Patent ID: 7810278

Claim:
An apparatus for watering plants comprising: a water reservoir having an encapsulated interior cavity and an exterior exposed to ambient air, and said reservoir has upper and lower ends and said located above the root level of a plant to be watered, wherein at least one drain opening is defined in said lower end of said water reservoir, and said upper end of said water reservoir is closed and is provided with an adjustable valve therein and an air conduit passing said valve and extending between said interior cavity and said exterior of said reservoir, whereby said valve is adjustable relative to said conduit to maintain a partial vacuum in said upper end of said reservoir as water drains from said lower end thereof; a flow dispensing cup located beneath said reservoir and including a transverse floor having a plurality of dispensing cup outlets therefrom and flow distribution apparatus located within said flow dispensing cup and beneath said reservoir to distribute water flow from said drain opening in said reservoir uniformly to said dispensing cup outlets; wherein said flow distribution apparatus is comprised of a balance support located above said transverse bottom of said flow dispensing cup, a balance arm having opposing ends and supported for rotation about a horizontal axis by said balance support, a concave upwardly facing water drip collection bucket located on one of said ends of said balance arm and directly beneath said drain opening in said lower end of said reservoir, and a counterbalancing weight located on the other of said ends of said balance arm.