Cool Idea to help water flower beds and recycle plastic!
By coffeebreak
@coffeebreak (17798)
United States
June 6, 2008 12:12pm CST
This is really cool. I am watching DIY and they had a short clip about how to help watering outdoor flower beds. I don't have any, but it was the coolest idea I thought I'd share
Get a 2 liter plastic bottle (like a soda bottle) and leaving the cap on, jab holes (like with a nail) into the top of the bottle. THen turn it upside down and cut a hole large enough to accomodate the hose nozzle (to fill it up). Then dig a hole in your flower bed deep enough to place this bottle in - top/cap side down. Make it deep enough to your liking - whether to have it above ground a bit or flush with the ground. Then fill it with water. The little holes allows the water to filter out as the soil becomes dry.
Makes me want to start a flower bed - but living in an apt, guess I dont have to want to far! Also a good way to recyle plastic bottles that you have paid 5 cents for and most likely will throw in the trash!
2 people like this
9 responses
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I drink ice tea all day long and seems I am always dropping ice cubes as I fill my glass so those are the ones I toss in the plants - can't waste the water!
1 person likes this
@my52cents (569)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I like the ice cube idea. I'm forever sloshing water or overwatering and having dirty water flow out the bottom. Ice sounds like a cure for that. Thanks!
1 person likes this
@bfarrier1 (2082)
• United States
6 Jun 08
ebsharer I like the ice cube ideal too I will try that next time my house plants need water.Thanks and have a great evening.
1 person likes this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
6 Jun 08
That is a really great idea! I don't have a flower bed or garden either mainly because anything within reach of the hose is too close the house and I didn't want to annoy anyone by planting stuff. There is a really pretty spt in the lower yard though that would be nice and private...
1 person likes this
@foxyfire33 (10005)
• United States
6 Jun 08
Like a 20 ounce soda/water bottle! I bet that would work for a nice big potted plant too...not that I have room for on of those either.
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@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I'm in an apt so it is not an option to me either. But someone mentioned doing it in a window box with smaller bottles and I can do that! But it is just one of those "oh yeah! Never thought about that" kind of thing.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I used to buy a 6 pack (every other month of so) of little 8oz bottles of water - I did it for my grand babies. To take a bottle of water and not worry about it spilling and all but those little guys would be perfect for a window box.
1 person likes this
@Liasonfan (1702)
• Canada
10 Jun 08
Cool beans, coffebreak. Thanks for sharing this idea. I was just reading this post to my hubby and we think we may try that in our veggie garden. Great idea. Will let you know how it works!
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
11 Jun 08
Yeah, let us know! I am moving and hope I can get a space to do this. I love herb gardens, dont' use the herbs much, but they are sure fun to grow!
@drannhh (15219)
• United States
6 Jun 08
OK, you can do this indoors too, and the garden shops have little screw on things to put on the neck of the jar that make it work quite well, but those are not as attractive as the AquaGlobes:
http://tinyurl.com/5anozk
The above link is a photo I took of an AquaGlobe watering one of our plants.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
7 Jun 08
That is really nice! I think they meant, tho to bury the plastic farther in the ground so only the bare top is exposed. But I'd rather do this way if indoors, and that is what I will be doing. Although it'd be a great craft for my 8 yo craft addicted GD - I can have her create a decorative cover of some kind to decorate the exposed top of the plastic bottle. THis kids loves doing "creations" and "contraptions"...I'd better not step on her intelligence and buy something!
@my52cents (569)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I like that idea. Around here people use 5-gallon buckets and punch little holes in the bottom then put them at the base of new trees or shrubs that they've planted in order to water them slowly. Pretty ugly, but it works. Your suggestion wouldn't be ugly and would work in a smaller area. Thanks for passing that along!
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
Yeah, guess it could be done on a large scale too. Next lesson: how to cover them up so they don't look so ugly! Any offers?
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
Very good first offer! How hard it is to dig several small holes over one large one? I'd rather do the smaller ones so if something happens to one of them, you only have to replace one. If something happens to that big one...you'd have to replace the whole thing. Just more work, seems to me!
1 person likes this
@my52cents (569)
• United States
6 Jun 08
I guess you could put an empty doghouse over the big buckets! I like your plastic bottle suggestion better since they would be virtually invisible once you take the label off. No reason not to put two or three of those around a bigger plant, seems to me.
1 person likes this
@bfarrier1 (2082)
• United States
6 Jun 08
coffeebreak thank you so much for your information,I do have outside flowerbeds and I will try this,I have seen someting similar on tv that you can buy but if you have the bottles might as well fix your own.You have a great evening.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
7 Jun 08
Good motto - don't buy if you don't have to!Shop at home first!
@arkaf61 (10881)
• Canada
25 Jun 08
It sure seems like a great idea.
I do not live in an apartment, but the downstairs part belongs to my in - laws and I wouldn't dream of even trying to put a flowerbed somewhere in there LOL
But hey, one day I might have one and I will take this idea and use it. That is way cool :):):)
@spalladino (17891)
• United States
6 Jun 08
That's a great idea and something I may be able to modify to work in my window boxes that sit on the railings of my deck. The plants in them get severely dried out during the heat of the day but having something constantly adding a little bit of water to the soil should help them out a lot. I'll have to test out other, smaller bottles and see how it works.
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 Jun 08
Hey, I can do a window box! Wow, thanks for mentioning that! And yeah, you can get these plastic bottles in a variety of sizes so they'd work great in a window box! Thanks for mentioning that ! I will be moving next month, but hopefull I can do window boxes wherever I go! I think I am more inclined to water TO MUCH.
1 person likes this
