Has anyone here used ollas (terracotta irrigation pots) for watering their garden?
I’m considering getting a few for a small border (about 2×1 meters) with hydrangeas, but I’m curious about real-life experiences. Do they actually keep the soil consistently moist, especially during warmer days?
Also wondering:
– How often do you end up refilling them?
– Do they make a noticeable difference compared to regular watering?
– Any downsides I should know about?
Would love to hear your experiences before I buy a couple!
by Notsocheeky
13 Comments
I remember the Youtuber called Self Sufficient Me doing a video on watering using these terracotta pots. You should check it out
I have a few official ollas, shaped like the one in your illustration.
I prefer my homemade ones! I use tall terra cotta pots with a saucer on top. I use a cork for the hole. I also have a few of the terra cotta wine bottle coolers (as long as they are just terra cotta-
Some have a coating inside and those aren’t good for this use. )
I have drip irrigation for my raised beds, but I put an olla close to where I’m planting a tomato or pepper plant. In the worst heat of the summer (zone 8b, PNW, so generally a streak of 90 degree days), I’ll refill them every 3-4 days or so. In cooler weather, I’ll check once a week. I think it helps my tomato production.
I’ll also fill the saucer on top with some water and throw a few rocks in the saucer too. Gives the bees a place to get water.
I’ve had one cork failure, and I let that ride for the growing season. I haven’t fixed it yet, but I will pull it out of the bed in the next couple of weeks to replace the cork.
I use them. I have water spike ollas, 700ml & 900ml ollas. I refill them roughly once a week but they empty out roughly in I think 5-6 days. It’s hard to tell how empty they are at any given point. The spike easily beak. The spikes are best used for small area coverage. I prefer the buried ollas that have a long neck and with a cap that doesn’t push water out if you fill it to to the very brim
I help take care of a garden at my gym. The owner doesn’t remember to water frequently, so I put an olla in next to the plants that needed regular watering and topped it off once or twice a week. It did a good job of keeping everything alive. When I dug it up before the first frost, the root systems of the plants had very clearly grown around it. It does take up a fair bit of ground space and they can be expensive if you have to pay for shipping, but they do work as intended.
Yes. Combined with water spikes and glass water bottles. They are great for forgetful types.
Depends where you are. I’m in Australia and have tried using Terracotta pots, while they do deliver some water which is okay in mild months in our hot summer it’s nowhere near enough.
i actually just levigated a bunch of clay out of the soil from around my garden. I plan to make a couple of ollas with it. I also have had different kinds of buried ollas for years. Anytime Ive pulled one up its covered in roots.
Works really good, I use the spikes
I made a few DIY ollas, and I’ve found that how well they work depends quite a bit on what type of soil you have. If you have well-draining soil, either sandy or loamy, then the ollas tend to empty pretty quickly. If you have a lot of clay in your soil, the ollas hold water for a more reasonable amount of time. I have one 8-inch diameter one in a large planter that probably goes empty every couple of days, but I have a one that’s about 12 inches in diameter in a low raised bed (which is maybe 8in of compost over my natural heavy-clay soil) which might take a week to run dry.
So I’d say they give you maybe a couple of days buffer when it comes to watering. If you’re going to be away from home over the weekend, they’ll probably keep things watered, but if you’re going to be gone for a week during a dry period, expect your plants to be pretty thirsty by the time you get home.
I use 10 olla spikes for my 4 ft x 10 ft. raised bed, with regular sized wine bottles upside down as the water reservoir. During spring into very shortens as summer heat kicks in, but the worst it got was about 6 days, without the netting and the tall plants shading the soil and the olla.
As someone mentioned, it’s very gratifying seeing the plant roots reaching for the closest olla and surrounding with their fine roots. And watch out while refilling; when they’re engorged with water, they feel soft. I personally have broken 2 last year, so I learned to buy extra. Good luck!
I made some DIY ones by gluing two terracotta pots together and filling the drain hole of the bottom one. I used them for tomatoes, and it worked super well! I didn’t have a sprinkler system that my neighbor (shared yard) would shut off all the time. So these helped me make sure they got consistent water. IIRC, they make bigger impact on plants with deep roots that might not get a lot of water from surface watering.
I’ve tried these and I feel the same about them as I do drip irrigation – they water plants enough to survive but not thrive
I use upside down wine bottles because they are cheaper
It depends how much/fast the plants drink. I refill them once a week but also regularly water. It’s been pretty successful