You have a few days of vacation and neither neighbors, friends or family have time to water your plants on the balcony? No problem, because with this self-made irrigation system you can easily bridge a few days. All you need is a sturdy PET or glass bottle.
How do I water plants with PET bottles?
To water plants with a PET bottle, fill the bottle with water, remove the lid, turn it upside down and insert the neck of the bottle deep into the substrate. Use a 1.5 liter bottle with solid walls or a glass bottle to ensure continuous water delivery.
Watering correctly with PET bottles – instructions
In many forums you can read complicated instructions for watering flower boxes with a plastic bottle: The bottom should be cut off, the bottle neck should be pierced and the lid should be left screwed on. Others recommend leaving the bottom on the bottle (it's better because you can get the deposit back afterwards) and just hole it instead. The system works wonderfully without any cutting or puncturing measures:
- First water your plants as usual.
- Water thoroughly so that the soil is thoroughly moistened.
- Unscrew the cap from a PET or glass bottle.
- Take a 1.5 liter bottle with solid walls.
- You can also use two to three bottles for balcony boxes and large pots.
- Fill completely with water.
- Insert the bottle upside down (with the bottle neck down) deep into the substrate.
- Don't hurt any roots.
Wait a bit first: If the substrate is not moist enough, the bottle often empties within a few minutes. In this case, simply fill it again and put it back in.
What am I doing wrong if the bottle empties too quickly?
If the bottle keeps emptying within a very short time, you are probably using the wrong type: PET bottles with thin, soft walls are unsuitable for this purpose. They purr together too quickly and release the water freely into the planter. Instead, use PET bottles with thick, sturdy walls or glass bottles. However, it is important to exercise caution with the latter: in very sunny and hot locations, glass acts like a magnifying glass and can cause fires. Therefore, always install such bottles where there is no direct sunlight.
Are bottle tops worth buying?
Various manufacturers offer so-called irrigation attachments (€15.00 on Amazon) made of plastic or clay, which fit all common plastic bottles and are intended to perfect the water delivery. You can save yourself on plastic attachments, as experience shows that they don't work any better than bottles without any attachment. Clay attachments, on the other hand, are highly recommended as they release water reliably and continuously. However, you will have to drill holes in the bottom of the bottle if you use such an attachment.
Tip
Watering plants also works very well with a bucket of water and a thick piece of string (preferably made of cotton). To do this, insert one end of the string into the water bucket and into the flower pot.
