5 Self-Watering Systems for your Plants

You have a house and garden full of plants that you want to be sure will make it whilst you are away on vacation, but you know that a really hot and dry spell is on its way, and there are no neighbors to ask to pop in and water for you.

Maybe you love your house plants, but you just aren’t that great at remembering to water them, and you find yourself with what looks more like a plant graveyard instead of the lush indoor jungle you going for. 

If you can relate to either of these scenarios, there is help out there. Don’t cancel your holiday and don’t give up on your pot plants.

Check out these really easy ways to make sure that your plants get the water they need when you are not available to help them.

1. Stand Pots in Water

For this method, all you need is a container that is large enough to house all of your house plants in one place–think kitchen sink or bathtub.

If you have outdoor potted plants on a deck or porch, you could use an old paddling pool or a series of smaller tubs. 

This method is a short-term solution and won’t work for plants that need to dry out between waterings as is the case with succulents. 

If you are sure your plants can survive this method, simply put all of your pot plants in your container with about an *inch of water in the bottom. The idea is that plants can absorb water as and when they need it. 

*The amount of water you leave the plants with will depend on how many plants you have. You will also have to account for some evaporation loss if your plants are in a sunny spot. 

2. Wick Water to Your Plants #1

Source: Creative Explained/YouTube

A genius way to keep your plants hydrated is you provide them with an irrigation system. All you need is a container of water and a length of string or twine that is long enough to reach from the water and into the plant pot. 

Tie something heavy to the end of the string to help it to stay weighed down in the water. You could also tie the other end of the string to a stick or dowel and push that into the soil. This makes sure that it doesn’t fall out leaving your plant water deprived. 

The water will soak up the string eventually making its way to the soil of your plant. 

If you have several plants, you can have many pieces of string leading from the same water container to countless pot plants.  

3. Wick Water to Your Plants #2

Another way to do essentially the same thing is to create a wicking plant pot before filling it with soil and a plant. First of all, thread string or twine through the drainage holes in the bottom of the pot with the tail of the string hanging down. Then fill it with soil and your plant just as you usually would.

Now, you have to find a way to have the pot sit above a container of water so that the string alone is immersed in the water. You could put your pot into another container that is small enough to hold it up above the water line. 

Just like in #2, the water will wick up the sting directly to the base of the soil. 

4. Individual Drip Irrigation 

Source: The Lawn Review/YouTube

This is a really simple idea and is a great use for old plastic bottles. All you need to poke one or two small holes in the bottom of the water bottle and one in the neck of the bottle. This will help to stop a vacuum from forming preventing the water from dripping out.

Next, fill the bottle with water and screw the lid on. All you have to do now is stand it on the soil surface next to the plant that you want to be watered. The water will slowly drip into the soil whilst you are away. 

Again, this is a very slow watering system, so the blazing sun might evaporate the moisture quicker than it drips from the bottle. 

5. Burried Terracotta Pots

Source: Lovely Greens/YouTube

If you have outdoor garden beds that might not fair well in the sun whilst you’re gone, you could try this traditional method of irrigation. 

You will need some unglazed terracotta pots with some kind of lid to stop the water from evaporating. First of all, you have to bung the drainage hole in the bottom of the pot. A good product to use would be some kind of nonpermeable clay or mounting putty—the stuff you use to put up posters on your wall.

Next, bury the pot in the earth close to the plants that you want to benefit from the water. The lip of the pot should be just above the soil level. Finally, fill it with water and put the lid on the pot. The porous quality of the terracotta will allow the water to leach out keeping the soil moist for your plants. 

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• TikTok Tip: How to Make a Self-Watering Planter
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