How to Make a Self-Irrigation System

Making a self-irrigation system for your outdoor spaces doesn't have to be difficult with the help of this step-by-step gardening guide.

Excerpted from Ready, Set, Grow! by DK BooksDorling Kindersley
Filed under: Container Gardening, How To, Gardening

Materials Needed:

plastic planter
sheet of expanded polystyrene
craft knife

plastic pipe
small plastic pot (like a yogurt container)

1. Cut a Polystyrene Disk

Ask an adult for help and make sure it sits about 3 inches (7 cm) from the base of your container. Make a hole in the center a bit smaller than your pot.

2. Cut Plastic Piping

2. Cut a length of plastic piping. Make it a little longer than the height of the container, and make another hole in the edge of the polystyrene for this pipe.

3. Add Holes to the Small Pot

3. Punch holes in the base of your small pot. Tuck the pot underneath the hole in the polystyrene disk. Water will seep through the pot's holes from below.