Patent ID: 7219468

Claim:
An apparatus for automatically watering a plant in a container by regulating a flow of water to said container through flexible tubing, said apparatus comprising: upper and lower jaw members interconnected by a substantially horizontal pivot axis; opposing contact surfaces on said upper and lower jaw members that define a jaw area receiving said flexible tubing therein; an adjustable spring that resiliently biases said contact surfaces apart so as to open said jaw area; and said container suspended from said lower jaw at a location offset from said pivot axis on a side of the pivot axis opposite said jaw area; so that in response to an increase in weight of said container due to water accumulation said members are rotated about said pivot axis so as to close said jaw area and pinch said tubing closed, thereby restricting said flow of water therethrough, and so that in response to a decrease in weight of said container due to water loss said members are counter-rotated by said spring so as to open said jaw area and allow said tubing to expand open, thereby reestablishing said flow of water therethrough.