From the page: The bottle that still shines
Idea 1
Self-watering inverted planter
Watering by capillarity is an old nursery technique: the plant draws water from the soil as it needs it, just as it does with the water table in nature. The inverted bottle turns this into an automatic system — the water goes down slowly, the substrate stays perfectly moist, and nothing rots from excess.
What you need
- A clean wine bottle, with or without cork
- A pot or cachepot with a plant
- Water
- If you want to control the flow: a cork pierced through the middle or a cotton/gauze plug in the bottleneck
How to make it
-
1
Wash the inside of the bottle thoroughly to remove any wine residue — leftover sugar and alcohol attract fungi and ferment in the substrate.
-
2
If you'll use a cork, pierce the center with a toothpick or heated needle: a thin hole makes the water drip slowly, which is exactly the ideal rhythm.
-
3
Water the plant normally one first time, so the substrate is already moist when the system starts.
-
4
Fill the bottle with water, cover the mouth with your hand, and turn it upside down, burying the bottleneck about 2 to 4 inches into the substrate, tilted and leaning against the edge so you don't hurt the roots.
-
5
Observe on the first day: if the water goes down too fast, fill the bottleneck with gauze or cotton to slow the flow.
-
6
Refill the bottle when the level drops — on hot days it can last 3 to 5 days, and on humid days, over a week.
Finishing touches
perfect for vacations and short trips, especially with thyme, basil, parsley, and chili peppers in medium pots. The dark wine glass also protects the water from algae, which need light to appear.
This is one of the ideas from the full page — see all the possibilities.
This page feeds the collective knowledge 🌱 — every discovery makes the next answer better.