Easy Rain-Catch Garden Irrigation

Keeping the soil damp so plants have water available when they need it is important for healthy growth. Applying too much water at the wrong time can over-water the soil and under-water the plant. The IFusion Watering Spike was designed to allow water to slowly seep directly into the ground, keeping the roots damp, but not drowning. Using a 2 liter bottle gives a big reservoir for long-term watering and removing the base of the bottle makes refilling so easy, even the rain can help to refill.

A 2-liter soda pop bottle

An IFusion Watering Spike with Bottle Adapter

A garden stake

A zip tie or string or wire

Safely remove the bottom of the 2 liter PET bottle, leaving a small tab. In the tab, make a hole so that the bottle can be secured to the garden stake later. I used a utility knife to start the cut then switched to a scissor to do most of the work. The hole in the tab I made with a utility knife, but I would have prefer a hole punch if one was available.

The bottle was finished off the by screwing on the IFusion Watering Spike.

The assembled bottle had the spike inserted into the soil with the bottle upright. I chose a spot the was in between a group of plants. A garden stake was placed into the right next to the bottle and a zip tie was attached through the hole in the tab and around the stake. A full reservoir is going to be pretty top heavy compared to how deep the spike is in the soil, so it needs the support of the stake to avoid tipping over from strong winds or high velocity rabbits.

If the tab & zip tie is insufficient, securing around the whole of the reservoir to the stake using wire or cloth is an option.

With the rain-catch reservoirs in place, just add some water. A full reservoir is going to be good to keep the plants happy for over a week. Depending on how much rain comes down, two weeks (or more) may pass before you need to add any water.

I've placed four rain-catch reservoirs in my 3x4 raised bed and initially filled them about 1/3 full. Rain is in the forecast and the soil is still loose, so I want the soil to firm up a more and to keep space for the rain fill the reservoir. Plus, they are all starter plants, so I'm babying them with a little extra water for a week, so it will be easy to see if water needs to be added to the reservoir.