How to Make a Self Watering Planter from an Old Milk Jug

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By savvymom
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Make a Self Watering Planter from an Old Milk Jug

Make your own self-watering planters out of garbage! Good for your plants, and the environment; Once you understand the principles behind what makes a self-watering container work, you can improvise one out of almost anything. In this article I'll teach you to make one out of an old milk jug and plastic yogurt cup.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

empty one gallon plastic milk jug
empty yogurt cup, pudding cup, or other small plastic cup
scissors
razor blade
tape
potting soil
plant

Step 1

Start by cutting your milk jug in half just below the handle. To make sure you end up with a level cut, try marking it beforehand. Start the cut with the razor blade, then switch to the scissors to cut all the way around.
Step 2

Cut the bottom off the yogurt cup in the same way, then cut out notches on opposite sides of the bottom edge of the yogurt cup to accommodate the ridge in the bottom of the milk jug. The height of your yogurt cup should be around 3" plus or minus an inch.
Step 3

Use the razor, or a drill, to punch a number of small holes in the yogurt cup. These holes should be small enough to retain potting soil fairly well.
Step 4

Put the yogurt cup in the bottom of the milk jug. Draw a circle on the side of the milk jug bottom. The bottom edge of the circle should be just above the top of the yogurt cup. Cut out the circle carefully with the razor blade. The bottom of the milk jug will be your reservoir, and the hole you just cut into it will ensure that your planter won't flood.
Step 5

Put a bunch of small holes in the top of the top half of the milk jug. These holes will allow the soil to be exposed to air, which is just as important as making sure the soil is exposed to water.
Step 6

Make sure the cap is removed from the milk jug top, and turn it upside down so that the mouth is sitting in the yogurt cup on the bottom of the milk jug. Secure the top and bottom with a few strips of tape.
Step 7

Fill with potting soil and your plant. Water from the top to moisten the soil. Dry soil won't wick the water from the reservoir. Once the soil is uniformly moist throughout, as water evaporates from the top, or is drawn up by the plant, the soil will automatically wick more water from the reservoir.
Step 8

Once your soil is moist, add water directly to the reservoir instead of from the top in order to avoid washing nutrients out of the soil. If you forget to fill the resevoir and the soil dries out, add water from the top again to moisten it before you refill the bottom.

Comments

static404 said

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on 5/3/2009 Thanks for sharing your idea for us. This is a great idea.

opalpearl3 said

on 4/7/2009 This is a great idea. 5*

csmarie said

on 3/26/2009 This is my new passion. I have several capillary action planters that I have made and I was thrilled to see yours. It's a little different from what I have been making so I will make this one soon. Everyone get on the bandwagon for self irrigated or capillary action planters, they are awesome. 5*

mpodlesny said

on 3/26/2009 GREAT ARTICLE!! excellent pictures...I do this also. I use the milk jugs to start my vegetable plants indoors before I move them to the outside when the weather gets nicer.