Pop Bottle Gardening

[AZ Prepper]

Some really interesting stuff on recycling pop bottles in your garden...


Tomato Seedlings in Pop Bottle Planters
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2009...-planters.html


These are some of the first heirloom tomato seedlings planted in sub-irrigated pop bottles. As you can see, I planted them deep (just up to the first leaves).

They are growing under 40 watt fluorescent lights. Hopefully they will develop some caliper (yet another learning opportunity).


After 1 week

[AZ Prepper]

The Rosetta Stone of "Self-watering"
http://www.insideurbangreen.org/2009...a-sponsor.html



These are planters made from 1, 2 and 3-liter pop bottles. Use them and you will be reading a Rosetta stone of sub-irrigation (known incorrectly as "self-watering" in the consumer market).

Use them and you will soon be growing superior plants while learning more about capillary action and how plants function. Use them to teach your children too. What they will learn is about science, not just gardening.

Capillary action is the basic function behind all so called "self-watering" planters whether they be for decorative house plants or vegetable growing. Learn about capillary action by observing it at work in these clear bottle planters. What you will observe and learn is applicable when growing all terrestrial plants whether indoor or outdoor.

Think I'm over dramatizing? You will discover that I'm not when you try them yourself. Remember that they are FREE! In fact, you get some extra points for doing some social good by keeping them out of the waste stream.

I have been studying sub-irrigation watering methods for more than 30 years. It started in my interior plantscaping business back in the '70's. Sub-irrigation revolutionized the way we did business. Our quality went up along with customer satisfaction, while our replacement rate went down. It was a lot easier to train new employees too.

I have tested most of the commercial products on the market and have made many homemade versions over the years. One thing that all of this has proven beyond any doubt is that sub-irrigation is a superior method of watering.
Drench and drain (top watering) may seem intuitive and the natural thing to do but it isn't. If your plants could talk, they would tell you so. The two most benign things you can do for your plants (either edible or decorative) are to provide them with adequate light and water them by capillary action.

Use these planters and you will prove it to yourself.

Instructions:

For Growing and Education Rather Than Decoration

These sub-irrigation (aka "self-watering") planters are as good as any you can buy, make that better than you can buy...and they're free.

Think of them as "plumbing" for plants rather than decoration. Read much more about how to use and conceal them here.

Made from repurposed (recycled) plastic soda (pop) bottles, they are both functional and educational. You can see exactly how sub-irrigation (capillary action) works as well as the status of the soil and root system.

A 1 liter bottle planter is roughly equivalent to a 4" grower pot, the 2 liter planter close to a 6" grower pot in volume and a 3 liter planter in the range of a 6 to 8" grower pot.

The first step is to remove the label.

Update: I now use a hair dryer, moving it quickly over the label to avoid melting the plastic.

Fill the bottle with very hot water. I heat enough water (not to a boil) on the stove to fill two bottles. Wearing oven mitts, and using a funnel I fill the bottles in the sink. If the water is hot enough, it will almost instantly melt the label adhesive.

Update: Using very hot (not boiling) water heated on the stove, I shrank a 2-liter bottle to about 1-liter size. Amazingly, the bottle was still in perfect proportion and shape. I have a feeling the manufacturers are tinkering with the plastic (probably reducing the wall thickness). I need to do some more water temperature testing and will post the results.

Make a vertical cut with scissors (or a sharp knife) down through the label and it will peel off leaving no label residue other than some of the adhesive. You can easily remove this with Goof Off, Goo Gone or peanut butter.

Note that if the label doesn't peel off easily, the water was not hot enough.



Mark a line to follow when cutting the bottle. Hold a permanent marker (Sharpie) on top of a 14 oz can and rotate the bottle to make a perfectly straight line to guide your cut.

Note that the height of a 14 oz can is only an approximate dimension. You will have to do some trimming as explained later in this photo set. As you gain some experience you may find that it's better to use some shim material (ex. cardboard) under the bottle to get a more precise cut. With some cardboard shims (not shown) under the bottle, you won't need do as much trimming. You'll soon find out what works best for you.



Poke a series of hole in the neck and top of the bottle. I used to use a metal skewer heated over my gas burner. I now use a wood burning pen with changeable tips. An electric soldering iron also works.



The wood burning pen has an Xacto knife tip to make an entry slit in the bottle using the previously marked line as a guide. Before I got the pen, I used a box cutter and also a small kitchen knife heated over the gas burner.

Note: My hands are positioned here for the photo only. Lay the bottle down on a flat surface and keep your fingers away from the hot blade.



Poke the scissor blade into the slit made in Step 3. Carefully cut the bottle following the marked line. I cut from inside the bottle. You may find it easier to cut from outside the bottle.

This first cut is usually rather rough. It's best to trim cut both the top and bottom sections to avoid skin cuts and provide a better looking planter.



The 14 oz. can is not an exact marker. It will provide the rough size for most 2-liter bottles. Once you make the initial cut to halve the bottle you need to trim to fit. The objective is to get the top of the neck to touch the inside of the bottom.

This make take a couple of cuts. Insert the top into the bottom and eyeball the distance between the top of the neck and the inside of the bottom. My first cut line is usually made with the Sharpie laying flat as you see here. Mark the line and cut.

Insert the top into the bottom again to see how close the top of the neck is to the bottom. I make "precision" cut lines by tipping the marker at a 45 degree angle. This makes a black line right at the edge in order to trim a small amount.

You may find it better to insert a shim (cardboard for example) under the bottle when you make the initial cut line. This will save you some trim cutting.

Trim cuts of both halves will provide a smooth edge to both the top and bottom of the planter. The first cut usually leaves some sharp, jagged edges which could cause a skin cut. It's better to make a smooth trim cut for aesthetic reasons as well.

I've seen many of these bottle planters with pieces of label still attached and rough plastic edges. They look pretty tacky to my eyes.



Originally I cut holes in the bottle cap to hold the soil insde the planter. I now use a "wick/soil retainer" (approx. 1" by 3") made from polyester batting material (felt). Lay it in the neck as shown.

Note that cotton material would work also, but not last as long as the polyester batting material.



Pour some potting mix into the planter on top of the wick/soil retainer. Using a finger, a dowel or some other tool push the soil down firmly until the "wick/soil retainer slightly protrudes at the neck opening.

The "wick/soil retainer" holds the soil in the planter and also assures that there will be contact with the water for capillary action to take place.

Note that you do not need a wick all the way up through the soil. The potting mix by itself will provide wicking by capillary action. You can see it happen.

In my opinion this is a far better method than using string through a hole in the cap for a wick. You could also wedge the soil in the neck without the wick strip but over time the soil may fall through. This method is both functional and permanent.

You're now ready to plant whatever it is that you're going to grow. See the rest of the photos in this set.



Over time you will observe very vigorous root growth in pop bottle planters.

That's good news but you will need to carefully observe the roots in the neck (wicking area) of the bottle. Over time, the roots will displace the soil in the neck and you will lose capillary action. That's what happened with this Aglaonema.

The solution is simple and takes but a few minutes. Push the plant out of the planter by poking your finger through the neck. Cut off the protrusion of roots at the bottom of the root system with scissors or pruners. Don't worry you won't hurt the plant.

Clean the polyester wick or insert a new one. Add a bit of fresh potting mix and reinstall the plant.

Add a measured amount of water and you're good to go.

Note: If the soil has dried out (as happened with this plant), water the soil from the top and let it drain through. Be sure to thoroughly moisten the soil.

[AZ Prepper]

Some more pictures of this method...

[Ready1]

So where does the water go? In the bottom so it can wick up? If so, to you just lift up the part with the neck and add water? How much water? Would love more info on this. Those plants look fabulous.

[AZ Prepper]

Yes, the water goes in the bottom so it can wick it up. Most often, the roots will begin to grow out through the holes and absorb the water from the reservoir below, depending on the plant. Otherwise, the water is absorbed up into the soil. You'll wanna experiment depending on the type of plant and root system you're using (houseplant vs. cactus vs. herbs, etc).

[AZ Prepper Lady]

Just getting ready to plant our garden, so I came back and read through this more carefully. This looks really cool and even easy enough for me to do it. I think I'll try it.

And best of all, I don't have to buy anything. Thanks for the great post!!

[bonniewood]

I'm going to experiment by using coffee machine filter material in place of the felt...just out of curiosity. I just read something fairly recently about a whole lot of good things they can be used for. Unfortunately I can't remember where I read it or many of the cool things they can be used for. LOL

[ssprepper]

I'm glad other people have the same problem I have with not remembering where they found stuff they've seen on the internet. This is a really good idea. I think I might try this with my tomato plants. They could be huge when they go out in the garden. Thanks

[Nauvoo2002]

I really like the way that you have set this up for capillary watering.

But isn't the roots growing through the holes a problem? It wouldn't be if the entire life of the plant was to be spent in this planter, but for those of us who grow little seedlings for replantation in the garden at a later time -- this method poses the risk of damage to the delicate root system, I would think.

I'm going to try this system out for myself -- to see what happens.

The idea is interesting.

[AZ Prepper]

But isn't the roots growing through the holes a problem? It wouldn't be if the entire life of the plant was to be spent in this planter, but for those of us who grow little seedlings for replantation in the garden at a later time -- this method poses the risk of damage to the delicate root system, I would think.

I looked at the process as a permanent planter for certain vegetable and herbal plants. But even if you were to transplant them from seedlings, I'd think that their root system may not be developed enough to have a huge effect on transplanting in regards to the holes. Some trimming may be needed, but I wouldn't think it would be substantial. I guess it would depend on the type of plant and specific root system.

Like you said, it is something worth trying out and seeing through experience. Please report back and let us know what you find.