Watering a garden without an outside tap is a challenge that many gardeners face, especially those living in areas with limited access to water. There are several ways to water your garden without an outside tap, including using a watering can or hose attachment. To encourage deep root growth and reduce water consumption, water plants deeply and infrequently. Drip irrigation kits are the best solution to reduce water consumption.
For plants growing in containers, proper watering is trickier than you think. Learn about the right potting soil, containers to use, and the right technique. Houseplants, container plants, vegetable gardens, lawns, and ornamentals have specific watering needs. To water most plants, pour enough water into the pot to completely wet all the potting mix from top to bottom and let the excess water drain.
To water thirstier plants, fill an empty bottle with water and stick the neck several inches into the ground near the base of each plant or between plants. Use a plastic bottle as a reservoir next to thirstier plants. Place a pot of water beside the plant and place one end of a twisted rag in the water and the other end buried slightly in the soil. Fill a tub with water and soak the pot in the water until the soil has expanded and is no longer pulled away from the edge of the pot.
Watering at the base of the main trunk of the plant will loosen its grip in the soil, so water away from the base of the plant.
📹 No skimmer? Remove biofilm, surface film, scum with quick and easy methods!
How to remove biofilm, surface film, scum without a skimmer? It’s not that difficult! Here are my quick and easy methods that …
How to water plants without watering can?
The plant should be watered using a bottom water reservoir or a bowl with pebbles or without pebbles, depending on the specific water requirements of the plant, as well as the sunlight, humidity, and climate conditions present.
How do you water plants without holes?
To prevent waterlogged conditions, water sparingly and allow the soil to dry between watering sessions. To plant in a pot without drainage holes, keep the plant in its plastic nursery pot and place it inside a decorative pot. If you want to hide the plastic pot or create a seamless look, consider adding a layer of moss. Prepare the pot by adding a layer of drainage material to the bottom, such as rocks, pebbles, or broken pottery shards.
How do you water plants when away from bottles?
The bottle trick involves creating small holes around a plastic bottle, inserting it into a plant’s roots, filling it with water, and letting it leak out gradually. This method can be repeated daily, eliminating the need for daily watering. The water wick trick uses cotton string as a simple wick, keeping pot plants watered for 1 to 3 weeks. Both methods can be effective in maintaining plant health and productivity.
How to make a DIY watering can?
Prior to the application of a basic, homemade irrigation solution, it is advisable to assess the condition of the container’s contents. This may be achieved by filling the container with water and conducting a visual inspection.
How to make a plant watering bottle?
A plastic bottle irrigator is a simple and effective way to water plants. All you need is a plastic bottle, a small hole-making tool, and a sock or nylon (optional). Use a 2-liter or 20-ounce soda bottle, punching 10-15 holes all over the bottom half. Place the bottle in the sock or nylon to prevent soil and roots from getting into the bottle. Plant the irrigator in the garden or pot with its neck and lid opening above the soil level, next to a newly installed plant.
Thoroughly water the soil around the plant and fill the bottle irrigator with water. Use a funnel or a plastic bottle cap to regulate the flow from the irrigator. Sign up for the Gardening Know How newsletter to receive a free download of our DIY eBook “Bring Your Garden Indoors: 13 DIY Projects For Fall And Winter”.
How do you make a self-watering device for plants?
A basic self-watering system can be created using a water bottle by cutting the bottom off and poking a hole in the cap with a skewer. The inverted bottle can be added to a pot or planter, and filled with water as needed. For more elaborate projects, a standard wooden box can be constructed, and a full patio planter can be built. To add self-watering capabilities, drain pipes need to be added. To customize the planter, use water bottles and string. Place one end of the string into the planter, covering it with dirt, and the other end into a filled bottle or jar. The water should travel from the bottle into the planter.
Can plants survive in pots without drainage holes?
Indoor pots need drainage holes to prevent water from pooling at the bottom, which can cause fungus, bacteria, and root rot. To avoid this, planters may need to be designed with multiple holes or focus on using rocks or proper soil with good drainage. Alternatively, plants without drainage holes can be grown without holes, but watering should be done slowly and the soil should be checked for dryness.
Can you automate plant watering?
Irrigation, the artificial application of water to plants, has been used by humans for thousands of years to help crops grow in areas lacking rainfall. It can be done manually or automatically using sprinklers or other irrigation systems. Some systems run on a timer, applying a fixed amount of water daily, but this can lead to overwatering and water wasting. To avoid this, irrigation systems can use electronic rain or soil moisture sensors.
These sensors can detect rainfall or soil moisture levels, and the irrigation system can be programmed to automatically adjust the water amount or skip watering altogether. However, careful calibration is required to avoid over- or under-watering the plants. Overall, irrigation is a crucial tool for maintaining healthy plant growth and landscaping.
What can I use if I don’t have a watering can?
The author suggests using empty milk or water gallon jugs as an upcycle option for kids watering cans. They are looking for a simple, cost-effective, and easy-to-use watering can that lasts for more than one season. They have tried various models but all failed in some areas. The author suggests using 1/2 or 1/4 gallon plastic milk jugs, which are inexpensive, collectible, and easy to store. They suggest using them in crates and storing them in a crate to extend their lifespan. Although plastic is avoided, the author encourages reusing empty jugs to extend their lifespan.
How to make holes in pots without a drill?
To properly grow plants in ceramic pots, ensure the pot is upside down, marked with a towel, and use safety goggles. Use a sharp object to chip away the pot until it’s broken through. A drainage hole is essential for allowing water to drain freely, preventing root rot and soggy soil. Regular watering is crucial to maintain moisture in the pot. Choose a lightweight, easy-to-move pot and keep the pot size proportionate to your plant. Additionally, consider using a lightweight pot for easy mobility.
How to use a plastic bottle to water plants?
To water plants, cut off the bottom of a plastic bottle and drill holes into the cap or neck. Bury the bottle upside down near a plant, ensuring the holes are about four inches below the surface. This makes watering easier, as it allows you to fill the bottle up and move on to the next plant. If the water has drained, fill the bottle again to give the soil a good drenching. This method is particularly beneficial for warm-season crops like tomatoes and squashes. To slow down water drainage, remove the cap and stuff a tight-fitting sponge into the bottle’s neck.
📹 NO WATER CHANGES for a YEAR!! Ecosystem Aquarium How To
It’s been a year!!! A whole year without a water change. The Ecosystem tank has been a huge success with perfect balance. I don’t …
I was really puzzled because I suddenly had bubbles on my aquarium suffece, and would not go away for weeks. After perusal your article I understood that it was because my filter outlet was lower than before. It was moving the surface but only within a small range. Lifted it higher and problem gone in 10 min! Many thanks for your article.
Contrary to this article I have a lower circulation side of my tank for frogbit to live healthy, but I then started seeing biolfilm and even green dust algae establishement/suspension on the biofilm and the frogbit roots which to me was awesome since I want the shrimp to thrive. Is there a way to get microfauna established in there? I tried adding rotifers but I am not sure if I am blind or they may be too small to spot. I do see an occasional miniature white line navigatting through the biofilm and hoping I just need to be patient and let them establish as it probably takes time. Thanks for those articles, I have watched a few and so far great tips for achieving results!
Furthermore, fatty acids were dominant, “” Details of the chemical structure of the surface film/underlying water pair were derived from complementary analyses of particulate organic matter by Py-MS and GC. It was shown that the fatty acids originating from autochtonous biological productivity were dominant in the sea-surface film. Unsaturated compounds were however depleted in the microlayer.””
“”Hydrocarbons and oils are usually the other source of surface films in ponds. Oils are produced naturally by the decay of leaves, algae and organic matter, but these oils behave differently from cooking oil or motor oil. To determine if the oil sheen you see on your pond is from a natural organic source, poke it with a stick. If it is from the decay of leaves and other organics, it will most likely crack and shatter like a thin layer of glass and will not reform as the stick is removed. If it reforms or does not shatter, it is likely from automotive or cooking oils that have washed into the pond.”” image of natural oil film cracking when disturbed
👇👇MD MERCH CLICK HERE👇👇: THICC CORY: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com/listing/md-thicc-cory FULL SHOP: md-fish-tanks.creator-spring.com It’s been a year!!! A whole year without a water change. The Ecosystem tank has been a huge success with perfect balance. I don’t do a thing to this tank apart from feed the fish and top up the evaporation. It has taught me so much about planted tanks and balancing aquariums. It has a very rough look but I think that adds to the authentic feel that it gives. Nature isn’t perfectly sculpted at the end of the day is it. Anyway, hopefully you enjoy this and I give enough of an insight for you to be able to do it yourself 😊 Equipment (all links affiliate): LED FLOODLIGHTS: US amzn.to/3m3cEz9 UK amzn.to/3orIdRv GOOD BUDGET LIGHT:: US amzn.to/2MDfjk1 UK amzn.to/3iYlfQQ SMALL HANG ON BACK FILTER: US amzn.to/2Mw63OO UK amzn.to/39rx3b5 NANO INTERNAL FILTER: US amzn.to/3oxGBWm UK CANISTER FILTER: US amzn.to/3iNeVtW UK amzn.to/2Fo774a GOOSENECK CLIP ON LAMP: (similar as product is now discontinued) US amzn.to/2IlwLVA UK amzn.to/2LNat13 MINI WATER PUMP: US amzn.to/2oAmf5y UK amzn.to/2mjHDez TANKS: US amzn.to/2SOocHG UK amzn.to/2SPA24i STRIP LED LIGHT: US (similar) amzn.to/2SNgbm7 UK amzn.to/2Fn9aW1 ASTA LED LIGHT: US amzn.to/3k9EmpY UK amzn.to/3p5XUPY AQUARIUM RACKING: Shelving: US amzn.
To all of the doubters: I used to religiously change 1/3rd of a tank for each of my five tanks every weekend. After perusal MD’s website I have planted much more heavily, a mix of fast stems, floating as well as slow anubias, and now only trim the plants and top up every week which is much more satisfying (and easier!) – this has transformed both my tanks, my fish, shrimps and ramshorn snails as well as my enjoyment of them. Never looked back. On one occasion I lost a couple of fish, tested the water (ammonia spiked) and then did an 80% water change, then the tank balanced itself in no time, the plants certainly do wonders naturally filtering the water, as well as the substrate (deep mix of aqua soil and gravel – just as MD advises. Best advice I have ever learned in the hobby. Cheers! 😁
You are so lucky you guys to live in countries where you can find many different fish species in LFS, or order them online. As an eurasian French dude (not lying) living in Morocco, I can tell you that I have very hard time to find the species I want (regular blue Accra, Bolivian ram, Pea puffer,…)… So perusal MD articles is always a pain and pleasure at the same time lol.
You’ve inspired a lot of people MD and brought a lot of joy to those, who like myself just enjoy perusal you create. Nature aquariums look amazing and when done right really are less fuss, if that is something you don’t want to spend time doing. perusal the worlds you create when the camera isn’t rolling must be really soothing. You’re surrounded by so many beautiful and healthy fish and plants. Thanks for sharing and encouraging others to create a bit of nature in their space.
Sometimes, no water change is the best thing you can do. Take my situation. The water from my source was 40ppm so while the plants would bring this down over the course of a week, I was still essentially throwing in more nitrates every time I did a water change. So I changed to just topping the water up. Now Nitrates never rise above 20ppm and everything is healthier.
I’ve learned so much from perusal your website for 2 years. I started with my turtle aquarium with waterfall repto filters and fake plants and struggles with algae. Now his home is full of corys, shrimp, plecos, and a ton of live plants. I’ve even incorporated a section of his tank with terrestrial plants to create something like a bog filter because turtles produce SO much waste. Colby is the happiest I have ever seen him, he is thriving and loves his little habitat and the health of the tank gets better and better the more I learn from your website and some others. I don’t know how you’re not over a million subscribers, your website is so underrated. Love u lots, Colby and bec 😁
I had just started perusal and someone who doesn’t really know anything got me a starter tank as a gift. I didn’t know what to do and the tank ended up not good. I didn’t have time for proper maintenance and I felt really bad for the fish and shrimp I had. I only got myself a different tank and had the confidence to set it up after perusal your articles and realizing I could create a tank that didn’t need all the maintenance. I now have a very nice shrimp and snail 15gal that is doing wonderful and almost never needs anything other than water top offs and feeding. Thank you so much for helping me feel more comfortable with not having time to always maintain the fish without feeling like I was neglecting them.
I love perusal your articles. I have a planted nano tank I did….that doesn’t look as good as yours, BUT I am proud of it. I am fortunate that I don’t need lights. I have mine at my office and have ceiling to floor wall to wall (on 2 walls North and East facing) windows. My 1st tank got FULL of algae so my 2nd one I skipped the lights and the tank is perfect. I have a koi betta (named Spot, Spot the fish) and some ghost shrimp (I call them all Forest….run Forest run) and the plants are thriving! I wish I could post a photo, I am just so proud of what I have learned perusal your articles. I just went today and bought some cool plants to start on a large terrarium.
I am another person that never does water changes on my 7+ tanks. One is a heavily planted 75 with a goldfish and a plecos, massive waste machines. Half the tank is a huge bush of pogostemen octopus My orher big fish tank is my 40B with my crown jewel of my hobby…my severum. Extremly heavily planted i mean this thing has a root bed that is so thick nothing will penetrate it.. I literally have a carpet of dwarf hair grass mixed with bronze cryptocorns its absolutky beautiful. Cryp carpets are soooo satisfying
i’ve been taking care of fish since 30years ago here in the philippines. of course it is possible with no water change if your aquarium is only filled with guppies or any other small fish like tetras. your tank only has soft light too. algae would rarely form. when i was young, i would only put guppies in a large styrofoam box and they would survive even with no oxygen pump.
I’ve reduced my tank to a simple DIY filter and a Eheim pickup filter just to pick up floating dirt. I do a water change maybe every month. So far it has been very stable, no problems with the fish or shrimp at all. Plants grow fast and a red Lotus is taking over the surface. I may actually remove the main DIY filter and just have the small Eheim
Nice, about to get a 215L tank (aqua one Ar980), it has a trickle filter and light uptop, which I’ll be filling with about 3kg of biogravel and some medium pads. But always wanted a heavily planted tank and didn’t realise that it would actually make the whole thing work better, especially with a thick substrate layer so hopefully the bio activity is massive as I want close to 100% stock levels. Nice article 👍
Have you considered putting in “night lights” in your fish tanks? I am planning on putting a water resistant LED light bar down into the bottom of the tank and set it to cycle through R-G-B colors on a low setting. It should make it look amazing when it is dark to have the various plants or fish lit up by those rainbow colored lights. And plan on keeping the cycling lights dim to keep them from adding to plant growth too much
I have a 20 gallon long tank I keep a little over half full it’s a betta tank eco with shrimp snails Cory cats African dwarf frogs Chili rasboras and a clam. I haven’t changed the water in 4 years I only top off. I lost one betta but it was a sickly rescue from Petco so it was expected. the beta I have now is 3ish. I have submersed and immersed plants. The design above water has changed over the years. If something dies the clean up crew make quick work of it. I’ve had zero issues with water quality. Hoping to one day do the same with a reef tank
I’ve got a 29g Gambusia ecosystem tank. LOVE the low maintenance. I trim plants about once a month, though that’s minimal since I used predominantly Anubias in the tank. Most of the filtration is done by emergent plants that require almost no care. The most labor intensive (ha!) is duckweed! I skim a bunch off every week or two when I’m doing water parameter testing and top offs. No water changes necessary, and the fish are breeding and happy. Now, if I can just get my other 29g tank balanced so well. Still working on that one, but only doing water changes to keep nitrates below 25 ppm. I have shrimp in there along with fish. It’s only needing about 10% WC every 8 weeks, with top offs weekly, so it’s getting there.
I have a 3.5 gallon betta tank (he can’t swim very well) which only gets a water change and deep cleaning 1-2 times a year! The rest of the time I top off the tank with water and clean the glass every week. I never meant to stop doing water changes, but my betta HATES them and I didn’t want to stress him out if the tank wasn’t dirty. It’s been over 2 years now and going strong 💪🏻 I even have the original Ludwigia growing out of the tank!
ok first of all thank you for cutting down my Netflix time as I’m so busy perusal your articles and (RE)-watching them.. I want to ask a question about oxygen levels in a low level heavily planted setup. I am planning to get 6 2ft aquariums. I don’t like the sponge filters and I want the tanks to look still. Are small internal filters enough? how about surface agitation? What would you recommend? Thanks a lot in advance. You’re doing an amazing job.
@MD Fish Tanks thank you for being honest about the mistakes you have made, and how you learned from your mistakes. The little tree growing in the right is a Ficus Benjamin. You are doing a good job keeping the environment stable, FB will drop all of its leaves, every time you move it or change a single parameter. They can be more sensitive than discus.😏
can plants live byfine sand or pebbles alone? aquasoil here in our country costs as much.. so i am thinking of using materials that i have around. i am planning to have like these in the near future.. I have 3 55 gallons of tanks currently having right now housing goldfishes, silver moonies, and koi, respectively.. your way of setting up an ecosystem looks so promising.. looking forward on it and staying i tuned on your website.. Thanks ahead and God Bless You
How do you get that moss to grow on your Driftwood? Do you need special lights? How does it get on there in the first place? I can’t get anything to grow in my tank except Anubis and Java ferns. I have lights, but they’re not great I don’t think. I can’t afford a lot. Thank you for your website. I just discovered it! ❤
going on a year and a half with mine. heavily planted with fast growing plants and low bio mass is the key. keep it simple. have to admit, not my favorite tank though because there isn’t all that much going on because of not being able to have the fish to maintain this type of system. guess that’s the part of the tank addiction. so many different ways to construct a home for our wet friends
I had a eco-tank that stayed stable for 7 years! And it was in a 2 gallon hex tank! I had 1/2 sand, 1/2 gravel, and a “small world” internal filter. Regular incandescent light (we didn’t have LED back then. It was stocked with 1Amazon sword, 1 betta, 1 mystery snail, and 1 khuli loach. In all those years, it was pure laziness, and a very tight budget that made it work. Lol I stopped buying new filters, and just rinsed. With TAP water, no less! It was pure dumb luck, and I’m sure the animals weren’t as happy as they could be. I know LOTS more now, after hours upon hours of research ::thank you Al Gore, for inventing the internet (lol!):: I’m getting ready to do it again in a 10 gallon. 😁
eh, I am religious in my testing and still do waterchanges at least twice a month, but even when I cautiously left my tanks for two whole months (with paranoid nearly daily testing), there really seemed no difference in water quality at all. I mean, my tanks are not as heavily planted as MDs, but the plants ARE running wild and I stock very lightly. Maybe it’s just luck or something, but apparently, this method works. (even though I think I would be too paranoid to just leave it for a whole year without doing anything…)
jak dla mnie brakuje nocnego natleniania zbiornika… to zbiornik w pomieszczeniu zamkniętym i nie ma tam zbyt dużej wymiany gazowej przez powierzchnię więc należałoby to nadrobić… ja włączam napowietrzenie po zgaszeniu naświetlenia i wyłączam przed załączeniem oświetlenia… znacznie szybciej rozkłada się materia organiczna i ogranicza to liczebność glonów… pozdrawiam!
I would be interested to know if you could do one of these tanks with a minimum amount of plants. Most of us do not have the resources to acquire the adequate starting level that you usually throw in there. I mean I know it’s possible because I have down this very thing. Albeit not so easy peazy as your setup sounds. But I would love to see the approach and evolution from your prospective.
Man I need your help. I’m guessing I need more plants. I use well water. Seachem excel, root tabs, and an all in one fert and leaf zone. I have some algea, no c02. And my tank has 8 amano shrimp and 6 guppies. And a full spectrum light set on a 24/7 cycle. My plants aren’t as green as yours. Oh and it’s a 55 gallon tank with an airstone and 2 hang on back filters (tetra advanced 30-60)
Hey MD! I have been a huge fan of your website for years. Like since 2019, ranchu crew days. And I have a special request: where I live the tap water is extremely hard. It’s like liquid rock. It comes out of the tap at 8.0+ pH., It’s great for cichlids, and guppies, but not plants. I’ve been doing (attempting to do) planted tanks for years, but I’ve struggled finding success. I’m never very happy with the result, because the plants never seem to thrive. I have to be very careful about what plants I use, because very few plants will even survive in my rock hard water. From what I understand, from your magic water article, this is because there are so many dissolved particles in the water, there isn’t quite as much CO2 dissolved in the water, or the plants have a harder time accessing the dissolved CO2. In fact, the only tank I’ve ever really been happy with, was a high-tech tank with fancy substrate, co2, and highlight. So, as a challenge, I would love to see you do a planted tank with extremely hard water. Seeing what works, what doesn’t work, what plants survive what don’t. I want my tanks to be as beautiful as yours are, because you’ve never failed to inspire me, so I’d love to see a tank that can survive in my ridiculous tap water. You can buffer up the hardness and pH with crushed Coral substrate, I believe, if you’re ever interested in trying a hard water tank.
I would love to know where to get the pump for this aquarium! What is the name please? I want to try this tank but I also have a turtle tank and wondered if it would also work for it. If not would you have any suggestions on how to keep it clean. I have to clean it once a month and that’s with pumps I was told would keep it clean.
I’m trying to do a tank with no water change but have trouble with plants floating up so I’m guessing my substrate isn’t deep enough since fish bump them and also…… do you not un bundle the plants it looked like? When I order them the instructions always say unbundle but they don’t all survive, might also be the place I get them though
Hey I have a question so I have a 10 gallon tank and recently I’ve been missing 2 of my plates and 1 of my ember tetras. I have a chichilid and 3 black tetras in the tank. I had a betta but I put it into a separate tank. I don’t know if the betta or the chichilid have been killing my fish because the chichilid keeps chasing my black tetras and biting their fins. I havnt found any dead fish in my tank so I think the fish ate the fish that are missing
I’m finding just how bad of a fish keeper I actually am. I was convinced that a RODI system was needed only to find out later that it’s not the best idea since it removes absolutely everything of value from the water. I have also been doing weekly water changes as my 5 gallon tank looks like crap after about 5 days….but I have been doing major water changes thinking that it’s helping
To anyone who is perusal this, know this – there is no such thing as a no water change no filter aquarium. At least not an interesting one.The only way you can do this is to have a minimum 3 feet long heavily planted, co2 infused tank with 5 or 6 teeny tiny, most boring fishes in the world. There are so many other variables that should work perfectly if u want a no water change system