3 Simple Ways to
Share What You Make

With Instructables you can share what you make with the world — and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts.

PhotosPhotos

Share one or more photos of a project, recipe, or whatever you've made, quickly and easily.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Step by StepStep-By-Step

Share your step-by-step photos with text instructions of what you made so others can do it too!

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

VideoVideo

Share your how-to video. You'll need your embed code from a video site such as YouTube.

Get Started

Learn more & Get Tips

Favorite

Turn a Glass Coke Bottle in to a Plant Waterer

video Turn a Glass Coke Bottle in to a Plant Waterer

Glass coke bottles are cool, really cool, but what do you do with the bottle after the coke is gone? You don't need any more candle holders, so make an automatic plant waterer. With this cheap and easy automatic plant watering system all you have to do is set it and forget it.

Don't forget to visit DIYGenius.tv to get your free PDF on how to make this

35 comments

Jun 9, 2011. 12:31 PM

zazenergy says:

I love this project and your dramatic voiceover in the video! Very cool stuff. Haters gonna hate, but I think you've got a winner on your hands.

Cheers,

Laura
Editor, Instructables

Mar 15, 2012. 10:39 AMjcox20 says:

Ditto! Thought it was awesome!

Jun 12, 2011. 8:11 PMonlylooklikepackrat says:

I concur on all points!

Jun 9, 2011. 1:19 PMdiygenius (author) says:

Thanks

Jun 12, 2011. 12:35 PMLuviswigglewiggle says:

I loved your video. I had all the tools (including the coke bottle), parts needed and put it together in just a few mins. I have lots of plants so they will be saving me lots of time. I love the voice over. Your video was as entertaining as it was informative. Thanks!
Bernice
Salt Lake City

Jun 9, 2011. 11:39 AMverence says:

Nicely done, but...
- all the work
- all the plastic
- for a few ml water?

Just take a big glass bottle (1l, 2 pints or bigger), fill it completely with water (no cap!) and ram it into the soil. Lots of water, no plastic. Works with sturdier plastic bottles as well. Only the very thin plastic ones will collapse under the atmospheric pressure.

Jan 18, 2012. 6:41 AMchuckr44 says:

I take a 2 liter plastic bottle, drill a small hole in the cap, invert and put into the ground about 3-4 inches. Works for me.

Jun 13, 2011. 11:19 AMbassemads says:

I agree. Or fill the glass coke bottle with water and just plug it in. It gives the same result...

Jul 3, 2011. 10:21 AMZaryn says:

Without the cap water will drain out faster.

Jul 3, 2011. 12:50 PMverence says:

Nope.

The trick is: For the water to come out, air has to get in. Air can only get in, if there are air channels from the surface of the soil down to the opening of the bottle (i.e. the soil is dry enough to allow for air channels).

Of course without the special cap you don't have a tube, so you have to ram the bottle in deeper.

Oct 13, 2011. 3:21 AMbonfire817 says:

My sons both bought 6 packs of the small coke glass bottles and I made them save all their emptys for me!! I am excited to try this. Just need the caps and tubing. I have about 20 indoor plants now that I had to bring in my dwarf pomegranates, fig, honey berries and have an avocado tree started!

Jun 14, 2011. 8:07 PMwater rat says:

"Yum yum" says the plant, heehee.
Great tute, especially for someone like me who has a lot of potted plants!
All y'all out there raggin' on this tute, get a life.

Jun 13, 2011. 11:13 AMpyogazel says:

Cool video, the voiceover was so unexpected, it made me laugh out loud!

Jun 13, 2011. 3:33 AMasant anna says:

Hey! Im brazilian, and i used this idea here, great idea! Congratulation!

Jun 12, 2011. 9:07 PMseveninstl says:

Loved your idea. I used half liter, plastic soda bottles. They are working great. Saves me a ton of time watering each week! Thanks for the idea :)

Jun 12, 2011. 6:47 PM

Lindie says:

Like this!

Jun 12, 2011. 6:30 PMstoneground1 says:

This may sound a little weird but also a woman's downstairs cleaning product "nozzle" would work pretty good too. Don't know why that popped into my head, i think it's because of the holes already in it. Great idea btw diygenius!! Sorry if my idea grossed anyone out. I figure you could also use a plastic bottle for it, say a 1 liter for larger plants. Thanks for the Instructable!!

Jun 12, 2011. 5:11 PM

mspencer-3 says:

This is so neet, I bought one plant waterer did not work. This one is super.
Thanks

Jun 9, 2011. 8:05 AMrsimpson1 says:

expensive store bought feeder. $$$.

Coke bottle - $
glue gun - $
pvc cap - $
tubing - $
drill, drill bits, glue, vice, saw,,, - $
time - $

$$$ vs. $$$$$

Jun 12, 2011. 9:36 AMkckckc2522 says:

Don't you have a garage or junk drawer? Most people already have this stuff or at least could borrow them.

200

Jun 11, 2011. 8:34 AM

randofo says:

I already have all of that stuff. I could probably make something like this in a few minutes.

While itemizing everything, don't forget the cost of a gallon of gas to get to the store to buy the pre-made feeder.

Jun 10, 2011. 7:58 AM

Kaptain Kool says:

Coke bottle - have (frequent coke drinker and liker of glass bottles)
glue gun - have
pvc cap -have (also costs less than a buck)
tubing - have (or costs about a buck for five feet)
drill, drill bits, glue, vice, saw,,, - have or have access to
time - who, on this site, doesn't have time build stuff??

So in the end, you spend a dollar for coke and under two for pvc pipe.

Jun 9, 2011. 11:48 AM

annahowardshaw says:

If you bought everything just for this project, it would be crazy-expensive for what it is. However, if you own basic tools, have leftover materials from other projects and use any product that comes in a bottle, then it is a cheap alternative to buying them. I have made these from several different bottles that I would have otherwise tossed in the recycling bin.

They also don't make very large watering globes, so that's another consideration if you will be away for a longer period of time.

Jun 12, 2011. 9:06 AMnosnow says:

just take your liter bottle with a screw on cap. fill with water, put cap back on, drill 1/16" hole in cap, jam into dirt. works great.

Jun 12, 2011. 8:08 AMlesteryoder says:

For the sceptics that think the vacuum would hold the water in the bottle you are right up to a point. It helps prevent the water from draining out too fast but when it is dry around the holes a drip will form and when it is absorbed an air bubble will go up into the bottle releasing a small amount of the vacuum. I have two store bought dog waterers that work in a simular way. They use two-liter plastic Coke bottles that attach to the edge of a water bowl upside-down. When the water is used to below the mouth of the bottle the bottle gurgles a little an refills the bowl back above the mouth of the bottle. These store bought units were not cheep, I wish I had thought of how easy it would have been to devise my own design to work in a simular way. Nice job on the plant watering Coke bottle.

Jun 12, 2011. 7:02 AM

Exocetid says:

Time? I have very little time, so I save it whenever I can. If your time is not the most valuable thing you possess, then you have missed something that will come to you in a few decades, after which you will realize how much time you have frittered away and how incredibly valuable it actually was.

Jun 11, 2011. 6:19 PMmattes says:

just leave the plastik stuff away and stick a bottle filled with water into the plant, works with my plant for a few weeks.

Jun 12, 2011. 6:22 AMhubi says:

I do it the same way, without the plastic stuff. Last Year I used 1.5Liter Bottles to feed my Plants over 3 weeks holidays and it worked fine.

Jun 11, 2011. 11:41 AM

splazem says:

I think this is cool, no matter what anyone else says. Good job!

Jun 10, 2011. 8:01 AM

Kaptain Kool says:

Great job! I love Coke!

Jun 9, 2011. 12:31 PM

mikeasaurus says:

Pretty neat reuse for a glass coke bottle, but the voice-over in the video is creepy!

Jun 9, 2011. 6:21 AM

ReactiveLight says:

But there's no way for air to get into the bottle, so wouldn't the resulting vacuum let only a small amount of the water trickle out? Seems to me that you'd be constantly refilling this thing to get it working again.

Jun 9, 2011. 6:50 AMdiygenius (author) says:

Ya, water just trickles out. Its kinda like a drip system people install in their gardens. I find than an 8oz coke bottle stays full for about 3 days. So if you use a half litter bottle you should be good for a week.

Jun 9, 2011. 11:23 AM

ReactiveLight says:

I'm afraid you missed my point. I understand that it would just trickle out. But, since it's forming a vacuum in the bottle above the water, doesn't it just STOP trickling when the weight of the remaining water is balanced by the atmospheric pressure? I'm assuming that no air is able to bubble back into the bottle through the small exit holes, but please correct if I'm wrong about that.

Jun 9, 2011. 11:44 AM

annahowardshaw says:

The vacuum is temporary, that's what makes it handy. As the soil drys, the is air between the particles draws in water from the watering bottle until it is saturated again. If you have very loose soil, all the water may flood out too fast. You can try different size tubes/straws/etc to find a good match for the plant and it's particular needs.