Keeping herbs in planters right off of my back stoop is pretty and convenient-I can just pop outside and grab what I need right in the middle of cooking. But it has it’s problems, the largest problem being keeping those dang planters watered.
Any kind of pot kept outside requires much more frequent watering than plants that are in the ground-there is just limited soil to retain the water. My planters compound that issue by being situated under the house eaves-so even though rainfall is pretty frequent in Upstate NY, those plants need to be watered almost daily.
And I am forgetful.
I just have a lot going on in life most the time, and I have a hard time remembering to water those planters every day all summer long. In the spring when gardening is new and fun-yes, I remember. By July? Well, not so much.
I’ve been fascinated by the idea of those water globes you see on TV infomercials. They seem kind of goofy-and a bit expensive. I wondered if they even worked-and I wasn’t willing to spend the money to find out.
Well, several of my gardening friends have assured me that if you start out with damp soil and you put a long necked bottle full of water into the soil, it will indeed slowly release the water as the soil dries out.
A ketchup bottle was suggested as a perfect frugal implement for this-but I don’t use much ketchup, and the bottles I buy tend to be those large family size ones that don’t have the long neck.
So just a few minutes ago I was down in the basement putting something away when my gaze landed on the cluster of wine bottles we’ve been saving. . .
Ah-ha!
I filled one up* and stuck it in the planter. The water didn’t all pour out as I was afraid of. . .
So now all of my herbs are “lushes”. . .
Everyone getting a good "drink" 
Lemon Verbena-what a lush. . .
I just love ideas that save you money, are useful, and repurpose/recycle something you already have on hand. Way to be frugal and green eh? This project didn’t cost me a single cent!
And you don’t have to spend any money to do this either. If you don’t drink wine (and therefore lack bottles) I’m sure there are other bottles that would work-or you could ask around for wine bottles from friends, neighbors, or even your local restaurants! Shoot, someone on Freecycle or Craigslist is probably looking to get rid of some glass wine bottles right this minute 
Although my wine bottles aren’t as pretty as those “art glass” style watering globes, I don’t think they look bad-although I don’t think Yankee Bill is going to be quite as pleased as I am with the look. If the looks are an issue for you just remember, as the herbs or plants get taller they will block out the bottles more. And if I wanted to get all crafty on you I could decorate the bottles with mosaic tile, spray them with that frosted/colored glass spraypaint, or use something like modge podge (did you know they make a special outdoor kind now?) to decoupage it somehow. Then again, if you hate the look that much you could just remember to water your planters every day and then forget the whole idea.
Now as a disclaimer-I literally came up with this idea five minutes ago-ran to the basement, filled all the bottles and stuck them in. . . so I don’t have any proof of how this will work in the long run. But I was so dang proud of myself that I had to share it with you all immediately!
If this works well in the long run, it could also be a great way to keep plants watered while on vacation.
I’d love to hear if anyone else has already tried this, or if you have any other great ideas of how to keep pesky potted plants from drying out.
*Note: All of these bottles had already been carefully rinsed. You probably don’t want to have the dregs of the wine mixed with water going to the roots of your plants. . . I am no botanist, but I’m pretty sure that would kill them.
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Brilliant!! And I just took off a box of glass bottles to the recycling place!! Oh well, good excuse to buy some more wine!
Now, I think that I will aim for shopping for good wine and colorful/decorative bottle at the same time. Hope it works. Keep us posted. I love the vacation idea part.
I think it’s a great idea and there are so many pretty wine bottles out there. Please let us know how they really do work out for you.
Jenn,
I don’t think anyone else wanted those as seen on TV watering globes either, they did not sell from my store until they went on clearance but the goofy brownie pans is a hit:)
How are they working? I tried the same thing with a two liter bottle and used a bit of rag as a wick when I went on vacation. I’m not sure who well they worked on not because I was out of town and couldn’t refill them as needed.
I just saw a suggestion to bury soda bottles in the ground next to thirsty plants, cut the bottom off the bottle and put it in upside down so you could do just about the same thing. Can’t wait to try both ideas.
Have you ever seen a drunk plant?
I bet they really make a fool of themselves…. Great idea; I’ll have to find another kind of bottle but I’m sure I can.
Great idea Jenn!! I do actually have a couple of the globes that you see on tv and they’re too small anyway, I still have to refill them every few days for my big plants and then that memory thing really messes everything up anyway. Since we make our own wine, we have plenty of bottles that I have EVERYONE save over the year so I’m going to switch all my bigger pots to wine bottles TODAY!!
Wait, you make your own wine? How come I didn’t know this????
Just want to say what a great blog you got here! I’ve been around for quite a lot of time, but finally decided to show my appreciation of your work!
Thumbs up, and keep it going!
The watering globes DONT work. My husband bought them for me due to the fact that I never remember to water the plants and I always killed them. As soon as you stick them into the soil it plugs up the end and no water can come out. Such a waste of money!!!
Hmm-the concept itself seems to work for me-the water does eventually & slowly soak through that plug of soil. The problem for me is more that the store bought ones look so SMALL. . . they look like they would barely hold any water at all.
I love this idea! I’m thinking I might decorate the bottles with some paint so they look like little pieces of artwork in my planter boxes
Hey, it was nice to hear from you! I really haven’t been by in ages, have I? I’m bookmarking your site so I don’t let too much time go by between visits again.
I’m glad you liked my little rag wreath. I totally LOVE your watering idea! Those ‘globes’ really are pricey and probably break easily, anyway. Me…I’m always killing things because I forget to water them. This sounds like the perfect solution.
How long does a bottle of wine last. Have you put anything in it to delay the water coming out like cloth or anthing?
Ben-The water drains out in my big outdoor planters within the day-but the water is actually getting down to the roots of the plants slowly-rather than sitting mostly on the top and evaporating while the rest runs out the bottom. So I feel that it does a much better job of getting the water to the plant. I haven’t tried it on indoor plants yet-but I’m sure it would last much longer without the direct sun and wind causing the soil to dry out so fast.
I have tried those “as seen on TV” globes and yes they are small but for my smaller house plants they work just fine. Oh and yes I waited until they were on clearance to buy them.
I also did the DIY version with water bottles (yes I know they can be expensive, but we need some from time to time – especially when my son was home as a volunteer fireman/emt). My deck is ALWAYS in the sun from probably 10-11AM until sundown. Now this is great when you have some kind of covering but your plants in planters/containers really get thirsty.
I took the water bottles (removed labels if possible) and cut off the very bottom of the bottle. I took a nail and hammered it through the cap, removed the nail and but the cap back on the bottle. Put the bottle, cap side down, into your container/planter, fill with water ……. and voila your very own plant water minder.
I have 2 hanging in with my herbs, 1 in my small tabletop herb basket and 2 in my big container. I also have 1 in my petunia planter that sits on my table. Because the top (I mean bottom) is cut off – if it rains, you get some “free” water for later.
So far it is working great.
i was just looking up on those water globe things and was really happy to find a much more economic way of doing the same thing. thank you so much for posting your ideas, i will try it immediately. i am really excited! i live in Belize and all year round it’s hot and sunny, and watering my potted plants everyday is a real chore. thanks again. if i have any ideas i will make sure to share…..
With the rubber wine corks you can drill a hole to control the water usage. It will last longer for vacation times or when you forget!!!
Dave-Interesting idea! If you try it, I’d love to hear how it works out.
I just found this and I am trying it for the herbs I am bringing in for the winter. If this and the plant lights that Dh is going to try and make for me work then I will have fewer herbs to replace come spring. Thanks for the idea, I had been trying to figure out what to do with some pretty bottles that I couldn’t throw out and were starting to stack up under the sink.
You are obviously a kindred spirit-I hate getting rid of interesting bottles and jars
I can’t believe that I did not think of this idea! but I’m so glad that I did not simply close my eyes and pull the trigger and buy that set of Globes from the lady on Craig’s List (kudos, Hi-Five and Chest-bump to me). I’m too anal to ever forget to water my plants, and now vacations seem to be few and far between. However if I could clear some mental space (even if for only a week or so) by not having expend the effort to physically stick my finer down in the soil of each plant to determine if I need to add water, it’s totally worth it, and it totally enhances the experience of downing the bottles of MD-2020, CISCO, or Four LOKO etc.
Other perceived benefits-
Because watering takes place below the surface, this may/should significantly reduce the chance of infestation of insects like black-gnat, which we all know live and breed on top of moist soil that never dries out (over watering), and terrorize you whilst watching the Oakland Raiders win games they should loose.
Nowha…(as my teenage daughter would say), I only have to glance at the bottle sticking out of my plants to determine if it’s time for a refill or not.
Don’t worry about over or under watering. Thankfully 100% of plants are not like 99% of us silly Americans… GLUTTONS, they only take as much water as they need from the soil.
Ok I’m stepping down off my high horse now. Oh yeah, did I say thanks for the post.
Let me know how it works out for you!
Im attempting this. i have a 14 in tall yew as a table top christmas tree and my apt is very dry. i rinsed out a soy sauce bottle and will see how it goes.
Daneil-Just make sure the soy sauce bottle is very, very clean before using it. . . soy sauce is high in salt-and salt is a classic way to kill plants (back in the ancient days an army might actually “salt the earth” to make ground uninhabitable. . .
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