EN So it’s summer in the garden, and the temperatures are high. Some of us try to keep up with the watering, but it’s drying up faster than the plant can suck it up. You may think to yourself, what can I do in a pinch to help my plants? Make an olla.
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How Does it Work
Ollas have been used for growing in hot weather since ancient times. This works because terracotta is porous, so air and water can slowly pass through it. This watering method will only work with unglazed terracotta pots.
Materials
- Terracotta pot and saucer of any size. Example [ 4in pot / 6in saucer]
- Assortment of corks or thick fabric of a natural fiber
- shovel
- water
These are the corks that I purchased from Amazon 100 Pack Assorted Corks
Instructions
- Take your pot and find a cork that snuggly plugs the drainage hole.
- Alternatively, cut a piece of thick fabric and roll it up into a plug that’s wider than the drainage hole.
3. Dig a hole in the garden deep enough to where only the very top of the pot is above soil level. Refill the dirt around the pot.
4. Fill the pot up with water, check for leakage, cover with the saucer and you’re done.
If you use 6in pots place them roughly 6-8″ apart. For larger sizes place roughly 8-12″ apart.
Other Ideas
Another solution is to simply fill a bottle with water and shove it into the dirt. I fond this works for deep rooted plants best, but it isn’t really efficient in watering small pots or plants with extremely shallow roots.
I enjoy using terracotta watering stakes with bottles in my containers because they help release water more evenly and slowly. The only thing I have to be concerned about is accidentally breaking them by stepping on them or pressing them into compacted soil without pre digging a hole, but with proper care they are a plants life saver.
Here is a link to similar stakes that I own. The stakes I originally purchased are no longer available. Set of 6 Pack Terracotta Watering Spikes
Note
You will want to pull up your pots and stakes in the winter to protect them from breaking when the water freezes.
That’s our simple diy, if you have any questions comment down below.
Happy Summer.
