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

Step 8: Water

After all the soil was in the cup, I trimmed off the rest of the newspaper and thoroughly soaked the soil with water. Depending on the plants needs, you may not be able to use regular tap water, and since I have a rainwater collector that is what I use the most.

So, I soaked the soil thoroughly and let it drain for an hour. I also made sure that the bottom part of the wick was wet as well, since this will help it absorb better. Placing a dry wick into the reservoir will cause it to float and not absorb as well.

Take care to let the cup drain completely. Drips of dirty water into the clean reservoir water may cause algae to grow. The water should only need to go up, not back down into the clean water.