Free self watering containers.

Kassaundra

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Thought I would share my idea for free (upcycled) self watering seed starters or plant containers.

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Start w/ a plastic bottle, any size will do

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Cut the top off the depth you want your plant pot


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Take your favorite ice cream store's paper bag. (this is ness if you want ice cream)


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Measure a double thickness of the bag the depth you will need. You will need the paper to go nearly to the bottom of the bottom bottle and up an inch or more into the top bottle.


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Roll it up and stick it through the cap hole like this.


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Fill the top part w/ your favorite potting soil, and the bottom w/ water.


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Watch your seeds grow, this is passion flower.


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Shaped bottles can look really nice. You can spray paint the bottle w/ that krylon plastic paint (or anything that will stick) if you want a fancier opaque finish, like for potted plants (think African violets) instead of temporary garden seed starting.


You can use any size bottle.
 

Ridgerunner

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My Sister-in-Law does that with wine bottles. I'm not sure what her husband uses to cut them but watch the sharp cut edges.

Thanks for showing that detail Kassaundra. Now I have an excuse to go to Braum's.
 

journey11

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That would be cool with glass, especially if you keep them in the windowsill where the light can shine through. I have some extra bottles I should try this on. Even with plastic, you could maybe put a few colorful glass pebbles in the bottom for some color and I bet the added weight would help keep it from tipping.

I bought the G2 bottle cutter on Amazon last year. I took a run on it for awhile, need to get it back out. You have to sand the edges and make them smooth when you're done. I don't use the instructions that came with it, because they don't work well and the bottle may break crookedly (which is soooo disappointing!) I found a better procedure on YouTube where you alternate between rubbing the scored line on an ice cube, then over a candle flame. I get much neater breaks that way, less sanding to do.
 

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