Most efficient way to water crops?

[motorhorn]

I am having trouble with automatically watering my crops: currently I have one vacuum pump for a 2x3 area of soil that is raised about 20 blocks above. This is works fairly well but certain patches of soil refuse to be watered. I am not sure if the pump is miss-aligned or if there is a certain radius that the pumps can water or if it's random and I'm just getting unlucky :/

So I have a few questions:
1. what the highest number of soil blocks that can be watered by a single pump is
2. if the height of the pump has an effect on the watering radius/ success rate (if it gets watered or not)
3. finally any ideas for an efficient set-up is

Later on I will experiment with automatic planting and harvesting once I have the resources

Thanks

[Germinight]

I have two videos on watering plants if you are interested. They can be found on youtube under the same name or on steam. I didn't want to put any links in this discussion because some people frown on that. Let me know if you are interested

[golddragonclaw]

So far form my knowledge. the water cannon helps water mine, it seems that it probably best to be right on top of it, I think it do splash shoots but that is not always certain.
I can not organize your layout in my head sad to say but I dont know if this YouTube video will help, I will soon post it here

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=QuTHXd-alf0

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kFT8qHwzD_I&list=PLJsRkb2a-rSxGVkwKEUsLmKoWa7k0k0GY&index=15&t=0s

[golddragonclaw]

Hello germinight, love your video. helps me alot,
Sorry, did not realize that it will be trouble if post links like that, will try to be more careful now on

[Germinight]

Golddragonclaw got it lol Hello there

[Germinight]

It's more of a creator posting his own links that people don't like because it can be seen as different motives instead of just trying to help

[motorhorn]

I'm such a spoon I forgot the water cannons existed
I wasted so many resources on pumps
Oh well, I'll find a use for them eventually...

Also thanks everyone for the quick replies, I'll be sure to check out your videos in the morning

[golddragonclaw]

I don't know if it true or not but I hear that the pump might can harvest plants if it the same device I am thinking that you use for the packaging station but I also hear it sometimes take the whole plant and not just the harvest. just words I hear, wanting to try it out and thinking of trying the auto water idea with that but not sure if it will work or if I am wrong or not
I also hard that you could use them to plant plants as well

[golddragonclaw]

Alright, and thanks for the info form everyone here, it also helps me as well

[Germinight]

So I did have to pin a comment on those vids tho. They just released a patch that makes it so the pistons need to be upgraded even when attaching them with a controller. Just a few upgrades and they work the exact same. But anyway, the vacuum pumps do harvest your plants for you along with bringing in water and chemicals when the arrow is facing in. When the arrow is facing out it can lay blocks down, shoot out items, and deliver to the packing station

[golddragonclaw]

Yes, I notice that you have to upgrade the piston themselves. 1 of mine was not the same as others and it made the defense around the farms and auto water with a open and uneven that a few bots was able to jump it, do not know if it will cause problems with the auto water system with uneven level at the moment

[motorhorn]

for auto planting and harvesting I'm imagining you could make a system with pistons similar to arcade claw games where one input moves a vacuum around a grid of soil and planting crops, then a separate input does the same thing but harvesting. The only issues I see with this idea is the pipes and containers for the crops but I think it will work so long as the whole system moves on "the claw"

Just thought I'd throw that into the discussion in case any of you have some thoughts on it

[golddragonclaw]

It been long since the last time I saw arcade claw games, as far as I know. it the moment I guess, can all 3 equipment water, place and pick up your food? So far I dont think I can create a good system, I was thinking of using the auto water in germinight system, it's an idea and I did not had time to test it out but dont know if I can connect the 3 system in to a rotating to place and replace, like the auto water, the same system but need to find a way to trun off the device when pulling it back in so it wont use the resources, system to rotate each one and repeat the process like the water system for the planting and the picking, maybe have the picking go first then the other 2 but there might be problems with the rotation and the controls with gate and stuff and chance that the device get hung by other stuff when rotating and placing in place for the layout of the water system. Basically I'm kinda copy and trying to using other work sad to say

[golddragonclaw]

The arcade claw games might work maybe, you probably have to set it up as in order system and to cover each spot

[motorhorn]

Alternatively i just thought of a rotating system, similar to that lawn mower on a string that slowly moves it, that moves around a central point and uses a slow-moving piston to water (and maybe even plant and harvest crops) in a spiral. That would be a lot easier to pull off than a claw but would still be a bit of a challenge

[golddragonclaw]

Yes I think I saw something similar to that like 1 end of the rotating blade there was water and planting and the other end was picking, I forgot that you could have gct it the blade to move to cover more ground as you say