How to make self-watering plant

 How to make self-watering plant bulbs from recycled bottles

Forgetting to water your houseplants? Need a solution to watering your plant while you're on vacation? Turn recycled bottles into self-watering plant bulbs! Confessions! Most of my houseplants are within 30 feet of my kitchen. I am a non-depressed indoor plant waterer. If it's not within 30 feet of my sink, there's a good chance I'll forget to water it. I have a beautiful rubber tree on the second floor of my house that I almost killed (on several occasions) because I forgot to water it. Enter self-watering plant bulbs! Also known as "plant nannies" or "watering globes," these self-watering plant bulbs are plant life preservers. If you forget to water your plants sometimes (always), they are fine. They are also suitable for watering the holiday plant.

Plastic bottle method

You can replace self-watering plant bulbs with 16-20oz plastic bottles, or even one-liter plastic bottles with a candle and a nail. For houseplants, I don't recommend the two-liter bottle, however, you can use that larger size in your garden. Light a candle and carefully hold the nail in the flame to heat it up. You may need to use an oven mitt to hold the nail as the nail will get hot! Once the nail is hot, poke a hole in the center of the plastic bottle cap. If you want to drain the water faster, you can poke a hole or two in the neck of the bottle. Then, fill the bottle with water (you can also add compost or other nutrients). Screw the cap on and place the cap first in the soil of your houseplant.

No glass bottle cap

If you have a glass bottle, a small glass soda bottle, or a wine bottle, fill it with water and bury the neck of the bottle toward the root of your houseplant. A cap or cork is not always necessary, especially if the plant is well watered beforehand.

Glass bottle cap or cork

If you find that the bottle is draining too quickly, you can add a cap or cork. You need to make a hole at the top. For a screw-on metal cap, use a hammer and nail to drill a hole through the center. Use a similar method to create a hole in the cork, although I recommend using a foam/plastic cork instead of a real cork.

Bonus: Half DIY / Half Buy

If you love the DIY idea like I do but need a little more structure, you might want to invest in these terracotta spikes to hold your glass or plastic bottles. Soak the terracotta spikes in water and push them into your plant so that the soil is almost flush with the spike opening. Fill your bottle and tip the spike.