Self-watering planter made from recycled bottles…clever clever.

Step 12: Other optional steps

Now that my planters have been in service for awhile, I have noticed a few additional problems and have come up with some easy solutions.

First is the algae growth inside the reservoir. Since algae is a plant and plants need the sun to survive, the easiest way to prevent the algae from growing is to wrap the finished bottle with a piece of construction paper or something similar. This blocks the light from penetrating, plus it can be decorated.

And, after prolonged use of these bottles, I have noticed that sometimes the wick will wear out and fall off. It makes sense because cotton is made from plants and plants will decompose. This usually takes a while, however. What I’ve noticed is that by the time the wick rots off, there are already roots growing down where the cap is. This was easy, since I just removed the cap and let the roots grow down into the water. After all, who needs a wick when you have roots?