How to Make a Hydro Planter

Remove the cap from an empty 2-liter bottle. Peel off the label. Rinse the bottle with clean water.

Cut off the top third of the bottle. Fill the bottom portion of the bottle halfway with water.

Turn the top third of the bottle upside down. Fold one 14-inch fabric strip in half. Push the two ends down through the opening in the bottom of the bottle. Stop when a 1-inch loop remains in the bottle.

Insert the other fabric strip through the loop in the first strip, linking the two together. Pull the first strip down until the loop is tight over the second strip. If the fabric strips seem loose in the bottle neck, tie a thick knot in a third piece of fabric and wedge it into the bottle neck alongside the longer strips to keep soil from falling down into the water reservoir.

Fill the top portion of the bottle with potting soil. Add your seeds or small plant and firm the soil around the roots or over the seeds.

Hold the top portion of the bottle over the sink and water the soil until it settles. Lower the top portion of the bottle into the lower portion so the fabric strips touch the water. The fabric will wick the water up into the soil. Refill the lower portion of the bottle when enough water is gone that the fabric strips are no longer touching it.