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July 13, 2006
Clay pot irrigation
Look at those green leaves! What's their secret?
Some areas of the backyard are bearing up in the heat quite well -- the tomatoes among them.
It may be the result of clay pot irrigation, which Bob & I have installed around the tomatoes and some roses.
Clay pot irrigation has been used for thousands of years all over the world.
Buried clay pot irrigation uses a buried, unglazed clay pot filled with water to provide controlled irrigation to plants grown near it. A standard red clay pot with the hole plugged works fine. The seedling or seed should be placed in the area wetted by the pot. The water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that is influenced by the plant's water use. This leads to very high efficiency--much better than drip irrigation and as much as ten times more efficient than conventional surface irrigation.
Our clay pots are 1-gallon size, from a 99 cent store. To plug the hole in the bottom, we tried & rejected rocks, plastic stoppers, and a plumbing sealant, finally settling for a dab of cement -- which works well although it needs about 24 hours to fully dry. Also, to keep feet, cats and mosquitos out, we placed a clay saucer on top of each clay pot.
For our next upgrade, I'd like to decorate the top of the saucer with stones and provide a loop handle for lifting. Then we could walk around with a hoe and use it lift the lid while standing (instead of stooping over) -- and fill each pot with a squirt from the hose or a watering can.
Posted by Sue at July 13, 2006 08:42 PM
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