How to Build 5-Gallon Wicking Buckets REVISITED | + Q&A

Episode# 104
For this episode, we revisit our 5-gallon water wicking bucket video from a couple years ago. Our buckets are still being used in the gardens growing a wide variety of plants so we thought it would be a good idea to take another look at building one of the bucket systems and answer a few questions that were left in the comment section of that video.
Original Bucket System video:
• How to build A 5-Gallo...
3 inch Net Pots:
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3-inch hole saw:
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[@stanacho854]

An important reason for the holes in the upper bucket is to allow air access to the soil in the bottom area and ensuring drainage of excess water thereby preventing root rot. It is also important to make sure that the overflow hole in the bottom bucket is not higher than the bottom level of the inner bucket. This will ensure that the airgap between water and soil is maintained at all times

[@theUrbanGardener]

Yes, that is correct.

[@johnguyman5021]

This is the best video I have seen on making your own grow buckets, very simple and to the point. thanks so much for sharing this.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you so much for your compliment!

[@imabayouchic10]

I love the bloopers at the end. Thanks for this video.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you! I put outtakes at the end of most of my videos, it’s fun and funny 😄

[@todmills]

Someone near me was selling used 5 gallon food grade buckets that held pickles, for 50 cents a bucket. They had gotten them from the local school cafeteria. I bought about 40 buckets. 🙂 Black zip-ties last longer than the white ones under intense UV conditions.

[@jillbruce3624]

Was searching for diy for the Aquapots by Jack Barnwell, and came across this video. I live in SE Florida and need to provide so much irrigation in the summer months. I am in my late 60's so I needed something fairly easy. I think I hit the jackpot. Thank you.

[@theUrbanGardener]

So glad you found our video! Be sure to check out our other videos for more gardening fun.

[@noirs2004]

Thanks for sharing your knowledge. After viewing A LOT of how to videos, for the self wicking pots, I have to say, your's is the best. Now I have a project for this weekend.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you, I really appreciate that compliment. I think this is a very good system and doesn't cost as much as most garden pots.

[@Nobody-oz3rk]

Great video.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thanks! I knew Nobody has been watching these videos!

[@artineushenson4372]

I put 1/4 nylon wick material long enough to go to the bottom of the bucket maybe a little extra and in the bucket the wick goes to half way. Also works great. Love you video

[@theUrbanGardener]

I can see this working! Thanks

[@wolrdp]

Thank you so much for this video! I am going to be doing container gardening this year and didn't want to spend a lot of money on totes just to drill holes in them. I am so grateful for the tip of going to restaurants and bakeries for these :) I can't thank you enough for your channel!

[@theUrbanGardener]

And I can't thank you enough for your support. I hope you can get some local businesses to give you some buckets. I will be posting new videos in a couple weeks to get our new growing season started. Hope to hear from you again.

[@user-lo2rg8qh9l]

That was an awesome video. Thank you These bucket design will save tons on fertilizer. I would put more holes on both buckets above the 2 inches for air

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thanks for the compliment!

[@marilynm7533]

Learned alot

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thanks for the comment! I really appreciate it.

[@lucyw.mcmellan7274]

I've seen several ways of self-watering, and I have to say that I truly like yours the best. I just have to go buy some more bottom buckets. Thank you very much.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you for the wonderful compliment! I love these bucket systems. I’m about to start talking about our systems on our weekly garden journals next week.

[@lucyw.mcmellan7274]

@@theUrbanGardener You're welcome, and I will be watching.

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Fertilizer can be added in that 1/2" pipe. I tried your setup with so-so results. Best thing I found was a glass wine bottle (at least 1 quart in size), fill with water, and shove in the ground. Yes, I have to fill bottles but I get an easier way to tell if the bucket needs water or not.

[@bs4638]

Awesome video! Thank you for posting this! Have you tried different heights for the drain hole? In rainy locations, you may want lower drainage hole and in dry locations, you may want a higher drainage hole.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you! No matter the conditions the holes should be right at the level of the bottom of the top bucket. It makes sure that the net cup is fully submerged in order to draw up the water and to not allow it to over fill when it’s raining.

[@carlagates7196]

Just subscribed to your channel. Great video, one of the easiest I've seen so far explaining how to build a wicking bucket. I do have a question though, how do you keep the dirt from falling out the bottom and sides of the net pot? Thank you for your video.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thank you for joining us here. And thanks for the compliment on the video. The amount of soil that you lose from the net pot is not enough to worry about. I have several of these that have the same soil for the last couple season and still have the soil in the net pot below wicking up into the container. Just pack it in nicely.

[@bs4638]

You could add some landscape fabric cut to size, before adding the soil.

[@Randy_Smith]

Many thanks for your helpful self watering videos! I really appreciate how you explained what to expect in the long term. Your system looks much more simple than others, especially the ones that only use one bucket and a cut down lid. Is it okay to feed/fertilize the plants with a water soluble fertilizer through the watering tube or do you recommend supplying any nutrients to the plant from the top. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

[@theUrbanGardener]

You're very welcome! With this system I do recommend that you feed from the top and allow it leach down into the roots. Thanks for watching, I hope you check out some of our other content too. Let us know what you think?

[@gregspence4692]

I've seen quit a few different ways on the wicking system and yours is very straight forward, I like it and I will be putting some together right away to get ready for spring. I wonder if putting some organic fertilizer inside the reservoir would feed the plants well or would it be too much for them.

[@theUrbanGardener]

I would say it would be best to just scratch some into the top and let the nutrients seep down. Thanks for the great compliment and keep an eye out for more videos coming soon.

[@user-lo2rg8qh9l]

put the fertilizer into the soil.

[@nanapapasbeachadventures8904]

are the drain holes right below the bottom of the upper bucket? Great videos!

[@theUrbanGardener]

Yes you are correct, just high enough to allow for water to pool but not high enough to soak the bottom of the upper bucket. Thank you so much for your support!

[@amazingdany]

Nice instructions! How many plants do you put per bucket? There seems to have place only for one in the center if we have to respect the "standard" 1 foot around for aeration, although I can see cramming the bucket with cilantro, red radishes, etc... Maybe another follow-up video how you planted your plants? 🤘

[@theUrbanGardener]

I should do one about that! What I would say in that video is to use the “square foot method” and you can find some lists and charts online showing how many of each variety can be planted in a square foot. Just have to adjust for being round vs. square. Thanks for watching, I hope you check out our other videos and I’ll see you in the comments later. 😀

[@amazingdany]

@@theUrbanGardener 🤝

[@jerrifenton3927]

Used this system last year and it worked great. How do you support tomatoes?

[@theUrbanGardener]

That is so good to hear. I use some tall stakes, or some wooden tower trellises that I built, and this year I was gifted some cool tower cages from Forever Garden Beds. I will be showing those in our next video tomorrow.

[@mrsrajininathan1990]

3:50 sir, pls share video on self watering planters using single bucket becz second bucket can be used for one more plant.

[@theUrbanGardener]

I do not like the single bucket wicking systems because they take up root space, a plant will grow better in this system than a single.

[@MrTosha43]

Great video mate,can you put seeds in and or bulbs in this system, thanks

[@theUrbanGardener]

Yes you could do both, they grow many different plants. I would try a few different things out in them.

[@germaineludik]

Really like your tutorial. I would like to use it for a food security project in Africa if that's ok?

[@theUrbanGardener]

Please feel free to do that. Thanks for watching my videos.

[@KathleenDenault-Ridge]

Do you recommend lining the bottom of the planter (top) bucket that has the many small holes drilled out and the inside of the net pot wick with landscape fabric to prevent the potting mix from falling into the water reservoir from the small drilled holes? Or, is the idea that the roots will grow through the holes and into the water?

[@theUrbanGardener]

No need for any liners. With a strong root system they will reach down to get additional water but the job of the system is to wick the water up into the top buckets root system and keep the soil from drying out.

[@randallmarshall6221]

I have built your 5 gal wicking system and want to grow an indeterminate beefsteak tomato plant this coming season (2023 ) on my deck. I am a complete newbie at all of this. The question I have is do you keep the reservoir full to the overflow holes all the time throughout the growing season?? I realize that the potting soil will take up and hold as much water as it can but maybe this will be too much water all the time. Any assistance would be very much appreciated. Thank you

[@theUrbanGardener]

It depends on the heat level of your area, if it is hot then the water will need to filled every couple of days in order to keep the container moist. If it is a cooler region then it will not be needed as much. You just don't want to allow the container to dry out. As for growing tomatoes in the containers, I will say that larger varieties might not grow as big as they can. I have found that tomatoes are going to want more space for root growth, at least 8-10 gallons. I found that cherry tomatoes do do well in these containers. I hope you have success with this system, it has worked very well for me over the years. I encourage you to find the link in the description of our videos to our FB gardening group and share your experience and get some help from other gardeners in our group as well. Happy Gardening Randall!

[@jackiedines5229]

It works great with hydroton.

[@theUrbanGardener]

just wondering how it would be applied to a wicking bucket, seems like you would need a bunch of it...

[@jackiedines5229]

You just use it in place of soil, it is expensive but very light, for pots I often mix it 50-50 with gravel, no soil at all, then you just use a slow release fertiliser. That way all the plants roots get plenty of oxygen without any rotting organic matter in the mix. The clay balls wick the moisture so does the gravel. @@theUrbanGardener

[@theUrbanGardener]

These are five gallon buckets, it would be a lot of hydroton. Wouldn’t be very practical I would think.

[@chipcoombs571]

What is your protocol at the end of the growing season. Do you reuse the soil again the following Spring? Do you dismantle the entire system or leave as is. I live in the snow belt. Thank you.

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thanks for the question. I have been filling them then using them for two seasons then recycling the soil with amendments and refilling. It has worked well. This way I don’t have to do it every year. I should be showing this process really soon on my Garden journal videos.

[@chipcoombs571]

@@theUrbanGardener That would be great if you could. Thank you.

[@edwardkloby8560]

Didn't know it's so easy

[@theUrbanGardener]

It really is! A real great container for any garden space.

[@TommyMLe]

I have a question? I live in Arizona for context. If I were to make a self wicking bucket like the one in this video, how would that affect my plant in my climate? I'd imagine the water in the bucket would be pretty hot during the summer. Would that kill the plants roots when it's wicking the water? Or would it start cooling down during the wicking process since the water wicks slower?

[@theUrbanGardener]

The water in the reservoir won't exceed the temperature of the day, unless you are using dark buckets, I always use white buckets. Plus you can always on excessively hot days flush the reservoir with nice cool water. I haven't run into any problems with mine through excessive 100+ weeks here where I am at.

[@ericredbear425]

Being in Wisconsin, the sun's UV isn't as intense as in the South, but the FREEEEEZING winters make most plastics brittle in 1-3 years. Is there anyway to mitigate the damage? (no room inside to bring these in)

[@theUrbanGardener]

Even though it is cold the same thing is happening to the buckets that happens to them in the summer. It's UV that breaks down the plastic and could even be worse in colder areas as snow would reflect a lot of UV. If not in use you could cover them.

[@keansalzer8364]

Do you find that using white buckets allows algae to bloom in the reservoir? If so, how to you clean it during the grow season?

[@theUrbanGardener]

White buckets do get a small amount of algae, but they are better than dark buckets that collect a lot of heat. I just wait until the end of the growing season and scrub out the algae with a scrub brush.

[@ronbewsell5538]

I am having a problem with Algae in the reservoir in Wagga Wagga.do you have the same problem? If so, how do you treat it? Or is it just the Aussie Sun !

[@theUrbanGardener]

With the white buckets I get some algae buildup. I clean out the reservoir bucket each year, just a simple toilet scrubber will do. It’s not harmful, it’s just a chore when you have as many of these as I do. Thanks for the question, I hope the answer helps.

[@craigjacob3704]

Would this still work if you had a larger reservoir ? Like if you had a lid for the bottom bucket cut out so the top bucket sat higher?

[@theUrbanGardener]

You could try this, you just want to be sure the net pot can always reach the water no matter how low it gets.

[@edbarbano1311]

Can I mix water solube fertilizer with water to add to the reservor, or is it best to fertilize from the top by drip method

[@theUrbanGardener]

With a water soluble fertilizer you could go either way. I am using a worm casting tea and that I will water from the top.

[@davemartin1534]

How many years does these buckets last. Because I know plastic detours with the IV light from the sun. Would a coat of Uv blocking spray paint prevent derogation.

[@theUrbanGardener]

I have never tried that but it would be interesting to test it out. They do break down under the sun's UV. I rotate mine around so they are not all in full sun all the time. I get about 3-4 years out them before they start chipping and then being more careful with them I still get another 2-3 years out of them. I do still have buckets that are well over 8 years old too though.

[@davidiveson4035]

Hello. I built 12 of your water wicking buckets and planted veggies 3 or 4 days ago. I noticed that the water in the reservoir buckets are remaining full like it’s not wicking up the soil. Is this normal at first or is there something wrong?

[@theUrbanGardener]

Is the soil moist? The plants and soil will only bring up what it needs. Only fill the reservoir as the soil needs it.

[@Kobiwan73]

Is the net pot supposed to touch the bottom of the bottom bucket? I bought the exact materials and my pots sit about 1/2" above the bottom of the bottom bucket.

[@theUrbanGardener]

They don't have to touch the bottom, they just need to be submerged into the reservoir water so that it can wick the water into the top or planting bucket.

[@bettydeans5036]

What prevents the dirt from seeping into the lower bucket?

[@theUrbanGardener]

Packing it in nicely to the net cup.

[@itscodyhill]

Hey, is the bottom of net cup supposed to be touching the bottom bucket? I’m using the United Solutions brand buckets from Walmart and the reservoir doesn’t seem deep enough like yours.

[@theUrbanGardener]

I have had buckets that the net cup touched the bottom and I just filled them and used them as normal. They worked just as well.

[@vegasman2068]

Question my wicking bucket were working great. I had to put water in them some everyday and we had a hot spell. Then they just started not wanting any water and plants were drying up i live in las vegas nv and have all my buckets so they get east facing sun. Have any idea thanks

[@theUrbanGardener]

I do believe that there can be a point when the soil dries out so fast that the wicking stops being effective. I do recommend to water from the top every so often, as I do put in organic fertilizers that need to be washed into the soil. Plus doing a good plant soak with some compost tea, giving your plants a foliar feeding too.

[@vegasman2068]

@@theUrbanGardener will do thank you

[@amazingdany]

@@vegasman2068 Definitely mulch your bucket, three inches! One inch of compost if you're growing ornemental plants or a max of three if growing fruits/veggie plants before you mulch! Fertilizing with a _3-1-2_ ratio ommercial product (and its multiples) every 2-4 weeks at half/three-quarter strength until say, the end of growth season, depending on what you planted.

[@queensena11]

What size bit do you use for a 1 inch pvc pipe in the top bucket?

[@theUrbanGardener]

1 inch bit.

[@jayscuffington]

How do you prevent soil from falling down into the reservoir?

[@theUrbanGardener]

The net pot holds well.

[@stanweiler4344]

Do you fill the water pipe until it backs up in the pipe?

[@theUrbanGardener]

Thanks for your question, you fill it up until water comes out the drain holes on the bottom bucket.

[@cathyathope7962]

When you first plant do you water dirt or through pvc pipe?

[@theUrbanGardener]

I always water in new plant starts from the top of the soil.

[@maryjepson8817]

Does color of bucket matter? Lowes blue, Home D orange and have seen some black.

[@theUrbanGardener]

I prefer white buckets vs. darker colors that absorb more heat.

[@carole3877]

I have grow bags. Any tips for self watering those?

[@theUrbanGardener]

For growbags you could put them in some sort of tray and just bottom water them or if they are big enough you could possibly use an oja.

[@carole3877]

@@theUrbanGardener oja??

[@theUrbanGardener]

@@carole3877 you’ll want to look them up to get a better idea of what they are than what I can describe.

[@GeraldKistner]

How large of an air gap should there be between the 2 buckets? Thank you.

[@theUrbanGardener]

If by airgap you mean the reservoir at the bottom then that just depends on the buckets. They are designed to sit inside each other and usually have about 3 inches of space that is used as the reservoir.

[@GeraldKistner]

@@theUrbanGardener I didn't explain myself very well. I'm talking about the air gap between the top of the water level (where the drain holes would be) in the bottom bucket versus the bottom of the top bucket. stanacho854 in the next message indicated "An important reason for the holes in the upper bucket is to allow air access to the soil in bottom area and ensuring drainage of excess water thereby preventing root rot. It is also important to make sure that the overflow hole in the bottom bucket is not higher than the bottom level of the inner bucket. This will ensure that the airgap between water and soil is maintained at all times." There is about 3 inches of space between my 2 buckets. I just want to drill the overflow holes properly so I leave enough of an airgap to prevent root rot. Again thanks for your time.

[@theUrbanGardener]

@@GeraldKistner Okay, I get what your saying better now. I would say about a 1/4 - 1/2 inch should be sufficient. You want to be able to hold as much water in the reservoir as possible and also not allow water to get above the bottom of the top bucket. I hope that helps.

[@GeraldKistner]

@@theUrbanGardener You explained things very well. Thank you so much.

[@ralphgrunz7377]

How do you fertilize your plants using this system

[@theUrbanGardener]

I just scratch in a dry organic fertilizer into the top inch or so. If using a liquid fertilizer I would prefer to apply it to the top and allow it to drain through vs. putting it in the bottom bucket with the water pool.

[@ralphgrunz7377]

@@theUrbanGardener Thank you for taking the time to respond... I really appreciate it.

[@theUrbanGardener]

@@ralphgrunz7377 You are welcome Ralph. I appreciate your support as well.

[@winnonadc2665]

How do you know if the water is gone from the bottom?

[@theUrbanGardener]

You could lift it up, but I just fill during the warmer part of the year to ensure it has the water it needs.

[@winnonadc2665]

I was concerned that it might disturb the roots that had come through ! Thank you . Can’t wait to see how this will work . The FIRE ANTS are already in the buckets !🥲🥲