Things You'll Need:
- Lengths of PVC pipe (2 inches diameter x 30 inches long)
- Unglazed clay garden pots (8 inches diameter)
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Step 1
Burying PVC pipe 15 inches deep in the middle of several transplanted plants will encourage good root growth and provide a good source of water that will not evaporate. All that is needed to maintain the transplanted plants' water supply is to make sure the pipe is filled with water every few days. If the transplants were to be watered via the soil surface, the water would evaporate quickly, and would not have enough time to penetrate down to the roots.
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Step 2
Take the unglazed clay pots (8 inches in diameter) and bury them by a group of plants, up to their rims. Affix lids with aeration holes punched into them, to allow raindrops to drip into the clay pots. The water will penetrate the clay, thus watering the surrounding plants. Mulch should be placed around the transplanted plants, as in the following step.
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Step 3
Mulch around the transplants with an inch of clean straw or small bark chips, making sure the plants' stalks are well protected. Mulch does several beneficial things for the tender transplants, including eliminating surface-water evaporation. Heavy storm runoff is diverted by the bark chips or straw, and the transplants are kept from being swept away. Rainfall is absorbed by the chips or straw, not reflected upward onto the tender transplant, where it may do damage. The mulching eliminates crusting of the earth around the transplants by allowing aeration of the surface soil, thus enabling healthier plant growth.
