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Whether you’re going on holiday or get too busy to water your pot plants, we all sometimes have times when we wish plants could water themselves. Costa has a low-tech solution to thirsty pot plants that makes a fun project, too. It’s a wicking pot. Subscribe ?
You may have heard of wicking beds, which are designed with a reservoir or water in the base so the water wicks up through to the soil to the plant’s roots. A pot works on the same principle, but on a smaller scale. Like a self-watering pot.
The sizes can all be adjusted to suit the size of pot or pipe you have on hand.
What you need:
A large pot – preferably without drainage holes
An empty milk container (to patch any holes in the pot)
Silicone
Drill with large bit to match overflow pipe (see below) and smaller bit to make 2-3mm holes
An irrigation pipe elbow (sized to match drill hole – see above!)
1m x 2cm-wide diameter irrigation pipe (total length must be at least height + width of your pot)
1 irrigation pipe elbow to match pipe diameter
Gravel or scoria (10mm or smaller) – enough to fill the base of your pot
Geotextile/ hessian or other fabric – large enough to cover the inside of your pot
Potting mix (add compost/worm castings if available)
Plants
What you do:
If your pot has drainage holes, these need to be covered so the pot holds water. Costa recommends a patch of plastic cut from an empty milk container, stuck into place using silicone.
Drill an overflow hole about 1/4 of the way up the pot from the bottom. This allows excess water to run off so the plants don’t drown.
Fit the irrigation elbow into place. This can be turned down to allow water to flow out, or turned up to keep water in at a higher level.
Cut off enough irrigation pipe to sit flat in the base of your pot and drill a series of 2mm or 3mm holes along its length – this will be the water inlet pipe.
Cut another length of pipe that will reach from the base of your pot to at least the rim; if it’s a bit longer that’s OK, but not shorter. Attach this to the bottom pipe with holes in, using the second elbow joint.
Install this L-shaped pipe into the pot (pipe with holes at the base and longer pipe sticking out).
Fill the base of the pot with gravel or scoria rock. Rock crushed to 10mm or less is best. Add enough gravel to reach the overflow hole on the side of your pot.
Cover the rock base with the wicking cloth; you can use geotextile, shade cloth, or hessian. The idea is to stop the potting mix from getting washed into the rock base and blocking the infill pipe.
Fill the top of the pot with potting mix. Costa adds some worm castings and compost to his mix.
Add your plants!
Wicking beds are good for plants that like constant moisture, so Costa has chosen Vietnamese mint, Wasabi and common mint. Mint has a habit of taking over, so if you don’t use it regularly in your cooking, this is best left out!
Water plants from the top until they are established, then top up the water reservoir from the infill pipe; you know it’s full when the overflow pipe starts flowing.
Featured plants:
Mint ‘Common’ (Mentha spicata cv.)
Vietnamese mint (Persicaria odorata)
Wasabi (Eutrema japonicum)
*Always check species before planting: they may be environmental weeds in your area.
Filmed on Gadigal & Wangal Country in Newtown, NSW
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