This improved self-watering Bucket system has a larger water reservoir without losing any soil capacity! It’s an easy DIY garden project, perfect for urban or small-scale gardeners.
00:00 – Self Watering 5 Gallon Bucket Overview
00:36 – My Self Watering SIP Bucket Hack
01:01 – Material List: Self Watering 5 Gallon Bucket
01:26 – How to Build a Self Watering Wicking Bucket
02:07 – Filling SIP Bucket w/ Potting Soil & Fertilizer
02:22 – Transplanting Seedlings into Self Watering Buckets
02:50 – Where & What to Grow in a Self Watering Bucket
Check my site for more tips:
► https://albopepper.com/self-watering-5-gallon-bucket-planter.php
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RELEVANT LINKS
(# CommissionsEarned)
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5/8″ Poly Derby Rope (wicking cord):
► https://amzn.to/3ySo3Y7
The wicking cord has worked extremely well in my 5 gallon buckets. It’s easier to set up than using a wicking basket. And even if plant roots grow down the rope, it still works well at drawing up water. I bought mine from a local hardware store, but I also supplied a link for convenience.
THE BEST SELF-WATERING BUCKET DESIGN:
Some self-watering bucket designs only use a single bucket which is then partitioned into a potting mix section resting above a smaller water reservoir. Those designs can save you a couple dollars since you don’t need a 2nd bucket. But they reduce the water storage capacity along with the available root zone. The double bucket SIPs allow for even larger plants while boosting hydration significantly.
The hack shown in the video gives an even further boost, allowing you to have a much larger water reservoir (7 quarts). These wicking buckets are quite sturdy when filled with water. But the plants can get massive! If your crop is super tall and you tend neglect the water reservoir, you can maintain stability by adding a brick to the reservoir. I personally don’t need to do it since I keep the reservoir fairly full. But if your garden is in a super windy area, you might decide to play it safe, especially once your plants start to explode. 😉
#Albopepper #UrbanGardening #ContainerGardening #WickingBucket #SelfWatering #SubIrrigated #gardenhacks
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47 Comments
Hey Al, got a question… I built 2 of the raised bed SIP's you talk about in your videos (thanks for the amazing idea). They are 6'x3' and worked great this year. Corn grew like crazy and so did the rest of the veggies I planted. But I have a problem that I can't seem to fix: my tomatoes! The plants grew very well and I pruned them properly. I have dozens of tomatoes on each plant. Problem is, most of the tomatoes have blossom end rot and/or they have what is called 'radial cracks'. The blossom end rot is due to lack of calcium (or over watering that dilutes the calcium within the soil) and the radial cracks are due to rapid changes in soil moisture which causes the fruit to expand faster than the outer skin can grow. I added calcium (dolomitic lime) a few times to the beds. I filled the SIP's with water every 3 or 4 days. The plants drink it up fast. Any ideas on how to fix this issue? Have you experienced radial cracking or blossom end rot?
Maybe you could do a video on this topic as many folks experience these same issues.
Hi can any other rope be substituted for the poly rope?
Regards Rob
Greetings from Arizona so 9B! We are going to try this technique with used cat litter buckets! Thanks for the tips and tricks! Cheers 🥂
out of curiosity, what are your thoughts on turning old washer tubs (outer plastic ones ) into planters ? I have two want to turn use for my garden since the already have a drain hole for the pump…plus not worth much used and as scrap.
Finally, the video I was looking for, without too many pieces. Just a wick, reservoir, potting mix and plant. Thanks.
`could you do a follow up talking about wicking……….how moist is the soil in the 5 gallon containers
Albo, I have a question about watering… My tomatoes developed blossom end rot and radial cracking this summer. I built one of your 3×6 SIP's and watered every week. How often do you fill your sip? How do you stop BER and cracking?
I've used a "Gro-Bucket" commercial SIP to grow a variety of plants in 5-gallon buckets. Tomatoes do OK, but I think they'd do better in your system because they'd have more root space, unlike the Gro-Bucket insert, which takes up about a third of the bottom of the bucket. Tomatoes can have massive root systems and the Gro-Bucket doesn't allow for enough root area. For contrast, I've also used an Earthbox, another commercial SIP for tomatoes, and they did a lot better. The Earthbox has done the best for me and I think I'll eventually convert most my gardening to using those. But Albo, you are the ultimate SIP scientist and your channel is awesome.
Very smart! I love the idea how you use raise the top bucket to get more water reservoir in the bottome bucket. Great video!
Useful idea dear💕🎁🙏😊🔔👍🤝
How you feed them weekly ? Plain water? Or with fertilizer are you doin top feed????
a COTTON tshirt tied in knots work better.
How did the peppers turn out? Do you think using water solvable fertilizer down the tube will work with the wick?
Fantastic set-up! How often would you have to refill the reservoir for those pepper plants?
Have you tried the traditional method of doing this with a netpot in the bottom and perlite or sand as a wicking medium, and comparing the soil moisture levels. I've found the wicking rope wicks a lot of water really fast
Great video. Helpful. I wonder if you ever add something like Clear Res to kill any bacteria growth in the reservoir during the 90 days of sitting pretty still in the tub?
It seems like the roots getting in between the gaps of the rope and their hopes is a great way to present root rot. Roots shouldn't get into the reservoir no?
Love this idea I’m hoping to mimic it for now legal growing in nys 😃👍🏻 I hope it translates to canna use
Those peppers @:24 look amazing! What cultivar? Great video!
I love how you make it simple I have one question though. Often should you fill up your Reservoir let's say in the summertime I know not as much in the spring or the fall but I don't want to over water my plants what's your thought nobody never talks about that
Very great video btw. Quick question, I’m assuming you have to water the top of the soil a few times in order to keep it moist and so that it can be able to wick from the bottom correct?
Would be great except the buckets made today can not handle the sun's uv rays and turn into brittle crap and that . be recycled because no one recycles plastics in the US. So your great idea needs to be buckets made by another material.
If you wanted a larger reservoir could you make the blocks 6" long and place them in the same place?
You're doing a complicated version of kratky
omg so powerful and simple! 🤯
This was very good. is there a video on the mini wicking pots. ?
If The weighted rock was taller. You would not need the wood drilled on the bucket.
This is awesome. I will be using this for basil and some tomatoes.
I love the idea of the rope for the wicking. My only concern is the synthetic material. How well does it wick? I do get that you want the synthetic material so it will last I the soil. I may do an experiment in an empty bucket with water, just to see. Looks like you've had some really good results though! ❤
Spanish subtitles please
how well did the polyester wick end up working? How many days did you top water before the wicking action was self sustaining ?
Can you do a video on the cheapest, most affordable leds that are Strip lights? I'm trying to make a bucket hydroponics tower and having a few options for lights that can go vertically around the tower would be great.
Suggestion, Fill new bucket completely with water, cut a 3 inch hole in lid.. place dollar store tea shirt in hole leaving about 3 inches spread on lid, the place 5 gallon grow bag on lid. For Tomatoes it's a good idea to cut a small slot in bottom of grow bag as the roots will eventually enter the bucket. It's a good idea to build a box around bucket and grow bag because uv light will damage them. It also facilities support for a Tomatos..a professional reusable trelace system. …all components should last many grow seasons, no mosquitoes and very easy to hook a water hose to, plants don't drown in rain, root self prone in grow bag… ect.. the box frame of the trelace system can be used as a green house tent for early planting or with chicken wire protection against rats, squirrels or ground hogs. With an indeterminate Tomatoes one will have to refill the bucket 3 to 4 times in zone 7 ( other zones may very ) but the reward is great and one must only replace the wick and use some Tomatoe fertilizer next year. I think green. I absolutely strive to get the most fruit from every plant with respect to waste and money invested.
The wicking cord is 5/8" diameter and the wicking hole is 1". Does the cord need extra space to expand? What if I got 1/2" cord and a 1/2" hole?
Making this right now with lowes 5gal food buckets ($4.00). Instead of 2×4's, I put ten 12oz soda bottles in the bottom of the bottom bucket. 8 around perimeter and 2 in middle. Food grade and won't deteriorate like the wood. I drilled 4 holes at the top of the label leaving 1" of air gap in positions: north south east west. I did the same at the bottom following the plastic bottle line 1" from bottom. I used 7/32" drill bit. Bottle lids are tight. The bottom 5gal bucket gets a 1/2" drilled hole at 4-3/4" up from outside bottom of the 5gal bucket. This aligns with the soda bottle top holes. This leaves 1" air gap between water height and bottom of 5 gallon bucket. Following host for top bucket. Following Gardening With Leon for fertilizing. Using 1tsp per gallon of 10-4-3 (amazon) for 3 weeks or until first flower buds appear "feeding" once per week through reservoir and on top. "Watering" from top every other day until roots reach wicking. After 3 weeks switching to his bloom/veggie exploder 14-70-48 which is 8-34-23 (amazon 10-52-10 and amazon 4-18-39. Mix 50/50. 1tsp in one gallon). If you eat the leaves you stay with 10-4-3. If you eat the flower/veggie/root, you switch to 14-70-48. After 3 weeks, you don't have to water from top.
Theres no root rot?
Do you use “food safe” buckets or standard 5 gallon buckets?
Why would you not recommend growing watermelon in these pots?
Do you usually add water from the pipe, how many days do you add water, good work
Thats brilliant, is the type of rope you use important. I have some left over rope but its not the type you are using
Do you think you could apply this same concept to totes with some kind of internal spacer in the bottom tote? If that would work do you think it would have any benefit over the black perforated pipe style?
Could I use a copper or zinc-plated steel pipe like the (SteelWorks 36 in. L Low Carbon Steel Threaded Rod) instead of using a PVC pipe? Or what other pipes could I use that aren't PVC material?
@AlboPepper This is an interesting blend of ideas. It appears the system becomes a partial hydroponics system, based upon the root clusters along the rope. This also suggests that liquid fertilizers would be simple to apply via the fill tube right down into the water reservoir.
Do mosquitoes lay eggs in the water reservoir?
If you're weighing down the bucket with something like a brick, you could probably arrange so that you didn't even have to attach those wooden supports to the top bucket. It's at the expense of reservoir capacity, however.
Such an elegantly simple & clever design. I especially appreciate how the 2-bucket design maximizes the soil capacity. Thanks so much!
@koaasst
0 seconds ago
i had 10 rows of 10' plastic gutter so 90 5 gallon buckets doing cherry tomatoes using landscape fabric inserts i sewed up with a sewing machine from walmart. i bought one of those thin aluminum rolls for roof flashing i guess and made covers for each row with holes for the netcups. i use that real fluffy sphagnum moss for wick material in the netcup. used treated 2x4s to make the frames for the gutters. of course homemade potting soil using a homemade turner much like a concrete mixer you can get at harbor freight. I used all kinds of 5 gallon buckets and bought a 3" hole saw to drill the holes in each bucket. the netcups were something i found on amazon. the rows sat off the ground about 3 feet on metal pipes i hammered into the ground and used a lazer level to make sure all 3 poles for each gutter were perfectly level. the gutters have ends of course and in one end of each gutter i put one of those rubber grommets that a irrigation type elbow that black tubing fit into, then attached each gutter together with the black poly tubing with T's and ran the tubing to a nearby greenhouse to act as the water supply for all the gutters. the water supply was a simple 5 gallon bucket that i inserted the poly tubing into the bottom of it with a grommet like the gutters used, then i added a float valve from a toilet tank thru a hole in the bottom, so it worked just like a toilet tank would, and added a adapter to the valve assembly that a water hose would connect to.
the trick with the water bucket was to set it on blocks until the height of the water when it was at its max level due to the toilet valve shutoff, was at the same level as the water filled gutters, or a half inch or so from the top of the gutters.
now, the buckets wick the water up through the sphagnum moss in the netcups hanging in the water, and the water just wicks right through the landscape fabric bags full of potting soil, which the bags just sit in the bucket not too to tight, so a little air wicking i read about could maybe happen. It doesnt take long for the tomatoes or whatever plant roots to get down to the wettest part. i did add a mulch to the top of the potting soil to keep any moisture trapped and not drying out top layer all the time.
the second year i bought a roll of the 1/4 micro drip tubing and made little lassos for every bucket that cirlced around the plant and hooked them all together to a battery powered water timer connected to the water hose spigot in the greenhouse that gave them top drinks a couple times a day for a minute or so.
about the 6th year i had the metal pipes from the electrical dept that were 10 feet long stuck into the ground to build a grid over each row, and i used jute twine to hang from the pipe, they were about 6 feet above the gutters, and i just wove the twine around the plants as they grew. at the end of the 6th year, the jungle created from 180 cherry tomatoes, i had 2 in each bucket, was so thick, as each plant went up to the top and then grew back down and the suckers got out of control, i couldnt keep up, the whole darn thing one day collapsed as the metal electrical pipes couldnt hold it anymore, bending over like the legs of a table giving way. i dug thru it getting big trusses of cherry tomatoes, had about 15 varieties of all colors, must have been thousands of them, until the first freeze killed all the vines. i didnt mess with it until the next spring when it was time to get it ready for the next season, and it defeated me. it was so thick and now all dead and crunchy and scratchy i could barely get it all apart, having all that jute twine just woven all thru the jungle. i think i finished clearing it out by start of summer and just skipped that year, well, that was a few years ago and the buckets are still empty with the same soil and random weeds growing here and there from them, water off so nothing too bushy weedwise.
oh, and i even started everything from seed every january, with the jiffy trays and those cool expanding peat pellets, and heating pads all in a old refrigerator with led lights and timers until they were so big then each one was placed in a red solo cup and set in big homemade trays that held 72 cups, to correspond to the peat pellet trays, then set outside on big racks in a makeshift greenhouse with tons of the old 4foot fluorescent lights shining hard on them so they wouldnt get leggy, as i learned they would in previous years with no good light.
in the end i cant even fathom how many tomaotes i sold but it wasnt a giant money maker as i would have given them away to the old folks at the VFW or other places around the area people congregated, but people always threw a couple bucks my way. I just took ziplock baggies and added a bunch of random colored cherry tomatoes to each bag and loaded up some wicker baskets, it looked like a norman rockwell painting me in my old pickup truck headed to town with a load of cherry mater filled baskets in the back.
and today i started watching videos about the old gutter buckets and its inspired me to revisit my old experiment and tell my tale kinda, as ive never really explained anything about it before, so hence this long comment lol, whew. it was truly an amazing system, and im surprised with my adhd that i kept it going for that many years, some of yall might know what i mean. but now and then i get inspired to go back to old projects, and i have a need to build a jungle again, i dont even care if it collapses again, its just so rewarding walking thru the gutter rows every afternoon tending to the babies. i think next time ill get a big roll of tulle, that wedding veil fabric and make a big enclosure when those darned leaf footed bugs first show up, because they are awful at messing up the fruits with their little pokey mouth piercers, leaving the tomatoe to start spotting up and looking nasty. i think i might try to document it with my phone camera this next time, thatll help me get even more interested in keeping it tidy and presentable. cool im excited, i thnk ill go start making a big pile of potting soil from all the buckets, as soon as a build a phone mount gantry type thing that can swing around the place for some good captures. maybe i better just go to work first before i get too excited lol!