Picture: Svetlana Mechonoschina (Shutterstock)
Glass might be recyclable, however in some cases it’s appealing to keep old bottle around for the visual, the memories, or a little of both. If you tend to hang onto your empty bottle, they do not need to sit around gathering dust– they’re in fact extremely beneficial for watering your houseplants. Here’s how to put your old bottles to work.Whenever you water your houseplants, you should always try to get as much water to the roots as possible. Although plants can soak up small amounts of water through their leaves, the roots are better at it; discarding water on the leaves and letting it trickle down isn’t extremely efficient, and depending on the type of plant, could even damage the leaves. This is why most watering cans have such long, narrow necks– they make it simple to get at the roots. As luck would have it, wine bottles likewise have long, narrow necks that make it simple to put water right where you desire it. Another reward: Considering that(most )wine bottle volumes are standardized to 750 milliliters, you can approximate how much water you’re really giving your plants, which can be important to track. In addition to routine old watering, old bottle are likewise fantastic for establishing an automatic, self-watering system.
Whether you’re going on holiday or just susceptible to forgetting to water, sticking an upside-down bottle filled with water directly in the soil enables plants to take in precisely as much water as they require, precisely when they need it. Screw-top wine bottles work best in this case due to the fact that you can poke a hole in the cap prior to inverting the bottle into the soil; if you purchase corked wine or don’t conserve the caps, you can also cover the bottle with plastic wrap and poke a hole because. A standard 750-milliliter bottle works best for bigger plants, or at least those with plenty of space in the planter. Naturally, you don’t have to use wine bottles particularly for this; any long-necked bottle will do, particularly if they have a cool label or an interesting shape. Whether you consume bourbon, gin, odd amari
, or non-alcoholic shimmering cider, your empty bottles are worth keeping around for your plants’ sake.