the tray distributes the water to plant pots placed on the matting.
A 5l water container can maintain a 1m² tray of flowering plants for up to four weeks and greenery plants for up to two months without the need for re-watering.
Empty containers can be swapped for full ones or re-filled, whichever is more convenient, and the system watering cycle maintained.
Unattended watering periods can be extended simply by increasing the capacity of the container. Large scale growers can use the Smart Valve® as a sensor/dripper, running a line containing a Smart Valve® from a large water butt to control watering in a greenhouse environment.
Benefits
Smart Valve® watering systems have many potential applications in the fields of hydroponics, landscape irrigation, commercial growing, and household applications to name a few.
The major benefits include:
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Simplified plant maintenance – User-friendly watering systems.
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It can be used anywhere – SmartValve® requires no external power.
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Versatility – SmartValve® has been used successfully in troughs, planters, pots, trays and is equally applicable to hanging baskets both for interior and exterior locations.
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Economical and environmentally friendly use of water – no water is wasted since the valve delivers only what the plant actually requires.
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