Patent ID: 7681356

Claim:
A plant irrigation system comprising: a water conduit, said conduit in use containing a supply of water; and a plurality of flow control members in direct fluid communication with said conduit, each said flow control member having: an elongate fibrous wick extending through an orifice in said flow control member and having a feed end thereof in direct fluid communication with said supply of water; and a control mechanism for selectively radially compressing a portion of said wick, the control mechanism including a wick choke valve formed from two corresponding elliptical holes, said corresponding elliptical holes being rotatable relative to each other in order to vary a cross sectional area of a wick passageway defined by said two corresponding elliptical holes; wherein, water is delivered at a precise predetermined rate via said wick by a capillary action in a delivery region of said wick of a predetermined length comprising substantially a remaining portion of said wick, to a moisture zone proximal a subterranean root structure of said plant, said moisture zone surrounding said delivery region of said wick, in response to removal of moisture from said moisture zone by said plant and ambient weather conditions, whereby irrigation of said plant is substantially self regulating.