sub-irrigated pot 2

I made another sub-irrigated pot, from the same kind of plastic water bottle (which I won't be using again, as I'll explain).  The job went a lot faster this time, and I got better air-holes as I poked them with the tip of a paring knife heated in a candle flame.

I put a baby Nasturtium in it.

There is a problem with using these bottles, though. The plastic is quite thin and crumples easily. Also, the bottle has an hourglass shape near the bottom which makes it difficult to get the top part to fit back into the bottom after it's been cut and upended. So that's why my reservoir piece ends up too short. I'll make sure to only use bottles in the future that can fit into itself again easily. (I'm already thinking this would be a fantastic way to grow my Violets, as they can keep their high moisture and humidity without ever risking getting the foliage wet).

I also quickly discovered two advantages. One, when I want to move the plant, it's so easy to just pick up the entire thing. I don't have to worry about balancing or moving a drip saucer. Plus, the absence of a saucer means the plants can be set closer together (and windowsill space in my home is limited, so I'm always trying to fit more plants in there!).

Secondly, I could easily see how much water the little plant needs. I gave it 3 cm of water in the reservoir immediately upon transplanting. After a short amount of time it had absorbed 1 cm of water, and by morning it had used another half cm, and the top of the soil was damp. So I emptied the last 1.5 cm out of the reservoir. When it dries up again I'll know that it needs 1.5 cm and that's it!