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Ollas

Low tech irrigation system.

Picture of a DIY olla

An olla is an unglazed clay pot which is filled with water and buried in a garden bed. The clay slowly leeches water into the soil. As the soil around it saturates, the surface tension keeps the water inside the pot, limiting waste. Being underground applying the water directly to the root system of the plants, you minimise evaporation.

DIY Ollas

Requirements

Building

End Goal

The end goal here is to measure how much soil the olla keeps moist and then build sufficient ollas to span the entire garden bed. Then I will rip out the current dripper system and replace it with a new poly pipe which feeds the ollas. This pipe will be attached to a pump which connects to my rainwater tanks. Finally I just need to time how long it takes to fill the pots. I'm guessing a hell of a lot less than 10-15 minutes 4+ times a week which is what I'm currently doing!

Tags

#diy #cheap #irrigation #garden