Olla irrigation: practical in long term?

[ApidAdi]

Ollas (pronounces oya) are unglazed clay pots that are buried in a garden and filled with water as an irrigation system. Ollas were introduced to the americas by Spanish settlers, and they're making a comeback in desert regions of North America. You can buy them, but they're quite expensive. I found several sites that show you how to make some by gluing terra cotta pots together using masonry epoxy in order to make a makeshift olla.
https://suburbanfarmonline.com/2010/08/09/make-your-own-ollas/
Have any of you made one? I know terra cotta has a nasty habit of cracking with freezing and thawing. Have you had it in the ground over winter? I really want to try this in my garden, as summer is drought season in Mississippi, and the heat and lack of water gets to even the hardiest of plants. I want to know if I'll have to expect to replace these periodically.
Edit: I live in Zone 8 in Mississippi. So our winters are quite mild.

 

[Beverly]

Is it correct that the terracotta has to be quite thin so that the water in the olla is absorbed through the pores to keep the earth damp? I was considering ollas earlier this year, but decided against them in favor of another method. Firstly because my garden is small by most standards and i am forever digging around in the soil and i assumed i would probably break them or they would be problematic to work around, didn't like the idea of them taking up soil space, thought about using regular clay planter pots but they are quite thick and i wasn't certain that they would provide sufficient moisture. So, i decided on an old method that i had tried before, the long-necked glass bottle pushed neck length into the soil near various plants that prefer continual moisture. Wine bottles work very well, in this case i've used a mineral water bottle. Many people will not like the look of them, but i appreciate the ease, being able to see how much and how quickly water is being absorbed, that i can easily add nutrients to the water (molasses for example), that i don't have to remove them to dig around in the soil. I think the ollas might have the advantage of making moisture available to the plant roots at a level deeper in the soil, i am not sure. The white powder around the base of this Ixora plant is DE btw that i use at the base of plants targeted by destructive ants. DE becomes ineffective if dampened so this method of getting moisture to the plant allows me to keep the DE from getting damp (as would the ollas). I only use DE on the surface when butterfly caterpillars are not in the garden because it will harm whatever butterfly caterpillars happen to wander into it. I haven't actually tried to measure how deeply the water is absorbed using this method but it could easily be measured by inserting a dry, sufficiently long stick into the earth and then pulling it out. The moisture and or bits of damp earth will show on the stick otherwise the soil will not be moist. I guess i'll give that a try one of these days. Overall it looked like ollas would be more work and bother in my situation and the truth is that i am a lazy gardener...but don't tell anyone. If you do try the ollas, i'd love to hear about your experience.

 

[roadrunner]

Another option to water your garden during a drought is by building a hugelkultur. They work great, here's an introduction:

Many other how-to videos on youtube and they can either be above or below ground.




.

 

[ApidAdi]

Another option to water your garden during a drought is by building a hugelkultur. They work great, here's an introduction:

Many other how-to videos on youtube and they can either be above or below ground.




.

That's really interesting! Unfortunately I really don't have the space to build one of these. Plus, I think my neighbors would have a fit, as the garden in question is in my front yard.
I've heard that adding wood to your garden soil absorbs and locks up nitrogen so that it's not available to your plants in the short term. Do you know anything about that?

 

[ApidAdi]

Is it correct that the terracotta has to be quite thin so that the water in the olla is absorbed through the pores to keep the earth damp? I was considering ollas earlier this year, but decided against them in favor of another method. Firstly because my garden is small by most standards and i am forever digging around in the soil and i assumed i would probably break them or they would be problematic to work around, didn't like the idea of them taking up soil space, thought about using regular clay planter pots but they are quite thick and i wasn't certain that they would provide sufficient moisture. So, i decided on an old method that i had tried before, the long-necked glass bottle pushed neck length into the soil near various plants that prefer continual moisture. Wine bottles work very well, in this case i've used a mineral water bottle. Many people will not like the look of them, but i appreciate the ease, being able to see how much and how quickly water is being absorbed, that i can easily add nutrients to the water (molasses for example), that i don't have to remove them to dig around in the soil. I think the ollas might have the advantage of making moisture available to the plant roots at a level deeper in the soil, i am not sure. The white powder around the base of this Ixora plant is DE btw that i use at the base of plants targeted by destructive ants. DE becomes ineffective if dampened so this method of getting moisture to the plant allows me to keep the DE from getting damp (as would the ollas). I only use DE on the surface when butterfly caterpillars are not in the garden because it will harm whatever butterfly caterpillars happen to wander into it. I haven't actually tried to measure how deeply the water is absorbed using this method but it could easily be measured by inserting a dry, sufficiently long stick into the earth and then pulling it out. The moisture and or bits of damp earth will show on the stick otherwise the soil will not be moist. I guess i'll give that a try one of these days. Overall it looked like ollas would be more work and bother in my situation and the truth is that i am a lazy gardener...but don't tell anyone. If you do try the ollas, i'd love to hear about your experience.
View attachment 16627

I use diatomaceous earth around my house to keep roaches and ants out! I love the stuff. According to the numerous sources I've looked at about the clay pot ollas they're not too thick. I know that the clay pots I have plants in are always moist on the outside after a thorough water. So I think the thickness of them is fine. My only concern is that they might crack in the winter, but I also think that being in the ground might protect them. I may just try it in one garden plot and see how it goes!

I like your wine bottle idea! I've seen something similar on Amazon, but with a terra cotta base: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HH60Q5O/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_J1DNyb4EF41FH
I like this one that has a decorative globe for containers (I'm also a lazy gardener, and sometimes let my pots go too long unwatered ) but they also sell just the clay tips so you can add your own containers on top.

 

[Beverly]

Thank you for the link. Oooh very attractive but those globes look a little bit too fragile for my garden (or possibly the gardener), but i think they would look beautiful and well suited for containers. The spikes look substantial though, but i'd like to see them longer than 3.5"s. I would like to see them 12"s with a small hole at the bottom. Sure the hole will be clogged with soil but the clog would still deliver moisture. You've given me the idea to cruise the Amazoncom garden stuff though. Some things ship to Mexico and some things don't but i always manage to find what i'm looking for. Now i am thinking there may be ways to improve the upside down bottle in a really good way.

I wouldn't think your soil freezes so deep to bother the ollas in the ground. Let me know how your experiment turns out and good luck.

 

[roadrunner]

That's really interesting! Unfortunately I really don't have the space to build one of these. Plus, I think my neighbors would have a fit, as the garden in question is in my front yard.
I've heard that adding wood to your garden soil absorbs and locks up nitrogen so that it's not available to your plants in the short term. Do you know anything about that?

I've heard about woodchips and such locking up N2, but I've never had a problem with that, even in my hugelkultur beds, I don't see any problems with N2 being locked up. I think there's something to it, but it's way a overstated issue and in the long term decaying wood is definitely a good thing for building soil. I read this book and it seems to support my own observations. Title: The Informed Gardener https://www.amazon.com/Informed-Gar...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=45DRDJE1PCKNRWANPXNX

Author: Linda Chalker-Scott Here's an intersting site of the author https://puyallup.wsu.edu/lcs/