Topic: Using buried plastic bottles to water plants?

[antipodes]

I have seen this in several places - 'specially with toms - plastic bottles upside down planted in the soil next to them. Can't be a new species of plant! How does this work? Are the bottles open, or just have a hole pierced in them somewhere? Should you always water toms like that? I am just about to plant some, so want to get it right as I am planting.
Thanks

[quizzical1]

I think the idea is that you remove the bottom of the bottle ( and unscrew/loosen the top), half bury it alongside your tomato plant, neck down, and water into the bottle. The bottle acts as a funnel/reservoir, and takes the water direct to the roots of the plant.

For the first time this year, I am growing my GH toms in old flower buckets which I have drilled drainage holes in 3-4" from the bottom(so they have a sort of reservoir), and am watering from the top as usual.

We did once try the bottle method, but it was in growbags and they kept falling over as the compost wasn't deep enough to support them.

[stanley]

Did this last year with our courgettes, prick a small hole in the bottom of the bottle, bury it up to its neck by the plant and fill the bottle. It slowly drains around the roots.
It worked very well and we will be repeating this year.
Bonne chance

[Melbourne12]

Yep.  We did this with 6 dozen tomato plants last year, and we'll be repeating it this year.  Cut the bottom off the bottle, remove the scre top, bury about a third of the bottle next to the tommie, slanting slightly in towards the centre of the plant.

We used black plastic mulch also, so cut a hole in the plastic to accommodate the bottle.

Not only was it economical on water in a drought year, but it's a very effective way of liquid feeding too.

[keef]

Also helps prevent washing the soil away from the roots.

[antipodes]

Ah OK! I have some 5 litre bottles that I get from work, If I just prick a small hole in the bottom that could be a terrific way of watering the tomatoes when I go on holidays :D
I will have to save a few over this week and plant them with the first tomatoes this weekend. Thanks for that helpful advice.

[Trixiebelle]

What a fab idea. Thanks for the tip!  :)

[sweet-pea]

I tried pricking a whole in the bottom last year but found that the water either drained out fairly quickly so no use for watering over a long period, or that it got blocked up.  I didn't experiment much with size of hole, but instead decided to just remove the cap completely and use it to direct water and liquid feed to the roots when I watered.  Luckily I have a friend or two who are happy to water when I'm on hols  :)

[milkybardave]

I'm doing this with my peas, but will also do the Toms as well now! ;D

[manicscousers]

we did it with courgettes and squash, also cucumbers and tomatoes, worked well  :)

[Rosyred]

I'm doing it too started with my peas but also put three round my cabbages some bottles didn't work but I found the 2lt ribena have worked well. but know I know just to make a couple of holes i'll try that too with cap on.

[Slug_killer]

Which are best :-

 The stiff plastic bottles that squash comes in, or,
 The squeezable bottles that fizzy drinks come in ?

Or does it matter ?

[manicscousers]

we use whatever we can get our hands on, if they're too squidgy we use them as cane toppers :)

[Carls3168]

I did this with my tomato's last year - its great as you know the water is going where its needed and wont just evaporate or sit on the surface.
Watered down the bottle 3-4 times per week, filling each 500ml bottle twice and applied a liquid feed to the bottom of the stem once a week.

Although it saves on water as my tom's were planted outside the one's that didnt have a bottle seemed to do just as well... I guess the roots just search deeper!
Makes life alot easier though either way...  ;)

I used 500ml Coke bottles...

[MrsKP]

I have a hanging "carrier bag" type planter thingy for some petunias that I potted up this week.  I made a nice neat pattern of holes up and down the body of a 500ml coke bottle and pushed this from the top into the centre of the bag.

Fill bottle with water and watch it (from a perch) distribute water more or less evenly throughout the bag. 

last year i sunk some 2ltr pop bottles by the runners but eventually couldn't find them to water into, so just stuck the hose in the bed instead (no ban here =yay!)

 ;D

[Nelson]

We use this method last year for toms and it worked well.  Gets the water straight into the earth, prevented runoff and stopped the surface baking into a hard pan.  Going to use it much more extensively this year.

I use 2l size pop bottles as cloches and smaller, stiffer ones for watering pipes.  Lengths of drainpipe works well too.