Garden irrigation - olla pots in place.

in #diy6 years ago


It was @riverflows that brought these to my attention (thanks 😬) via a few posts during her garden updates that mentioned olla pots earlier on in the year. From her success using them and a little bit of research i decided i wanted to utilise these in my garden. Not only will they help save on watering but will hopefully increase the time between the watering needed.

Good for the environment and my productivity, win win!

Olla irrigation pots are unglazed clay pots that when filled with water and buried in the soil allows the water to seep through providing a constant water source for plants nearby.

With a little be of work these can be made cheaply or in my case for free from bits i had lying around.


repurposing clay pots to make olla irrigation pots

I had 4 tall clay tomatoe pots that to be honest dried out to quick in the sun, so re-purposing them was a smart move. only issue was the hole in the bottom.


sealing the hole in the pot to make olla irrigation pots


The first on i taped on the outside then realised it works best if you tape from the inside.


sealing the bottom of a clay watering pot


I then put in about 1cm of postcrete which is a rapid setting concrete i had on hand from building the greenhouse beds.


hole sealed and cement set


It was then wetted down and left to set.


 

 

I still have lids left to make to stop to much evaporation but i've got the materials set aside to do this, these olla pots have been in over 24hours since filling up and still have water in, as the soil starts to absorb more water the rate at which the olla pots empty should start to slow down.

olla pot in greenhouse raised bed

This is only part of the greenhouse watering system i have planned but i needed a quick and hassle free solution, ill be planting tomatoes, bell peppers, aubergines and cucumbers around as these less forgiving than the chillies when it comes to bit variations in watering.

 

greenhouse irrigation plans


This little drawing shows how it will be in a few weeks once the automatic watering system is finished, ill be doing posts on that as i go to.


no doubt itll change from this also as it gets closer to completion.

Well that's it for this post!


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All the best

D.

 

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Oh, I’ve always liked this solution for watering and need to implement it this year into the garden. Thanks for the reminder! And @riverflows has the best ideas 🤗❤️

It really works and I don't know why more people don't try it. Right now I'm just so happy that someone listened to me for a change lol

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That she does, im looking forward to seeing how it works over the year as it seems to simple and effective

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Oh wow. I am so stoked you have made these. I actually feel quite chuffed that someone listens to me for a change lol. They really make your plants far more resilient . I just planted a passionfruit in a part of the garden that I rarely get water to so I put a pot right next to it and hopefully that will help it survive the dry months where I forget to water it that often. Can't wait to hear what you think of them xx

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Hey i've seen your garden ill listen to anything you say 😅 if it helps me grow half as much as you do.

If everything is still alive in the green house at the end of the week well the peppers around the pots ill deem it a success 😂

You got any space saving tips for growning beans and peas? Im on a mission this year haha

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Cool they work so well. If I ever get a greenhouse.....