This post contains affiliate links.
This post contains affiliate links.
| Type | Best For | Where To Find |
| Olla / Oya | Low Tech & Reliable | Click Here for current price on Amazon |
| Drip irrigation | Programable | Click Here to See on Amazon |
| Above Ground Reservoir system | Containers after planting | Click Here to Choose Shape on Amazon |
| Wicking Systems | Cheap & reliable | Click to get from Amazon |
Ollas & Oyas :
This low tech, ancient solution that still is effective today! The porous earthen pots are completely buried in your soil, up to the brim, with a cover to prevent evaporation. Fill with water. The water will seep out through the pores in your Oya.
There are 2 standard designs:
- Outdoor and raised beds – the more rounded bulbous design where soil space is not limited, and this design holds the most water.
- Large Pots & Containers – a more elongated and narrower design to use where soil space is at a premium, balancing water capacity and the footprint in the soil.
Easy to set up in the spring:
- Submerge and soak the Olla in water.
- Burry the saturated Olla with only 2 or 3 finger widths of the neck and cover showing above ground.
- Fill with water AND thoroughly water deeply the soil from above around the olla the first time. Check every day to see how quickly the water seeps into the surrounding soil. This will usually be about 1X a week.
Young seeds starts and transplants will need to be supplementally watered from above as the get acclimated and their roots get growing into the soil. Your Olla is to provide deep watering through the season, protecting from droughts, and efficient, targeted water to established plants.
Pro tip: Do not add fertilizer into your Olla/Oya, this will only promote both aerobic and anaerobic bacteria and algae, which will clog the pores that release the water ( and will smell horrid as well).
Drip Irrigation:
Drip irrigation is a popular, water conservation method of irrigation after planting.
Bottle Systems:
These water below ground, but hold the water reseviour above ground.
-Simple adjustable to use with plastic bottle, very highly rated!! Click Here To See On Amazon.com Adjustable flow rate with plastic bottle
Terra cotta stakes systems :
Plant Nanny – recycle a wine bottle!
Decorative Glass Globe Systems:
These work great for some, and others have trouble. Here are some tips to help you have success with these!
- Insert these at a 30-degree angle, watch the air bubbles as they rise to the top when inserting, if they seem really fast or slow, take out and put in again at a steeper or more shallow angle.
- If your plant is root bound already, a different type of watering will work better for you. These work by soil saturation level at the tip of the bulb determining the flow rate. If root bound, the soil will not be firm against the tip, letting the water flow out unregulated.
- be sure you have small bulbs for small or light pots, and larger bulbs for larger or heavy pots. You want the pot to stay upright and not be tipped over by the weight of the bulb.
Click Here To See On Amazon, set of Blazin Buffalo all-glass watering globes.
Wyndham House hand-blown globes
Mini hand-blown watering globes.
Click Here, and Here, and Here to see if any left in stock!
For your smaller pots, these are adorable, leave in the pot mushroom refillable terra cotta stakes.
Wicking:
Wicking is used to move water from a separate reservoir to the soil, without the need for electricity or other power.
Click Here To See On Amazon.com
If you are looking for self-watering pots instead, click here to go my article with my favorite ones that work and look good too!
BesideTheFrontDoor - Smallgrove is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.
BesideTheFrontDoor - Smallgrove is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. We also participate in other affiliate programs which compensate us for referring traffic.
Recent Posts
Best Dog DNA Test; 5 kits - Same Dog. The Winner & Losers & What Happens After Testing!
I bought all 5 of the top DNA Tests for DOGS and compared them head to head. Everything that you need to know and can not find out by looking at each companies websites or browsing Amazon’s...
Did you get a beautiful dish garden as a gift? These are wonderful, thoughtful, and beautiful gifts and a welcome break from cut flowers Your dish garden can grow on, however, you will need to...