Self Watering Containers

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Table of ContentsGrowing in Containers..............................................................4

The Basic Design of Self Watering Containers......................9

Making a Self Watering Container - Step by Step................12

The Secret of how they work..................................................22

Air circulation...........................................................................24

Size of containers....................................................................25

How many vegetables to plant...............................................25

How to use the containers......................................................26

Regulating the water flow.......................................................29

Keeping a journal.....................................................................30

End of the Season...................................................................30

What can you do?....................................................................33

Finally........................................................................................35






Growing in Containers

Despite all the benefits of growing plants in

containers, there is one great drawback and that is

their constant need of watering.

If you do not give vegetables enough water, they

will under-produce. The trouble is you are unlikely

to find out until it is to late, usually when you have

a dismal harvest. Flowers will wilt, or just die.

The other danger is to give them to much water,leading to rot and disease. Over watering is one of

the most common ways for people kill their plants.

People have been using a variety of drip feed water

systems in greenhouses for years but these can still

over-water. Here you swap the chore of wateringfor that of constantly monitoring your plants health.

You can also go the way of watering systems that

are operated by sensors, pumps and timers. In

these ecologically wary and thrifty times, the

expense of setting up such a system and the






energy it uses, does not seem worth the cost andtrouble when balanced against the returns.

Anyway, from a purely aesthetic point of view, I do

not find that a mass of tanks and piping looks very

nice on your patio or balcony.

This is why I personally find the simplicity andfunctionality of reservoir based self watering

systems so appealing. The containers conceal the

watering system completely. In fact, the containers

can even be decorated and become focal points in

themselves. To my mind nothing pulls together a

garden design better, that a beautifully decorated

container overflowing with wonderful plants.

By copying nature herself, and using the capillary

action of the soil to naturally move the water, the

plants benefit from getting just the right amount of

water they need. Not to little and not to much.

Also, if you forget to top up the reservoir, the

plants are more forgiving and as long as you do not

leave it to long, the plants will give you a little

leeway to correct things.






It is true that there are those plants whose needs

will vary, potatoes for instance do not like to sit in

damp soil. Luckily, there are some tips and tricks

that can be employed. These have been learned by

hard won experience and lost crops, but a wise

man once said you can often learn more from yourmistakes than your successes.

Possibly, the greatest advantage of all, is that self

watering containers even allow the complete novice

to become a successful gardener. As long as the

water container is kept topped up and the other

plants needs, like position and sunlight are catered

for, there is more than good chance the plant will

grow successfully. Drainage holes will prevent over-

watering and as long as the soil is occasionally fed,

mother nature will take care of the rest.

There are quite a few commercial versions of self watering containers out there but again, if you

want more than a few, it can work out quite

expensive. So, I hope this guide will be useful for

those people, not just with the desire to have a go

and build one for themselves but also for those with

a limited budget.






I am also sure that these ideas will also be helpful

to the new breed of urban farmer who is trying to

produce some of their own food in those limited

spaces that are ideal for containers like balconies,

window ledges and roofs.

Finally, do not forget that these ideas can be

adapted for those garden crafts-persons who plant

up and decorates containers to give as presents or

sell. What can be more appealing than a beautifully

decorated container of lovely flowers that virtually

takes care of itself.

I would like to encourage you all to spread this

knowledge around. Once you have mastered it,

please teach someone. At the present time I do not

think you could perform a greater service for

people, than show them how to easily grow, at

least some of their own food.

To introduce people to the joy of successfully

growing something from a tiny seed to a healthy

mature plant, is to do something magical for them.

You can help them reconnect.






This simple “technology” has the power to changeso many lives. It will allow first timers a greater

chance of success and give experienced gardeners

the best gift of all – more time.

I really hope you find this useful and here is

wishing to your successbest wishes

GreenjackDavey






The Basic Design of Self Watering Containers

Most self watering containers are based on a

fundamental design of two chambers. One of these

will contain the soil and plants, the other one belowthis, houses the water reservoir. These two

chambers are usually separated by a partition or

floor that keeps the soil above the water with a

small gap between them for air and drainage. Thewater chamber is not as big as the soil chamber

and takes up approximately ¼ to 1 /3 of the lower

space.

The floor or partition that separates the two

chambers is usually supported by open weave

basket type containers, into which soil is tightly

packed. These rest in the water chamber and act as

wicks, allowing the moisture to rise or soak into thesoil chamber through capillary action.

At the level between the top of the water surface

and the partition floor, drainage holes are placed in

the sides of the container. This prevents the






overfilling of the water chamber and also allows airto circulate.

The water is delivered to the reservoir chamber by

a topping up or re-fill tube, that leads from the

water chamber to the top of the inside surface of

the container. There is some controversy aboutwhether you should use PVC piping for this. If you

are worried about V.O.C's or plastic contaminating

your flowers and vegetables you should opt for a

piece of copper piping or an organically friendly

length of bamboo.

Again if you are growing food and recycling plastic

containers, you should make sure that they are

food grade plastic. If you are considering the

purchase of a container from some place other than

a kitchen or restaurant supply store, and the

container is not clearly labeled as "food safe" or

being made of food grade plastic, then you shouldassume that it is not food grade.

To be certain that you are choosing a container that

does not leach, check for a recycling symbol

somewhere on the container.






If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a#4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP

(polypropylene), you should be alright.

This is a universal sign for

"food safe" food container

and utensils.Check to see if the containeryou are going to use has it.

Also you may find the symbol of a wine glass and afork. This is again an international symbol for a

container that is made of food safe plastic.






Making a Self WateringContainer - Step by Step

For this example we will use a standard storage

box. The lid can be cut down and used for making

the platform that separates the soil from the waterchamber.

For the wicks we will use plastic flower pots. You

will need to drill these with drainage holes to let the

water seep into the soil.






If you insert one inside the other, you can drill both

at the same time.

Drill an extra four holes, evenly spaced in the rim

of each pot. This is so you can attach the pots with

ties to the partition later.

You can also use the open weave flower pots that

are sold for water plants for ponds.






Next, you need to place the box on the lid and

mark around it.

This will become the floor of the partition in the

base of the box that separates the soil from the

water reservoir.






Next you need to cut out the center of the lid, just

inside the lines you have drawn.

Use a metal rule to steady your blade and take it

slowly. When you have cut out the centre of the lid,

you will need to mark out two circles using your

“wick” pots as a guide.






Rather than try cutting out two circles, you may

find it easier to draw crosses through the circles

and then then join up the points where it touches

the edges of the circle.

This will leave you to square holes to cut out thatwill rest on the rim of your “wick” pots.






Drill holes at the corners of the square hole you

have cut, so you can attach the “wick”pots. While

you have the drill handy, you can also make some

extra holes in the partition to allow air flow.

Before you attach the “wick” pots to the base use

one of them to measure the height of your

drainage/overflow hole. This should be just below

the height of the pot.






Place the base on your “wick” pots and attached

them with plastic ties to the holes you drilled at thecorners.

You can use plant ties or even cable ties, the sort

used by electricians.






Cut a piece of tubing to height of the container and

remember to cut the end that goes into the water

reservoir at an angle to help prevent it getting

blocked.

You place this in the inside corner of the container

making sure the top will be above the level of the

soil when it is filled.






The next step is to place the box in the place it is

going to hold the plants and fill it up. Remember,

you do not want to be moving this around after you

have filled it, as it will be quite heavy!

Fill the “wick” pots with soil and firm it down. This

will help the water to flow upwards into the rest of

the container.






Then fill up the rest of the container with compost.This should not be firmed down to much as plants

need air in the soil around their roots.

Now plant up as you would a normal container.






The Secret of how they work

This basic design can be applied to a variety of

containers and can be adapted for growing different

plants and vegetables.

Self watering containers will allow you to increase

the production of vegetables and plants, while at

the same time reduce the time you spend caring for

them. The plants are able to soak up the right

amount of moisture they need through the action of

the soil wicks that soak up the water from the

reservoir below.

There is also a secret to how the plant will

develop and thrive in a self watering

container.

The plant will naturally tend to send some of its

roots downward to find where water has settled in

the ground. This is how it behaves when it is

planted in the ground, searching downwards until it

finds the water table.






Now, and this is the key to your success, if youfertilize you plants from above, the plants will

develop and form two different sorts of roots. Apart

from the set it will send down in search of

moisture, another set will develop and stay nearer

the surface to gather the nutrients it needs. This bi-

root system that you will encourage with a self

watering system is the key to success.

This is the optimum lifestyle for a healthy and

happy plant. When you use this method for

vegetables, those grown in self watering container

will often outproduce the same variety grown in the

ground.

Watering the plants from below, solves most of the

problems usually associated with over-watering. All

plants rely on micro-organisms and small bugs that

cluster around their roots at the base of their

stem,to break down the nutrients in the soil andprovide them with the food they need. These

creature need air (as does the plant itself).

When a plant is watered from above as most

gardeners do with hoses, these micro organisms






often drown as the soil becomes to water soddenand the plant suffers as a result.

The best way to feed your flowers or vegetables is

with compost from a wormery or worm farm. All

you have do is top dress the soil around their

stems.

Air circulation

Remember those drainage holes just below the

floor of the soil partition and the water chamber?

They also serve a second function. As there is a gapbetween the water and soil, this also lets in air and

makes sure the plant roots get plenty of air.

With self watering containers the plants get just the

right amount of water and air they need, as the

soil soaks up the water from the chamber below.

Depending on the size of your container and the

depth of your water container, this will mean,

except possibly in the height of Summer, the plants

will survive quite happily for a few days without the

water chamber needing to be topped up.






Size of containers

Here we come to an important point and that is the

actual size of the container you use. Although, most

smaller containers (bucket size) are suitable for

growing most flowers and herbs, vegetables willneed something bigger.

Square containers use small amounts of space

more efficiently than round pots. You will have to

make sure that the container you use will hold

enough soil for the plant to develop and mature

without becoming pot bound. Vegetables will

appear to grow fairly well in a container that is tosmall for them but when it comes to harvest time,

you will find your fruit stunted, where the plant has

not had enough room to develop fully.

How many vegetables to plant

To give you a rough idea of the size of container

you will need, commercial producers of self

watering containers claim that a box approximately

2.5 feet long by one foot high and one foot wide,






(which will hold about 2.5 cubic feet of soil), will besuitable for either;

10 spinaches

8 Lettuces

6 Cabbages

4 Cucumbers

2 Tomato plants

This should allow you to calculate the size and

number of containers you will need, depending on

the size of space you have available to grow your

crops.

How to use the containers

First and most importantly, you must use potting

compost for the “wicks” and if possible for the rest

of the container. Just filling it up with soil from the

garden will not allow the water to move as well. If

you want to make your own you can use a mixture

of roughly 45% peat (or peat substitute) to 45%

compost and 10% pearlite.






If you are worried about the soil falling into thewater chamber below, you can always lay down a

piece of breathable landscape fabric before you fill

up the containers. This is often sold in garden

centres as a weed suppressant or contact your local

landscape gardener, explain what you are doing

and see if they have any off cuts. If you are selling

decorated and planted up self watering containers,this is great way to make business contacts.

Remember, that any container will be much heavier

once you have added the water and potting

compost so make sure the container is in or near

its final resting place. The siting of the containerwill depend on the needs of the plants you are

putting in them but, as a general rule, they will do

best where they will get at least 6 to 8 hours sun aday and are sheltered from any winds or draughts.

After planting up the container as you wouldnormally, water the plants from above for the first

3 or 4 days to let them settle in. Then begin

topping up the water reservoir using the water

tube. Stop filling the chamber when you see the

water staring to dribble out of the overflow holes inthe side of the container. This will tell you that the

water chamber is filled to its capacity.






Some of the plant roots will now start to travel

downwards in search of water while other will

gather around the plant base, nearer the surface to

supply the plants with nutrients.

If you believe the container will suffer fromevaporation, and this is often caused more by wind

than sun, you must consider using a mulch of some

sort. This can be a plastic sheet, grit or something

organic like leaf mold.

By sheltering the soil around the surface of theplant help keep the moisture in and keep the plants

a bit warmer early on and later in the year. This will

allow to start your crops earlier and extend the end

of your growing season into the autumn months

and even winter with the right crops and flowers.

One problem, you may have, depending on where

you live, is that of mosquitoes that lay their eggs in

stagnant water. If you introduce a spoonful of

cooking oil, such as olive oil or sunflower oil to your

water reservoir, it will prevent mosquitoes from

laying their eggs. However, since it will lay in a

light film on the surface of the water, it will tend to






get wash out of the drainage holes if you overfillthe water reservoir to often. This means you will

have to occasionally add a bit more oil.

The air flow through the drainage holes should

prevent any fungi from growing, but you can also

add a piece of charcoal to the water reservoir, abarbecue briquet will do, when assembling your self

watering container to keep the water sweet.

Regulating the water flowIf you want the maximum amount of water to soak

upwards from the water chambers through the soil

wicks, you must make sure that the soil in these

wicks is compressed. Compressed soil causes the

water to flow more easily.

On the other hand, if you wish to reduce the flow of

water into the upper soil container, you can do this

by mixing some grit or small stones into the soil of

the wick. This will slow down the capillary action

and reduce the amount of wetness in the bottom of

the container. This is handy for certain root






vegetable crops, if your container is not deepenough and you think their feet may be standing in

wet soil.

Keeping a journal

We all learn by experience and you will find it

extremely helpful if you keep a garden journal and

record the statistics of each container you make.

This should include the size of the container, the

size of the soil chamber and the water reservoir,

how much soil and what mix you used. At the end

of the season you will find all this information

helpful for improving the performance the followingyear.

End of the Season

At the end of the season, there is no need tochange the soil. Simply check to make sure the soil

is not compacted. If you have been growing

vegetables you will loosen the soil when you

remove the plants.






Take away the top 3 inches of soil and replace itwith fresh compost. Add some fertilizer if you wish

and it is ready for replanting.

If the container is not going to be used over winter

you can always use the space to grow a green

manure crop like comfrey that you can dig in before

you plant in spring or harvest and add to yourcompost bin.

In spring if you are planting vegetables try and use

a container that did not have them the previous

year, to help lessen the chance of disease.

Why we should use self watering containers

I hope you can see the benefits of using this

system to grow your flowers and vegetables. It isnot just a case of making life easier and reducing

that terrible monotonous garden chore of watering,

sometimes three times a day in high summer. It is

not just about reducing the stress on your plants

and increasing their chances of a healthy life. There

is something else more important here at stake as

well, and it affects us all.






For to long, most of us in the west have taken

water for granted, we turn on a tap and there it is,

as much as we want. Well all that is changing.

Demand on water in increasing at an alarming rate.

The growth in population, changing weather

patterns, evaporation due to rising temperatures,lower rainfall are just some of the things that are

that are putting pressure on existing water

supplies. The demands for water to grow food and

simply sustain life are growing with every minute

that passes.

All those new towns and houses that are being

built, all need to be connected to the water mains.

The effects can already be seen as we try to extract

more and more water from our underground

reservoirs and rivers, which are simply not refilling

as fast as they used to, even a decade ago.

We suffer storms with torrential and devastating

record rainfall in short periods of time but overall

the long term yearly average of rainfall is dropping.

The low levels in our rivers means there is less

oxygen for the plants, fish and wild life they

support, increasing the risk of pollution and causing

many species to suffer decline.






We have already experienced a few dry summers

and as these become more common, so will the

water saving measures, like hose pipe bans and

rationing. At the very least we will all eventually

have water meters in our homes. Some propose a

sliding tariff, so that the more water you use, themore per gallon you pay for it.

At present, it has been estimated that every person

in the UK alone uses 75 gallons a day of fresh

water. If you leave a garden hose on for just an

hour, you will use over 200 gallons. We all need to

play our part in reducing the amount of this

wonderful natural resource that we squander.

What can you do?

For a start there is nothing better for plants and

topping up your self watering containers as

rainwater. Use water butts connected to the

downpipes from the gutters of your roof. Not only is

the rainwater you collect good for your plants, it is

also a free source.






If you have other plants in the garden to water,then try and do it after the sun has gone down in

the evenings. This will reduce the amount of water

that you normally loose to evaporation.

You know from using the self watering containers

about the bi-root system that plants develop soremember it is best to water the roots rather than

the leaves.

Cut down plastic bottles and bury them in the

ground with the neck pointing towards the roots of

your plants. When you pour the water into theseupturned bottles, you will know that the water is

going where it is need.

Avoid using a sprinkler, it uses to much water and

most of it will end up on the foliage instead of the

lower roots where it is needed. Bury a seep hose in

amongst your plants, or convert an old hose pipe

by making small holes along it.

When you have the water in the ground make sure

it stays there and does not evaporate. Use mulches

to cover the ground around your plants and lock

the moisture in. If you must use a garden hose,






make sure it has a tap or trigger gun at thebusiness end.

It is important that you can turn the water off when

you are not using it, without having to walk back to

the source tap at the other end, to turn it off.

Check that there are no small leaks in your hose. If there are, repair them or get a new hose and use

the old one as a seep hose. Even small holes loose

gallons over an hour.

Finally

Please think about sharing your experiences with

others, whether with friends, family, neighbours or

work colleagues; Or through the internet with blogs

or just dropping me an email.

Encouraging people to grow their own food or make

the world more beautiful place with flowers gives

you the opportunity to change lives for the better

best wishes

Greenjackdavey






Save a fortune on buying compost for your containers by turning your own kitchen waste intoBlack Gold.

The D.I.Y. Wormery Manual

will show you how to build arange of wormeries and worm

farms, from simple stackedboxes to expensive cottage

beehive style ones, to use or

sell.Rich Worm compost can turnyour containers into growing

powerhouses using kitchenwaste you usually throw away.

Find out more about the D.I.Y Wormery Manual here!

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