How to Make a Drip Irrigation System With a Milk Jug

Getting water to a thirsty plant's root zone is a tricky business for gardeners in dry climates. Water often runs off faster than the soil can absorb it, leaving the root zone dry just inches under the soil's muddy surface. Wet leaves are havens for fungal diseases. Hard water calcifies soaker hoses, clogging their pores until they're nearly useless. While a full-blown drip irrigation system isn't an option for many gardeners, you can recycle a plastic milk jug into a miniature system and make both your plants and your pocketbook happy.

Things You'll Need

• Empty 1-gallon plastic milk jug
• Nail, screwdriver or other pointed object
• Shovel (if necessary)

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Instructions

1. • 1

     Rinse the milk jug's interior thoroughly. Dry the exterior to allow for a firm grip. Discard the lid.

   • 2

     Punch a nail into the side of the jug, just above the base. Continue to make nail holes around the jug, spacing them roughly 2 inches apart or more, depending on how fast you wish the jug to empty. Fill the jug over the sink to test the flow, and add more holes if needed.

   • 3

     Place the jug 1 to 2 inches from the base of the plant if you don't wish to bury the jug, then fill it with water. This is not as efficient as burial.

   • 4

     Dig a hole the width of the jug and one-half to three-fourths the jug's height. Bury the jug in the hole, leaving the neck above ground. Fill the jug with water and refill it as necessary.