Here are five inventive ideas for turning your plastic bottles from garbage into a garden gadget.
Automatic Watering System
Begin by cutting off the bottom of a plastic bottle and then poking or drilling holes into the bottle’s lid and neck. Bury the bottle upside down near a plant, approximately four inches (10cm) below the surface, so that the holes are about four inches (10cm) below the surface. Boom! You now have an automatic watering system. All you need to do is refill the bottle every few days. Plants that need regular hydration at their roots, like tomatoes and squash, will love this watering hack. Additionally, you may reduce the pace at which the water drains through the bottle by removing the top and putting a tight-fitting piece of sponge inside the bottle’s neck.
Perfect Pot
An empty water bottle makes for a great starter plant pot. Just fill it with soil, plant your seedlings and watch your plants grow! Why not try growing colorful flowers to make your home brighter or even plant some herbs to add to your cooking! It’s the easiest way to upcycle your plastic waste into potted life.
Miniature Greenhouses
Bottles make excellent small greenhouses for protecting newly transplanted seedlings from dropping temperatures and severe winds – great for acclimating them to the outdoors or kicking off the new growing season. Additionally, they will deter birds. Peel the label off a transparent plastic bottle, snip off the bottom and place it over seedlings or young plants.
Narrower bottles are ideal for individual plants, and you can keep them from blowing away by pressing them down into the earth. Bigger bottle sizes, such as five liters, are ideal for clusters of seedlings. Another tip is to leave the lid off for ventilation unless it is chilly.
Soil Scooper
Create an all-purpose garden scoop by using a plastic bottle with a handle, such as a milk bottle. On both sides, draw a diagonal line so that the top of the line comes to within approximately an inch (3cm) of the handle. Join the diagonal lines together and then cut along them to form your scoop — the ideal addition to your potting table!
Fruit Collector
Use a bottle to build your own personal fruit picker. Cut a circle around the bottom of a bottle and tie it to a cane or pole placed through the bottle’s neck.
There’s no such thing as forbidden fruit with this contraption. It’ll help you extend your reach and grab any fruit you want!