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I needed a watering system because I have trouble getting around due to health issues and it's really not fair to my spawn that he be the one to do the watering every day. Fourteen year old boys want to be in a swimming pool, not standing in the sun providing cool refreshment to a container garden.
My husband says we have all but one part necessary to build a normal drip system but because he is an incredible procrastinator and we're low on cash I decided to see what I could find online.
I started here, of course. My favorite is "IcePop Drip Irrigation" by marcintosh but because I am container gardening, I don't have quite the room necessary in each container to lay a bottle down. Others that I saw would require creating some kind of hanging bottle system which I wanted to avoid as I want my little garden to look as natural as possible and you just can't get that with plastic bottles dangling around.
My inspiration for this instructable came from Gayla Sanders at You Grow Girl. Mine is different only in that I put a different number of holes in my lids and used various sizes of bottles based on the size of the planter they'll be used in. Oh, and I didn't use a serrated knife to cut the bottoms from my bottles because I figured that scissors would work more quickly and easily.
What you will need:
(List based on making one waterer. Multiply appropriately for however many you need.)
20 ounce plastic bottle with lid (soda, or juice washed out, if it was water, no need of course.)
Safety glasses
Sharp paring knife
Kitchen Shears
Drill
1/16" drill bit
Solid surface on which to do your drilling
So gather your supplies and click ahead to the first step.
(Picture with the finished product nestled amongst the greenery of one of my plants coming soon.)
My husband says we have all but one part necessary to build a normal drip system but because he is an incredible procrastinator and we're low on cash I decided to see what I could find online.
I started here, of course. My favorite is "IcePop Drip Irrigation" by marcintosh but because I am container gardening, I don't have quite the room necessary in each container to lay a bottle down. Others that I saw would require creating some kind of hanging bottle system which I wanted to avoid as I want my little garden to look as natural as possible and you just can't get that with plastic bottles dangling around.
My inspiration for this instructable came from Gayla Sanders at You Grow Girl. Mine is different only in that I put a different number of holes in my lids and used various sizes of bottles based on the size of the planter they'll be used in. Oh, and I didn't use a serrated knife to cut the bottoms from my bottles because I figured that scissors would work more quickly and easily.
What you will need:
(List based on making one waterer. Multiply appropriately for however many you need.)
20 ounce plastic bottle with lid (soda, or juice washed out, if it was water, no need of course.)
Safety glasses
Sharp paring knife
Kitchen Shears
Drill
1/16" drill bit
Solid surface on which to do your drilling
So gather your supplies and click ahead to the first step.
(Picture with the finished product nestled amongst the greenery of one of my plants coming soon.)
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Signing UpStep 1Stabby Stabby Snip Snip (Or: Preparing the Bottles)
In step one we deal with the bottle.
First, put on your safety goggles. No, they're not as sexy as a pirate eye-patch, but you want a drip system, not a hospital bill, right? Right!
On your firm surface (mine is an old Formica covered drawer front on the kitchen table) firmly hold the bottle in one hand and set the tip of the knife at a straight up and down angle, near the end of the bottle. Quickly and firmly stab the bottle to avoid the bottle crumpling under the pressure of a slow stab. Do NOT rear back Psycho style shrieking, "SKREE! SKREE! SKREE!" When you do this. You'll only freak out your neighbors and probably end up stabbing yourself. We're still trying to avoid that hospital visit.
After the hole has been made with the knife, work the bottom blade of your shears into the hole and cut your way around until the bottom is off.
First, put on your safety goggles. No, they're not as sexy as a pirate eye-patch, but you want a drip system, not a hospital bill, right? Right!
On your firm surface (mine is an old Formica covered drawer front on the kitchen table) firmly hold the bottle in one hand and set the tip of the knife at a straight up and down angle, near the end of the bottle. Quickly and firmly stab the bottle to avoid the bottle crumpling under the pressure of a slow stab. Do NOT rear back Psycho style shrieking, "SKREE! SKREE! SKREE!" When you do this. You'll only freak out your neighbors and probably end up stabbing yourself. We're still trying to avoid that hospital visit.
After the hole has been made with the knife, work the bottom blade of your shears into the hole and cut your way around until the bottom is off.
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PLEASE DON'T feel that way. Your way is different, and has a different approach to it. There are many ways to do any one thing, and they are all acceptable and charished here.