Taking care of plants is a concern when you go on a holiday or out of town for a few days. Instead of spending money on a watering system for your garden or plants, you can now make a self-watering planter at minimum cost. What’s more, you can make it at home and reuse plastic bottles you don’t need. You can turn them into pretty planters. There is no point in wasting plastic if you can make something meaningful out of it. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to make a self-watering planter at home.
Difficulty level : Easy
Time required : About half an hour
Resources required :
- A piece of cotton string
- A hot piece of wire which will be used to make a hole in the lid
- A sharp knife
- An empty plastic bottle
- Some seeds along with soil
Instructions :
1. Bottles:
You need empty plastic bottles that are in good shape. Remove the caps. Cut the empty bottles into two halves with a sharp knife. Make sure that the bottom half of the bottle is wider than the top half. The knife that you will use should be quite sharp or else the edges will be rugged.
2. Make the lid:
Take a piece of wire and heat it. Make sure you have something to hold the wire with or it can give you a bad burn. You can also use gloves for extra precaution. After you have heated the wire, use it to pierce through the lid or cap of the bottle. A small roll of wire will be enough for this. Then pass a cotton string through the hole of the lid or cap. The wire is heated to facilitate piercing the lid or cap. You have to be a little cautious while you are at this step.
3. Assemble the parts together:
Now you have to combine the parts that you have created in step 1 and step 2. The lid has to be fixed back to the top part of the bottle. Make sure that the bottom part is wider than the top part of the bottle or else the top part won’t stay fixed on the bottom part as you will need to put the top part into the bottom part by turning it upside down. It will also hamper the balance. Cut off the extra part of the cotton string and make sure that the string is as long as the whole thing that you have created. You can use a pair of scissors to snip the extra part of the cotton string off or you could measure the length of the bottle earlier and make the length accordingly.
4. Seeds and soil:
After you have completed setting up the planter, arrange for some seeds. You can choose any seeds of your choice but make sure that they are light plants or herbs as the planters that you have created won’t be able to bear too much of weight. Now, put in the soil and the seeds together, Make sure that the cotton string is straight. Then pour water to the bottom part of the plastic planter. Don’t put too much of water as that may cause some imbalance. Also make sure that the water doesn’t reach the lid.
5. Growing plants:
Always add water to the bottom part of the planter. Never put water on the top part as that may cause dirt to seep into the bottom part. This will cause algae to grow in the bottom part. The cotton string has been used for this purpose. The water will seep up through this and provide sufficient moisture.
Frequently asked questions :
Q. What is the cost involved in making this planter?
A : This planter is made of recycled plastic bottles and so there is practically no extra cost involved in making this.
Quick tips :
- Use a pair of gloves when you are heating up the wire to pierce the lid of the bottle. This can get dangerous if you are not careful enough.
- Make sure that the bottom part of the bottle that you are using, is wider than the top part.
Things to watch out for :
Never put water on the top of the planter as then dirt can seep into the bottom part and algae may start growing.
