Terracotta Watering Spikes: Are They Worth It? Affordable and Easy Olla Alternative!

Permaculture gardening emphasizes sustainability and efficient water use; terracotta watering spikes might fit. ☘️
Permaculture gardening is all about sustainable practices that involve efficient water use, and that's where terracotta watering spikes come into play. These simple watering decanters are an affordable alternative to traditional ‘olla’ watering systems originating in Indigenous American and African cultures. These spikes have the potential to revolutionize your gardening efforts, saving you time, money, and water. In this video, I’m sharing the pros and cons of these terracotta plant decanting spikes from my experience.

Timestamps:

0:31 - Olla irrigation & capillary action
1:55 - My experience with the terracotta spikes
3:05 - How to use them
4:26 - Some of the drawbacks of terracotta spikes

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#terracota #terracotawateringspikes #ollaalternative #sustainablegardening #permaculture #waterconservation #ecogardening #permaculturedesign #sustainableliving

[dustinabc]

6:39 i don't drink, so i just called up a couple restaurants in my town and found one that seemed happy to save their wine bottles for me to come and pick up.

[patriciamorris]

I fill up the terra cotta container with water before adding the bottle of water on top. It doubles the amount of water available

[JulesGarden]

S. Pelligrino sells a long neck plastic water bottle (green, too) that holds 33.8 ounces, or roughly a quart. Those are much less likely to cause cracking in the spikes than wine bottles. 👍

[brudo]

Plastic bottles do not need to have a long neck for stability because you can easily put 3 long sticks (bamboo strip for example) around the bottle with an elastic band or cord around it. I use this system in pots and growbags... ;-))

Furthermore, a bottle with a long neck can have the hydrostatic disadvantage in case of incorrect (start) manipulation that the olla cone is not optimally filled and therefore the contact surface (olla vs earth) is not used to the maximum for water diffusion.
If the cone is completely filled with water, the hydrostatic pressure also remains maximum for a longer period of time at each point. It is therefore advisable to pre-fill the olla cone with water before placing the bottle.

There are always suitable plastic bottles that are strong enough not to crack with the negative pressure, and that are soft enough not to damage the collar of the cone.

If you still want to use long-necked bottles, you can also drill a hole in the bottle so that the hole remains under the upper edge of the cone when the bottle is in it upside down... in this way the maximum pressure is maintained for longer.

It's also useful if you have a piece of pipe, about the same length as the cone and slightly smaller in diameter, to pre-drill and remove some of the soil if necessary, rather than screwing the cone in with too much force...

[what_Love_Drew_forth]

Thank you for this thorough review. I wish more YT videos were this concise.

[introspectiveseeker]

Very nice introduction for a first time user of this system!! ❤❤

[wamich]

I have these and love them .They help a lot.

[jesswelsh]

Thank you for the review, much appreciated! Happy growing 💚 🌻

[mcrawd]

I had several wine bottles get stuck due to a “collar” along the top and cracked the spike trying to get to get them unstuck. I ended up order plastic wine bottles on Amazon and they worked well. I had a late start on getting peppers planted and ended up planting them July in Texas heat. I used these for the small transplants and they worked perfect for helping them avoid any heat/water stress until they were well established.

[bonitajess]

Thank you for your sharing. I hv been using these to water my plants, they are very effective. Save a lot of time and energy for me. I wonder why the merchants do not produce longer olla spikes and those with bigger diameter, so that we can burry more water and water deeper into the soil . Now I am trying to buy taller terracotta pots to bury deeper into my plants, or trees.

[SheEsq]

I had these in 2 raised beds last year and this year added one in the two 10 gallon grow bags where I have lettuce. Curious what problems you had with using them in grow bags - I only put them in there this week. Thanks for the great vid.

[autumnlover]

Happy to see this review, as I just purchased these.

[patriciawilliams]

I have just bought some of these, I was looking for something for when I am away for a few days. I am thing of getting some long neck plastic bottles.

[raflores]

Why is it that they don't work with felt bags?

[moochythecat]

All those bottles... it looks like a bottle garden... I use fabric grow bags and cover the area around the bottom of the bags with 3-6" of wood chips... and then I mulch the top of the bag with a layer of wood chips... my pepper plants love it...

[makerjakenet]

might be able to use a regular plastic bottle if you put a stick inside thats long enough to go from the bottom of the spike to close to the top of the bottle. just an idea!

[elizabethpeach]

My first year using these and I chose to go with beer bottles, labels removed. I thought about plastic, but the idea of plastic leaching into the water was a concern. anyone know about that?

[ehoops]

I made a few mini “ollas” by using a terracotta pot and the saucer sold with it. I glued the saucer on and turned it upside down. I filled it through the hole that was originally on the bottom.

Curious about not working in grow bags. Do they just dry out too fast? Right now I’m hose watering my grow bags which isn’t great.

[steveelkins]

I dont think they supply enough water for healthy growth, but do avoid plants drying out if you are away for a few days.get a moisture meter to check

[JSees]

Taking the labels off your bottles would be a better aesthetic choice.