Coffee Container Slow Drip Watering

Around our house, there are a few shrubs that tend to dry out too much in the hot summer sun. The hard lesson learned: if I am away too long and its been hot and dry, the shrubs will turn brown and crispy by the end of September. I needed something other than the water hose; so I pulled a few items out of the recycling bin and used them for this simple low water project.

The containers have tiny holes in the bottom that allow for slow drip watering for specific shrubs. They are portable so I can move them to different plants as needed. I could have used a milk jug with pin holes in the bottom; but using a coffee container is lower profile, more durable and holds up to the sun. Besides, it smells like coffee! Painting the container could help it blend in with the garden. Therefore, no nasty letters from the HOA or questions from the next door neighbor as why I have milk jugs strewn about the shrubbery.

Forget about using a hose! That water would uselessly run off because of the hard baked clay. Use this project instead.

Tools:

• Scissors
• Drill
• Hole Saw
• Needle or Punch

Materials:

• Milk Jug
• Coffee Container
• Paint (optional)

To provide access to fill the container, use the top off an old milk jug. The top should be sealed but I didn't like pulling the lid off each time I filled the container. Besides, I did not want to make a handy home for ground bees and their buzzy friends. The milk jug top allows for access and a way to keep critters out. For once.

Cut a 1.5" diameter hole in the lid for the milk container nozzle using the hole saw attachment for a drill. You could also draw a circle and cut out the hole with scissors or an exacto knife. Just be careful.

The nozzle will snap into the hole. Note that it's held by the rings on the milk jug nozzle.

Add a few small holes to the bottom of the container. You can use a needle, punch or small drill bit for these holes. Note that I wanted the water to drip out slowly so I only added 9 holes.

And there you have it. Ready to go!

These are both half size containers. I like the green version (Folgers Classic Decaf) since it's closer in color to the plants.

Place the container next to your plant and fill with water. You will see similar versions of this type of watering that bury the containers in the ground. You could do that with this version as well. However, I wanted something portable, which I could fill without dragging the hose around the garden.

Incognito slow-mo water container out in the garden.