DIY Gravity Plant Waterer

Plastic

• 1

  Drill several 1/4-inch holes in the lid of a large plastic soda bottle. Make more holes if you want the water to come out faster, and fewer holes if you want it to come out more slowly. Put the lid on the bottle.

• 2

  Cut the bottom of the bottle off completely with the utility knife. This turns the soda bottle into something that looks like a big funnel.

• 3

  Dig a hole next to the plant you want to water. The hole must be big enough to hold about the top one-third of the soda bottle. Make it on the far side of the plant from where you normally view it. In a garden, put the hole near the plant where it is convenient for refilling.

• 4

  Place the top of the soda bottle into the hole and fill in the dirt around it. Pack it tightly enough that the bottle is well-supported.

• 5

  Water the plant enough that the soil is damp. This will help get the watering system established.

• 6

  Fill the bottle with water. As the soil dries out, water will be pulled down from the bottle into the soil, where it will water the plant. Refill the bottle as necessary.

Glass

• 7

  Wash a glass bottle that has a long, narrow neck. You can use a soda bottle, a wine bottle or any other suitable bottle you have on hand. Fill the bottle with water.

• 8

  Stick the neck of the bottle into the soil near the plant so that the bottle is inverted. Stabilize the bottle so that it doesn’t tip over.

• 9

  Water the soil around the plant so that it is damp but not saturated. As the soil dries out, the water will move out of the bottle to replace it. Refill the bottle with water as necessary by removing it, filling it and putting it back.