Off the Urban Grid

Clay Pot Watering System: Efficient, Ancient, and Easy

We like to think we’re pretty smart with our modern irrigation methods, but they aren’t always water efficient, and many aren’t practical for those of us gardening on city lots. Drip irrigation has grown in popularity of late, and it’s certainly better than standing over your garden beds spraying things down with a hose, but it lacks the “time release” effect of certain older methods…

I’m talking, of course, of something called clay pot irrigation.

This is where you bury unglazed clay pots in your garden, fill them with water, and plant your veggies (or anything you want to grow) within the range of influence of the slowly leaking pot. Over a matter of days, the water seeps out through the clay wall at a rate that’s influenced by the plant’s water use.

According to the article on the topic at Eco Composite, clay pot irrigation “leads to very high efficiency–much better than drip irrigation and as much as ten times more efficient than conventional surface irrigation.”

You don’t have to worry about watering every day–just fill up the pots as they dry out.

Clay pot irrigation has been around for more than 2,000 years (it may have started in China), so it’s definitely stood the test of time. And, as with so many things, the old ways are sometimes as good or better than the new ways, especially when we’re talking about water and energy conservation.

For those who want more information and ideas on how to implement clay pots for irrigation, here are some videos on Youtube:

Tags: irrigation, Water Conservation, watering