An interesting way to water container plants.

Well I don't know where to put this so I'm going to stick it here.
I thought this was a neat thing if you are growing in containers and need to go off for a few days. Using empty bottles as watering globes, wine bottles hold a lot and a few of them would keep even a big container in good shape for a bit I think.

http://radmegan.blogspot.com/2011/02/coke-bottle-watering-globes.html

I know the goal is permaculture but some of us are still stuck with backyards and such .

i got these things yearrrrrs ago. never used them much but they worked alright i guess.
better i think than just jabbing the bottle in the pot/ground. slower release 
mine thread on,but these harbor freight ones apparently dont?

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-piece-watering-cone-set-93182.html

I'm onto using larger containers - plastic juice bottles - 3/4 and 1 gallon.  Using a post hole digger, I'm 'planting' them where large veg's will go - brassica, tomatoes, peppers, squash, etc.  I will try drilling one or two very small holes in the bottom, and screw on the lids after tilling, so as to slow down the 'drip'.  I may also put someting nutritious in the hole, under the bottles - newspaper wads (hold water), kitchen scraps, alfalfa, nettle/comfrey greens, etc.  Maybe even 'drowned' (i.e., successfully 'killed') nasty weeds, including roots, like morning glory, blackberry, false bamboo, etc., etc.

Can anyone tell me if roots that normally would stay in the top 6", will go farther/deeper in search of good stuff?  Especially, if top layer of soil is getting dry?  I'm hoping the rootsl will go out of their 'comfort zone' for water and food.

Also, btw, ala hugel kultur, and the practice of the Calif. Dept of Transport'n (a 1968 Sunset article shared their practice on roadside plantings, of auguring a deep hole, filling with wood chips, and maybe a shot of nitrogen, planting tree/shrub, and never touching them again, with great success) - making a post hle digger hole, and fill with wood chips, near trees/shrubs, etc.

btw, this idea is nothing new. it's thousands of years old.  not with plastic bottles but with using unglazed terracotta pots. a lot of desert regions did it. you bury a pot up to the neck specifically designed for irrigation , sometimes called olla pots or wetpots. the surrounding soil wicks out as much water as it needs to saturate but not became a wet mess.till it reaches equilibrium with the clay pot i guess. 

heres a pic and video of what i mean. there is also a video by dervaes family but i will not link to them(ever again)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOVfnppdn28

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiOMdlQYnj4

Wow guys, great posts! Thank you so much for those, they are terrific!

  I've been using bottles as waters for a few years now.  I got the idea after reading about the terracotta pot method.  No way I could afford to buy those pots so decided to try a substitute.  So far it's worked fine.

I plant the bottles in the soil when I plant the seeds or transplants.    I use them mainly for squash, tomato plants and large containers.    I just poke some holes around the base of the bottle and stick it in the ground beside the plant.  I use 2 litre ones for squash and pumpkin and 1 litre's for tomatoes.  In my containers I generally stick them in the middle of it and plant everything around it.  Then if they need water I just remove the lid which sticks about the ground and pour water right in.  They're also great for using things like compost tea or other liquid fertilizing methods.  I waste less. 

I've also used the jamming method with other plants if they look a bit wilty.  Also usually with perennials that have just been planted and are in their first year where they need a bit more water oompf until they are established.  I find I use way less water, the water gets to the roots instead of sitting on top of the ground and I don't have to worry about getting to them everyday.   

I like this system. Any info on how much area a pot will cover? If for example I am using 4ft x 16ft beds would one pot (or should I ask what size?) cover say a 4 x 4 area?