I bought myself a wetpots watering kit a couple of weeks ago and I have been eagerly wanting to setup my first container since then. The kit comes with ten ceramic pots, all the tubing and a water tank, for $165. Today I finally had a chance to go down to Bunnings and get some soil and I am going to make a self-watering container.
Wetpots only release water when the soil is dry, so by using a self-watering container with a wetpots system I will be conserving more water as the water will be recycled within the pot. A self-watering container essentially stores water at the bottom of the container but allows the water to rise into the soil if the soil dries out. It uses a ‘wicking’ or capillary action to bring the water to the surface. Using a labour saving watering method is a key aspect to permaculture gardening.
Here are the steps to make your own
- Instead of having a drainage hole at the bottom of the container, you need drainage holes at the side at a height which is low enough for the container to have enough soil for the plant but high enough to store a fair bit of water. 5-10cm should be good as long as your pot is at least 40cm tall (you need a taller pot so that you have enough room for both the soil and the water).
- If your container already has a drainage hole at the bottom then use a piece of sturdy plastic to cover up at the bottom of the container and make sure the sides of the plastic come to the height where you plan to place your drainage holes. Use a drill to create a drainage hole on two sides of the container.
- Fill the bottom up with cheap recycled materials to create a water channel. Water bottles cut in half with the cut side down are a good choice, as are old ceramic tiles (placed at angles to create water channels, not lying flat). I am using heavy cardboard folded a few times to make a thick barrier since I have an unlimited supply of cardboard. If you use cardboard like me you will need to replace your cardboard next time you dig up the pot if it has broken down.
- On top of your water channel, pack in some spongy mulch such as straw or sugar cane. It needs to be packed in tightly as it will need to act like a sponge and absorb the water sitting below. The spongy mulch should be packed in to a couple of cm above the level of the drainage holes. If the container becomes over-watered the channel will fill up with water, the mulch will absorb much of the excess water and any further excess will drain out the sides. This will stop the plant from becoming waterlogged if too much water is applied.
- Good quality potting mix should be added to the container so that it directly sits upon the straw and absorbs any water that is stored in the mulch.
- For best effect, a self watering pot should be watered from below the surface of the water so that water does not evaporate from the top. The wetpots will do this for us! Without a wetpot system however you can still create a self-watering container – just insert a plastic pipe (a water bottle will do the trick) into one corner and water through the pipe. This will direct the water to the bottom of the container where it will then be wicked up towards the plant roots.
- The picture below is an example without the wetpot included.
picture from http://www.theveggiegarden.com.au/
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