Keeping your plants watered while you are away on vacation can be a hassle, especially for plants in containers or those in the ground that require a lot of moisture. If you can't find a neighbor to give them a daily dousing for you, you might want to try one of the bottle methods. Be sure to test those methods before your vacation to see how long they will keep soil damp in your climate.
Watering Containers with Upended Plastic Bottles
1) Prepare two-liter plastic bottles by making holes in their caps. Hold a small nail so that its tip is at the center of a bottle cap. Tap the head of the nail with the hammer to drive the nail through the cap. Pull the nail out and repeat the process with your other bottles. Alternatively, replace the caps with screw-on funnel-shaped irrigation spikes, available from your garden center, that slow down the release of water from the bottles.
2) Fill each bottle with water. Screw on either its punctured cap or one of the irrigation spikes.
3) Water the soil thoroughly before inserting the bottles. Turn the bottle upside-down and push it into the soil beside the plant you wish to water. Make sure the bottle is stable enough that it won't tip over. Repeat the process with your other bottles.
Watering Containers with Bottles and Wicks
1) Remove the caps from your bottles and fill them with water. Set one of the bottles on top of the soil in the container you wish to water or place it nearby so that it sits higher than the container it is watering.
2) Cut a length of nylon parachute or other absorbent cord long enough to run from the base of the bottle, out its top, down its side and several inches into the container's soil. Insert one end of the cord into the bottle and make sure it falls all the way to the bottom.
3) Stab the other end of the cord several inches into the container's soil, using a screwdriver. Repeat this method with the other bottles and containers.
Things You Will Need
Tip
When using upended plastic bottles, some gardeners prefer to completely remove the lid from the plastic bottle, rather than puncturing it. This, however, may make it more difficult to turn the bottle upside down without losing much of its contents in the process. Some people also cut off the bottom of the bottle, so they can pour water into it after it is already in place, but this could cause some of that water to be lost to evaporation.
Warning
Be sure to take into account the possibility that the bottles could get knocked over by curious or thirsty animals outdoors
Source: Nursery Live
Watering Containers with Upended Plastic Bottles
2) Fill each bottle with water. Screw on either its punctured cap or one of the irrigation spikes.
3) Water the soil thoroughly before inserting the bottles. Turn the bottle upside-down and push it into the soil beside the plant you wish to water. Make sure the bottle is stable enough that it won't tip over. Repeat the process with your other bottles.
1) Remove the caps from your bottles and fill them with water. Set one of the bottles on top of the soil in the container you wish to water or place it nearby so that it sits higher than the container it is watering.
2) Cut a length of nylon parachute or other absorbent cord long enough to run from the base of the bottle, out its top, down its side and several inches into the container's soil. Insert one end of the cord into the bottle and make sure it falls all the way to the bottom.
3) Stab the other end of the cord several inches into the container's soil, using a screwdriver. Repeat this method with the other bottles and containers.
- Two-liter plastic bottles
- Hammer
- Small nail
- Plastic irrigation spikes that screw on to two-liter bottles (optional)
- Water
- Watering can
- Nylon parachute cord or other absorbent cord
- Screwdriver
Tip
When using upended plastic bottles, some gardeners prefer to completely remove the lid from the plastic bottle, rather than puncturing it. This, however, may make it more difficult to turn the bottle upside down without losing much of its contents in the process. Some people also cut off the bottom of the bottle, so they can pour water into it after it is already in place, but this could cause some of that water to be lost to evaporation.
Warning
Be sure to take into account the possibility that the bottles could get knocked over by curious or thirsty animals outdoors
Source: Nursery Live
