Homemade Watering Globes for the Garden
By Mindy McIntosh-Shetter
Whether the “garden” is in the ground or in a container watering plants when away can be a challenge.
Many companies sell decorative watering globes that are placed inside houseplant containers but a homemade version can be made for the garden.
The supplies are simple and can easily be gathered with not much trouble.
For each watering globe you will need one 2-liter bottle washed out, an ice pick, and a pair of scissors or sharp knife.
The first step to this process is simply making sure the container is clean. Then cut across the bottle 2-inches from the bottom and recycle that part of the plastic bottle. Unscrew the lid and remove the plastic lining from the lid and pierce three holes in this lining. Punch one hole in the center of the lid and replace the lining. Screw the lid back onto the bottle and take to the garden.
Dig a hole deep enough so that the bottle will stand on its own in the garden. Also place the homemade watering globe near plants in the garden for maximum benefit.
Another form of a watering globe is the self-watering container. This is a simple contraption that utilizes stuff sitting around the garden shed. To get started collect two five gallon buckets. Remove the lid from both of them and thoroughly wash out. Take the first lid and cut the lip off the lid. Then take an old coffee filter basket and center the basket in the lid. Draw the outline and cut out with a knife.
Once this hole is cut punch 20 holes throughout the lid. Drill a ¼ inch hole ½ an inch from the lip of this lid and slide a PVC pipe into this hole. Place coffee filter into the center hole and slide lid into other bucket. Take the lid of the other bucket and cut the center out and drill a 1/4-inch hole ½ and inch from the lip of the lid. Fill coffee filter basket with peat moss and push PVC pipe down through lid in bucket.
Cut off ½ and inch above the top of the bucket. Moisten soil and place in bucket. Continue to moisten soil until you reach the top of the bucket. Lay a fertilizer strip by sprinkling slow release fertilizer in a straight line on top of the soil. Place lid on the top while sliding it over the PVC pipe and snap it down.
Plant vegetable plant through hole in lid and pour water into PVC pipe to fill water reservoir. Once this done you have now created a self-watering container made from recycled material that will save you time and resources while reducing the work involved in gardening.
So whether you use a watering globe or self-watering container taking care of plants can be easy even for those with no time. So until we blog again, limits are those we self impose on things we like to do. It protects us from the failures we may find when trying something new. So if gardening is something new you like to do try one of these homemade gardening tools to help you find success in everything you plant and grow.
February 7th, 2011 at 1:33 pm
Hi,
I was wondering what to do with the tops of water bottles. I use the bottoms to start my seeds.
Luis