Jug Drippers Water Plants with this quick, easy, and cheap setup.

Nothing is much cheaper than an empty plastic Jug. If it held Milk, Windshield Washer Fluid, or most anything except Chemical Herbicide, then it is a candidate for Drip watering Plants. Wash it out well to remove any residue which may clog your Dripper. Liquid Plant Food or Manure Tea may be added to the Water. No need to drag a Garden Hose to a remote dry Plant, just carry a drink to it. The simplest Dripper is one or more very small holes punched (Not drilled) 1/2" above the bottom and settling debris. Fill the Jug with as much Water as you want the Plant to get, and none will be wasted on nearby Weeds. The next cheapest Dripper gives better control of the drips: a short length of 1/4" plastic Tubing is forced into the hole after enlarging it with a Phillips Screwdriver. Cut the end of the tubing at an angle to allow it to go into the hole easier. Then press a twig into the end of the Tubing to seal it. Last cut a tiny slit in the Tubing near the Twig to allow Water to drip. If you need faster drips, cut the slit deeper or cut more slits. About 1 drop every 3-5 seconds is good. Several of these Tubings may be used to water several Plants from the same Jug. For a more professional-looking setup, you can always resort to Store-bought Drippers which replace the Twig and slits. In the photo above, a Tubing is inserted into a hole near the top of the Jug at a location which will not cause the Tubing to kink. Then a "T" or "Y" Fitting allows 2 Drippers to water 2 Plants. The Tubing may be longer than shown here to reach Plants. To start the Water dripping, blow in the top of the Jug. Sometimes this elevated Tubing may collect air and fail to siphon, so you may want to have the Tubing enter the bottom of the Jug instead. Drippers or Emitters are added to the ends of the Tubing to meter the Water flow. Two bi-colored Drippers are shown here which will produce 4 different flows depending upon which colored end is inserted into the tubing. You can reach a more distant Plant by adding more Tubing after the Dripper. The Insert shows a Store-bought Filter which may be applied to the tubing, or you can make your own with a 2" square of Nylon or other fabric held on with a String or Rubber Band. The filter is fastened to the end of the Tubing after it is pushed inside the Jug and made to come out the top. The tubing is then pulled back inside so the Filter lies on or near the bottom. It will prevent debris from clogging your Drippers. The white circle indicates an orange Valve which can be used to adjust the rate of flow or stop the flow. It can also be used in series with Drippers or used by itself as shown here. Keep your Jugs in the shade of Plants, where possible. Sunshine will make them brittle, and shorten their useful life. Tie them together by the Handles, and take them indoors at Seasons' end.