Self Watering Seed Pods

by Damien97414

2.2K306

Intro: Self Watering Seed Pods

Hello everybody,

I'm quite happy to show you how to make these self watering seed pods! it's really easy, made mostly from cheap/recycled materials and I hope it will help you to grow your favorite plants.

I did this project first because seeds pods are really expensive and a homemade one not!!

STEP 1: The Material Needed

You will need:

  • a bottle
  • Absorbent cotton
  • Clay pebbles (optional but it help to see the roots and keep the humidity high)
  • Breeding ground
  • Seeds
  • Transparent lids: help to have a greenhouse effect, which help the growing of the plants
  • a water tank (the other part of the bottle can be use)

STEP 2: Preparing the Bottle

You can start with the bottle

Cut the top part and drill the caps so the straw can easily get inside it

STEP 3: Preparing the Straw and Cotton

This is the "trickiest" part of this instructable.

The size of the straw+cotton depends on your water tank, to increase the efficiency of your watering device, the bottom part of the straw needs to be close to the bottom of the tank.

The size of the cotton should be not too broad, otherwise it won't get inside the straw.

And it's better if the cotton is too long, you can cut it if needed. But if it's too short the water won't reach the ground.

I made it so the cotton got out of the straw on both sides

STEP 4: Adding the Clay Pebbles and the Breeding Ground

Place the caps+straw on the bottle then add the clay pebbles and the breeding ground

The cotton must be inside the breeding ground to bring the water directly to the plant and its future roots

STEP 5: Planting the Seeds and the Transparent Lid

Now place the pods on your water tank. The tank should be adapted to the straw, and a broad one is better than a deep one.

Plant the seeds and place the transparent lid.

STEP 6: In Conclusion

You have now a self watering system! depending on the size of the plant you will need to refill from couple of weeks to couple of days.

Also the light is very important, I've placed my plant under a Led system since my plants are indoor, if your plants are placed by a window you should not need artificial lights.

I hope you like this instructable, let me know if you have any questions :)

5 Comments

sbrown9578 5 years ago

Absolutely awesome. I do not have a green thumb but I bet this will make me the gardener I want to be. What did you use as the water tank ?

Damien97414 5 years ago

thank you very much for your comment :) :) :)
Same for me, I do not have a green thumb but I manage to grow plants with this technique, you can start to grow basil for example, they grow fast, love water; and great on pizza or pasta, I have to try an homemade pesto :p Tomatoes grow fast too, but after they will need a bigger pot than the one I used on this instructable
Regarding the tank, the one I use was from a previous "smart garden", but it's really easy to recycle a container as a tank, this morning I've collected stuff (from my recycling bin :) and I will make an instructable to show how it can be use :) coming really soon

Wanderlostz 5 years ago

Will any pebbles work? Not sure where to find clay ones. Also, where did you get those lids? They’re perfect

Damien97414 5 years ago

Hi! I'm not sure any pebble will work... clay is really great for humidity and often recommended to increase the moisture level around plants. Regular pebbles will at least help to see the roots, showing the need for a bigger pot. Regarding the lid, indeed they are great, I had them from previous indoor garden. I think it can be replace by a plastic film with a couple of small hole on it, as long as you can see water condensation on it, you'll know it's good. I hope this will help you :)