Making Hydroponic Planters!

This week we're making hydroponic planters as part of a vertical vegetable garden we're creating!
These planters can be attached to almost any wall or fence and can be planted with anything you like (we've used peas here).
These planters water themselves, are an affordable way to utilize vertical surfaces in the garden and are a great way to help nature by up-cycling!






For this project you will need:

• A plastic bottle
• Garden twine
• Scissors
• Strong glue
• Soil
• Seeds

First, punch a hole in the lid of the bottle. You could use a drill for this, I softened the plastic by heating it and pushed through a pencil.

Next cut the bottle in half using the scissors and make two holes in the lower half of the bottle about 5cm from the top. 

Next, cut two pieces of twine about 30cm long. Thread one piece of twine through the hole you have made in the lid of the bottle. Secure the twine in place by tying a few knots on the inside of the lid. 

Take the second piece of twine and thread it through the holes you made in the lower half of the bottle. This twine is what we will use to attach the planter to the fence. To secure the string in place and to ensure the lower half of the planter is water tight, add a few blobs of glue to seal the holes. 

Now it's time to flip over the top half of the bottle, add some glue to the top edge of the bottom half of the bottle and fit the two together. Make sure that your twine falls inside of the lower half of the bottle and that you leave this to dry for a little bit before moving on the the next step!

Finally, you can fill the top half of your planter with soil and plant your seed!

When you water your planter, the water will collect in the lower half of the bottle, the string you added will allow the water to travel up into the soil keeping the soil moist and making sure the plant gets enough water. 

This is the same process that plants use to move water from their roots to their leaves and is called evapotranspiration.

This activity is a lot of fun and works especially well in both gardens and schools without much green space. 

For more information about Eco-Explore Education's School sessions and for more ideas for activities and outdoor fun like us on Facebook, follow us on Twitter or drop us an email.