Self Watering Pots for 2 dollars for your Transplants

[Delerium]

That's very cool! I wonder if you can do the same setup with 1 gal containers and plant more plants in 1 container? That's a very efficient way of using space.

[kilroyscarnival]

Originally Posted by Delerium

That's very cool! I wonder if you can do the same setup with 1 gal containers and plant more plants in 1 container? That's a very efficient way of using space.

This video shows a more elaborate setup, with second-year planting in the bottle towers, and some recycled buckets or pots off to the side. I think it depends on the size of the plant, perhaps, and its growing habits, as to whether a small side vent would provide enough support.

Another video showing some larger stackable containers. I like the idea of finding squared containers to stagger the corners perhaps (like some of those hydroponic towers, except a soil garden and out of recycled containers) and lead a stem out of the corner.

The toughest part was coaxing the little roots into the holes, even though the bottles weren't packed and the mix I used was rather peaty and soft, it was still tricky. (I might make a little wedge tool next time to use as a funnel of sorts.) Also the 'flap' on some of the bottles seemed to pinch the baby stems, though three days later most looked pretty happy. The other thing was some of the windows I bent out a little will allow water to escape out the sides and trickle down the outside.

1-gal water bottles would be interesting, also maybe a 2-liter bottle stack would have enough earth to handle something more than the greens I chose.

These videos, basically animated slideshows, and the new-agey music, I think might have even bro-manced my boyfriend into starting a garden of his own. He has plants, and the banana trees I gave him for Christmas, in his back yard, but I think I'm saving my bottles now for a setup for him.

The Belgian guy in the video suggests one window per bottle, but on the larger bottles I did two staggered ones. And I may add some more columns with the small water bottles - I can get a bunch of them from the fitness studio recycling, though I will have to rig them more carefully without another vertical trellis post to align them to. I will use more wire to weave a structure around all the columns. Will hopefully add some herbs and some small flowers, maybe some more substantial green leafies like kale.

[kilroyscarnival]

By the way, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. I was just rambling. But thought you would dig that bottle thing too.

[Delerium]

Not at all. It's about sharing ideas. I was playing around with stacking the discarded part of my self watering containers and it can hold a good amount of soil.. Only thing is probably making a nice stand for it to keep it upright. Maybe it can be a future Video for my channel lol.

[greenthumbomaha]

Lowes is selling a "Wine Bottle " planter (also plastic) for $17.99 with a houseplant in it. Instead of potting soil, they use a hydroponic-like pebble.