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Strange planter
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Posted by
zackey GA 8b (
My Page) on
Wed, Aug 20, 14 at 15:21
| I had someone tell me about a planter a friend make using a styrofoam color and empty water bottles. I can't figure out how it would work. She said the bottles fill up with water and keep the soil moist. Wouldn't they fill up with soil too? Anyone hear of this idea? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Strange planter
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| I suspect if you put water bottles in the corners of the cooler, after maybe slitting them in their sides, and filled the cooler with soil up to their necks, you could keep things moist by just topping off the bottles. But you'd need some drainage in the cooler. It's an interesting idea, as a light frost can kill things in planters, since the whole planter drops to the air temperature. But a foam planter would delay that drop, and the water bottles would add thermal mass. I guess the tricky part is how to penetrate the bottles. With holes too big, they'll just dump the water. Holes too small and things will dry out. |
RE: Strange planter
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| Perhaps something on the order of a chicken waterer could be made which releases water whenever water in the tray gets too low. I don't know exactly how this can be made to water soil. Jim |
Here is a link that might be useful: Chicken Waterers
RE: Strange planter
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| She said plastic water bottles. |
RE: Strange planter
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| Gosh, I'm surprised more people don't understand what zackey's friend is talking about. It's a kind of primitive earthbox rip-off. There are dozens and dozens of sites and youtube videos on these. Here's a random one. |
Here is a link that might be useful: build your own earthbox with plastic bottles
RE: Strange planter
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| Yeah, but those Earth boxes don't use coolers. As I said, the interesting thing about this idea is that it might be somewhat more frost tolerant than some plastic bin. |
RE: Strange planter
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| >, but those Earth boxes don't use coolers Okay, so that particular one didn't specify. Here's one that does. Plenty of the tutorials do. |
Here is a link that might be useful: with styrofoam cooler
RE: Strange planter
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| Has anyone considered the frost tolerance of using coolers like this? I don't do container planting mainly because when the roots freeze, the plant is done. In my ground, they never freeze. Not a big deal, but I'll bet it would buy you many hours of survival when the air temp drops below freezing. |
RE: Strange planter
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| Hi Zackey, I would suggest you look up "Bottle Tower Gardens" and "How to build a bottle tower" by Prof. Willem van Cotthem. |
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