Turn your empty soda bottles into hanging planters for indoor and outdoor use.
|water is recycled from bottom catch bottle back to top planter.|
I cut a hole in the bottom of a to 2 liter soda bottle just big enough to thread the top of another bottle through the whole. [I recommend using a Dremel Rotary tool to cut the holes. A soldering iron or wood burning tool may do the job as well but be sure to do it in a well ventilated area and try not to breathe the fumes.] I drill one or two a 1/8"holes in the cap. Then I put the two bottles together and thread the cap back on the bottle,to hold the two bottles together. I make the hole in the side of the bottle large enough to put my hand in and thread the cap back on. I make the chain of bottles as long as I desire.I spray paint the bottles white so they do not get too hot in the sun and so they do not decompose while hanging in my window. The bottles on the left have one bottle inverted at the bottom to catch the water dripping from the upper three. This bottle has a hole in the side and is simply hung with a wire hook on the bottom bottle so I can empty it as needed. The bottles on the right painted white will be hanging outside over other plants and does not need a catch bottle.I simply attach a drip line to the top bottle, fill with soil and plant my hanging herb garden. This system should work very well for people living in apartments or small living spaces.
I hang the bottles by drilling a hole in the top bottle. Run a wire loop through a nut or washer and put the loop through the whole using the nut to keep the wire from pulling through.
At the bottom of the bottles I take a bottle and do the same thing with the lid, but instead of the loop I make a hook. Cutting a hole in the side of the bottle to catch whatever water runoff that drips through to the bottom.This allows me to empty the bottle periodically as needed.
Typically this type of planner does well for vines or small plants such as strawberries, herbs, or above ground vegetables and flowers.
Note: In resent trials I found the edges of the holes to be too sharp and I have had to tape the bottom edges to keep the plants from cutting on those edges. Split tubing, foam or hot glue may work better.