Can I make a self-watering pot for my pepper plant like my quadgrow?

[@niallgardens]

Looking forward to seeing the progress updates on this! Interested to see how the pepper gets on!

[@eliandkate]

me too :D

[@susiforster5859]

I made a "bigrow' using 2 10 litre pots, an under bed storage box and some capillary mattingl. I made holes in the lid of the underbed storage box. Works the same as a quadgrow.

[@eliandkate]

that sounds fantastic :D Bigrow.... :D

[@lesliescully3544]

Love the tossing of the connector pipe.

[@rebeccazody1278]

I have made these before using one bucket with a reservoir in the bottom and elevated the soil on a platform wedged in. Soil is in some landscaping fabric with just a portion in the water. Included the pvc tube too. This is a great design.

[@eliandkate]

Sounds great! How did it do?

[@rebeccazody1278]

I have used them for two years so far and plants do better than regular hand watered growing plants. I like being able to see when the reservoir is full and water is available when the plant needs it. I use a funnel at the top if the pipe so I spill less. I have also used this design in 18 gallon totes and 18 gallon round pots. Sometimes I add sand as the wicking material. Thank you! Your videos are very well done.

[@louise4907]

Ingenious... thanks for sharing x

[@eliandkate]

Hope it's useful

[@steveprosser7154]

Your home made system will work fine. I have been using a similar but square pot in a B&Q bucket for my tomatoes for years.

[@neeway1620]

I absolutely love owt like this! On my next day off I'll be giving it a whirl. I have the idea of using a long low storage box with holes in the lid for pots/buckets to sit in. Thanks for the inspiration!

[@eliandkate]

There were quite a few folk yesterday commenting that they'd used those boxes and it worked well

[@Mick..]

Thanks for update, I got some quadgrows and will be planting up this week, can't wait

[@eliandkate]

Oh what you putting in them?

[@Mick..]

@@eliandkate sun gold and black krim Tom's, cucumber, candy Stripe peppers and a cucamelon, best of luck with all yours

[@eliandkate]

Oh that sounds fab

[@fionahynds2964]

I love this idea, definitely give it a go at the weekend , thanks

[@eliandkate]

Good luck. Way easier than you think

[@alanhealey7885]

Will have to give it a go, I have a couple of spare bucket and maybe a spare tomato plant. Excited.

[@eliandkate]

maybe??? a spare tomato? 😂

[@alanhealey7885]

@@eliandkate or 2

[@michaeld.3779]

I think your diy quad will work just fine. I have an idea for sealing both tubs together that you may like better than the plastic bag (although, the bag, however “ugly” seems to work, so who cares what it looks like), but I can’t show it here. I’ll put a pic of the pipe insulation up in your Facebook page, however for those who need an image. Basically, it’s a length of that black spongy pipe insulation. They come in eight-foot lengths, and various widths. Just cut one to the circumference of the bucket. This length has a precut slit in it, and should fit over the edge of the reservoir pail and seal against the inner pail. Some fancier cutting might be required at the spout of the reservoir pail. 3/4 inch inside diameter soft sponge pipe insulation should do the trick, and it’s very inexpensive.

[@eliandkate]

I love that idea. That should work brilliantly and give it a bit of stability too

[@JJLewin1]

Great idea that certainly has potential. I can see plenty of these being built. Thanks for sharing :)

[@eliandkate]

It sounds like it, lots of folk talking about it as a job for this weekend

[@BramptonGardener]

Hahahaha love when you tossed the pipe hahahaha. I've been interested in making my own, great video thanks.

[@eliandkate]

You can do it! Go on :D!

[@BramptonGardener]

@@eliandkate next time move the pot before you fill it. ;)

[@eliandkate]

😂 if only... take 3 😬

[@DamsLifestyle]

Very nice gardening. Here to give my full support.thanks for sharing

[@eliandkate]

So nice of you :D

[@tim7589]

Well that was very interesting Eli - thank you! I can see how these things would be useful while away on holiday, but for me personally, when I'm at home, I prefer doing my own watering. It just seems more natural for the plants to gradually dry out and get wet again, instead of a constant watering system. Perhaps less likely to get root rot too? Regarding the sealing between the two buckets (or whatever other method is used for these things) - I think the main reason for doing that is probably to stop evaporation, which makes the solution work even better when on holiday, as the reservoir will last longer.

[@eliandkate]

The big quadgrows are awesome for when you are away. In the height of summer they usually last a week before needing refilled. Yeah they are fantastic for things like root root (because the soil never gets soaked) and amazing at stoping the split skins and blossom end rot just because the watering is so regular. I really love them :D

[@liamhill2364]

Love it. Looked in to it last year and didn't do anything about it but this year its all or nothing. Builders buckets at B&Q £1 each. 👍

[@eliandkate]

I heard and even better, they have black ones 😃

[@Chrisking85]

awesome eli

[@annlyder8657]

Brilliant video thank you

[@eliandkate]

Glad you enjoyed it

[@cheryl4511]

Love the idea I'll have a go thanks

[@eliandkate]

let us know how you get on :D

[@cheryl4511]

I will at moment I'm using bread baskets for growing my Tom's /cucumbers please could you help me as I'm got sweetcorn to plant can I put them in pots I'm normally grown my own flowers from my own seeds so I'm back growing salads vegetables

[@eliandkate]

Afraid I’ve never grown sweetcorn

[@cheryl4511]

I will let you know lol

[@geraldinebyrne2897]

Brilliant Video - Thanks ever so much x

[@eliandkate]

You are so welcome Geraldine! Hope it's useful.

[@wulver9014]

Loving the creativity 😍👍😋

[@eliandkate]

Why thank you

[@bigrickshaberdashery2759]

prefer the feeder lines with spray or drippers, my favorite is flow/ebb systems. I have had amazing pepper growth.

[@eliandkate]

That was how I started off with my very first greenhouse 😃

[@charliehoos9773]

Watching while potting up peppers 🌶

[@eliandkate]

Oh, very meta 😃

[@SecrePeach]

Absolute genius idea! 😃👍🏼 Love to see an update on how it’s doing! As a newbie last year to gardening I’ve really struggled with watering so love the idea of your capillary matted trays video. Can I ask a quick question?... I understand the process of water absorption when the mat is in direct contact with the soil however, aren’t the holes on the little pots slightly higher than the base and therefore not in direct contact with the matting leaving a small gap between the mat and pot holes/soil? 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@eliandkate]

I'm not 100% sure I understanding what you are meaning so feel free to say if I'm going in the wrong direction, but if you are talking about this video and the self watering pot, then the matting is sitting directly in the water and then up through the plant pot into the soil all the way to the level of the plant. If you mean the capillary beds, then my pots have holes in the bottom that mean the soil is in direct contact with the mat. if the holes in your pots are above the mat, then the soil won't be in contact with it and those pots won't work. Does that cover things?

[@rebeccazody1278]

Great video!

[@eliandkate]

😍😍😍

[@dubblechunkz]

Thanks so much for video 🤗

[@eliandkate]

My pleasure 😊

[@michellewhite9440]

Eli, do you heat your greenhouse overnight now that you have power in there? Just noticing your tomatoes are already in there and wondering about how chilly they get at night?!

[@eliandkate]

Sorry Michael, I thought I'd explained that in the video. Yep tomatoes are warm weather plants so actually need it to be warm in the evenings too in order to flourish so I'm hearing overnight. Everything was just getting too big for the house so they are out there now

[@nicolahart9177]

Thanks again for great advice. I found actual tap/bungs sold for Quadgrows so you can use them separately on line and they're great. I bought two sets and then they were too long by just 2cm for my greenhouse so had to find something!! Wanted to ask your and others thoughts on my tomatoes. I grew indoors from seed in March not thinking about how long they would need to wait to go in new greenhouse. I don't have heat this year and it's still too cold at night (Scotland) to put them in the greenhouse. I have potted them on twice already and they probably need it again. I have two/three weeks to wait for last frost, should I leave them and feed them in current 12cm pots or pot them on a third time and then again into quadgrows (don't have room for 8 QG's in the house)?

[@eliandkate]

Not sure what the others will say, but I'd say if they need potted on then i would pot them on. It's not just space but also about availability of the nutritional elements they need. I think it's about 5 weeks for a plant to use up all the nutrition in a pot - something like that

[@miss_frosting]

Your system should definitely work, looking forward to an update/results video. Do you use the feed that comes with the quad grow or do you use something else? I've just planted up my home-made sub-irrigation planters for the third tomato season. I have a quad grow and a chili grow, which I love, but my greenhouse (that I inherited with my allotment) doesn't have a layout that allows for the footprint of more than one quad grow (because they do require a certain space!). Enter my sub irrigation systems: disused council recycling box (with over-flow hole in the sides), big yoghurt pots (the 1-litre ones) to create the reservoir, an old compost bag cut open and laid on the yoghurt pots as a membrane to hold the compost (with extra holes because tomato roots like the air pocket at the top of the reservoir), wicks can be anything (old towels have worked well), and tubing from an old washing machine for watering (I like the flex as it can sometimes be hard to water at a set angle into a solid tube, once the plants are bigger). Oh, and gaffer tape to hold the membrane in place. I've done 1-2 indeterminate + 1 determinate tomato plant per planter before but trying 4 indeterminates this year (and fewer planters). The reservoir holds up to 15 litres of water per planter and I tend to top up once per week, max (more plants per planter this year means possibly more frequent topping up, if we ever get any sunshine in Edinburgh...). I also do smaller systems for 1-2 plants, mainly for bush and trailing tomatoes outdoors, using either big plastic plant pots or even an old mopping bucket for the reservoir.

[@eliandkate]

I'm using the same feed at the moment as I have some left. Interestingly, the plant in that pit is much smaller

[@miss_frosting]

​@@eliandkate That is interesting! I've heard somewhere that pepper plants like to have it a bit snugger.. It might take longer for it to feel at home in (what looks like) the more spacious homebuilt pot? (just guessing)

[@eliandkate]

We'll have to wait and see :D I'm putting out a greenhouse update shortly so you'll be able to compare how it's grown since the DIY pot video was published :D

[@steveday4797]

Great idea 👍 the cheapest I've found the big 20 odd litre buckets is £12 or £13, amazon or Halfords, the lids are £5 extra though

[@eliandkate]

eek! that's pricey. I know some lucky folk were given freebies from local restaurants etc, that's gotta be an awesome bonus :D

[@gedhuffadine1873]

Eli ime experimting with this my best results are an empty wine bottle with a very small hole in the metal top and stick it in the pot! Gives me an excuse to drink wine, great vid

[@eliandkate]

Ha ha ha yeah I had something similar for my house plants a few years ago

[@brianchallinor1291]

Smarty pants 😀

[@eliandkate]

😂😂😂

[@michellewatson6511]

Did you dip the material in the water first? Or did you just make sure one end was touching the reservoir and one end was at the top of the bucket?

[@eliandkate]

Both I soak it first but also make sure one end is right to the bottom of the reservoir and the other is up to soil level

[@Bee-io3id]

Just a thought, for a tidier system could you use one of the square plastic storage boxes that come with lids? (You had your soil in one) Your pot could then stand on the lid with the hole in for the wick drilled in lid. You might need to spray paint it black to block light to prevent algae but I think Thant could work well. I had ordered some Quadgrow pots but they haven’t turned up so I’m going to cancel my order and make my own as who knows when they will arrive🤷🏻‍♀️

[@eliandkate]

:D there are a lot of folk using those types of things, you need lower than the ones I have as there is a limit to how much the water will travel through the material (gravity) so be aware if you try this. For me though, this was just some fun for the video so I was happy to just go with this for a wee experiment :D

[@Bee-io3id]

@@eliandkate Thanks good tip, maybe I will look at using a sloping sided pot that sits lower down in the lid then. I understand that this is just an experiment for yourself as you already have a perfectly good efficient system in the Quadgrow but for those of us still in the ‘will we won’t we loop’ with plants needing to go in before suppliers can supply it’s good to have a viable alternative so I will watch your progress with interest to see how things progress 🤩

[@Bee-io3id]

@@eliandkate could I ask the depth of the Quadgrow tank please😊

[@eliandkate]

no idea off the top of my head but if you check out their website (greenhouse sensations) they've got dimensions on there :D

[@eliandkate]

ha ha ha I like that - the ‘will we won’t we loop’ There have been a couple of folk mentioning they have used the lower under bed storage boxes with the lids so that might be an idea. I think someone mentioned 4 or 5 inches at the maximum height for capillary action - although I haven't experimented to prove them wrong :D

[@andysears5552]

Hi again. Quadgrow didn't ask me to not talk about separating the two reservoirs / quadgrow units, so i will! I have four of these quadgrow units, and for the last two years i've set them up as instructed by the makers...this year, i'm being a rebel! I've ordered two sets of auto watering add on kits (from Amazon £10 per set), this includes the float, the water butt tap connector, two meters of tubing and fittings from the float etc. All i need to add, is a few bungs (probably just rubber, i'll have to find them first) to block the holes where the connecting pipe would usually go and i'll have four independent quadgrows, all equipped with float valves and their own water / nute feeds from the standard 30L reservoir and a new 100L slimline waterbutt. I'll have to split the two pipes from the reservoir to end up with four separate pipes, but really it's super easy, and will cost me a grand total of £20 quid to do.

[@eliandkate]

Oh result!!!!!! 20 quid!

[@valerieburr5792]

Just been watching your videos. Love them. Unable to source a Quadgrow system. Do you know if they are available anywhere?

[@eliandkate]

Hey Valerie I'm afraid the company that did them went under a few months ago so you can't get them anymore. I'm gutted cause I do love mine.

[@valerieburr5792]

@@eliandkate Thats rubbish. Will just need to try and do your home made one!!!! Where do you buy the capillary matting?

[@valerieburr5792]

or Wicker fabric

[@Karasadventuresx]

Hey, where do you get your big pots from please?

[@eliandkate]

not sure which pots you are talking about?

[@lynnetteroyce2515]

Do you put crocks in the bottom of your plant pots?

[@eliandkate]

if you mean the quadgrows, then there is no need as you don't water the pot, the water is below in a reservoir For general pots around the garden, no. I don't have any broken pots to use as crocks but also my pots tend to be on concrete so crocks wouldn't make any difference in terms of drainage. I use little risers instead. For covering the holes, most of our pots don't have holes big enough to cause an issue.

[@eliandkate]

So who else has either bought new quadgrows or has made or is planning on making their own DIY versions?

[@stuarthill4419]

Mine are up and running. I got some 10kg buckets from a local takeaway that come with lids, so no need for bin liner. ;-)

[@karenjamieson532]

Enjoyed the video. I’m going to give a DIY version a go...campervan season is approaching so need something to keep the wee fellows going. I’ll be in my shed tomorrow to see what’s kicking about. I know there is some waste pipe in there and a few plastic buckets. Thanks for the money saving tip Eli. 👍😀🪣

[@marionmunro9598]

Good idea Eli! I've made something similar for my chilli's. 4.5l rectangular lockn'lock container covered with black duck tape to exclude light. Holds a pretty big pot on top with a space in front of the pot big enough to drill a hole for filling it with water. Everything else the same but I don't need a pipe I just fill it using a funnel and seal it back up with ducktape. I've only used it for a week or so but fingers crossed it'll work too!

[@delsmith568]

I’ve used flower buckets from Aldi or Lidl and drill holes big enough for the wick material the pot stands on a bird fat ball lidded container that have been given me . I still out 2 holes ... one in the centre for the wick material and the other hole near the lid edge for me to top up the water levels. They work a treat 😊

[@moonwrasse]

DIY is the only way as you can’t get hold of any quadgrows anywhere.

[@TheWacoKid1963]

There's a hole in my bucket, dear Eli, Dear Eli Sorry I just couldn't resist that lol

[@eliandkate]

😀😀😀

[@AidanWilliamson]

How did these do?

[@eliandkate]

Hey Aidan It was OK. Gave me a producing pepper plant. The plant was a spare so started off much smaller than the others so was always a bit smaller, but gave me a few kilos of peppers. I found it a bit more difficult in terms of watering because it didn't HD nearly as much as the proper quadgrows, but that is down to the size of the buckets I had to work with. All in all, worked not bad.

[@AidanWilliamson]

@@eliandkate that’s good, proved the concept. I didn’t get around to trying this year but may try next wear with a larger reservoir if I can find the appropriate bits. Thank you.

[@eliandkate]

Defo go big if you can

[@gedhuffadine1873]

Ifs good experimting ime trying clay pots buried Ollijas i think they are called

[@eliandkate]

Oh sounds interesting

[@lesliescully3544]

Did this work?

[@eliandkate]

Yeah worked fine. Wasn’t as good as my proper ones because there wasn’t as much of a reservoir.

[@ronaldandsusanshaws-growing]

👍👍👍

[@frankvansynghel3953]

can't you just close the gape with silicone ? instat of plastic ?

[@eliandkate]

Personally I wouldn’t as I’m not wanting this to be a permanently closed unit. I want the option to be able to have a look or deal with any problems… so just having a way to cover it over worked well for me.

[@catofthecastle1681]

Why not put one of the dreaded plastic soda bottles or milk cartons in the pot with holes drilled in it. Fill it up and the water releases slowly!

[@eliandkate]

I’ve never found that work’s particularly well. I’ve always found that it just empties rather than provides a slow release. The difference with the capillary mat and water reservoir is that it doesn’t soak the soil. The water is drawn up evenly and slowly so the soil is never saturated but the plants get what they need as they need it.

[@catofthecastle1681]

Diapers would work but only probably for one year!

[@eliandkate]

I think most cloth would work Felt works great

[@mzundastud07]

Well one of those dislikes I’m thinking is from GHS 🤔🙈 even though you fully rate their products - you’re just trying to help people working on a budget or who are just unable to source QGrows right now! 🤷🏻‍♀️ the pipe toss.. 🤣👌🏼 also the blooper should have made the cut! 🤣

[@eliandkate]

but if I put all the bloopers into the cut... I'd look like a total idiot... there are always 3 or 4 :D

[@mzundastud07]

The Kitchen Garden with Eli and Kate i say a special blooper edition should be on the horizon! 🤣👍🏼

[@eliandkate]

😂😀😂😀😂 that would be fun

[@MrJimmuck]

It cant really be home made .... there is no toilet roll tube or even a washing up bottle!! Atb Jim

[@eliandkate]

Or sticky black plastic

[@TheWacoKid1963]

There bloody expensive for been made with recycled plastic