If you're too busy to water your plants or going on vacation, try this method to make an easy milk jug plant watering system.
DIY Milk Jug Watering System for Plants
Updated on Feb. 05, 2025
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Benefits of a Milk Jug Watering System
Many areas of the United States are suffering from extreme drought and your garden may also be showing signs of it as well. If you plants are in need of more supplemental water, what do you do? Unfortunately, when you water your plants with a hose, a lot of the water often comes out too quickly for the soil to absorb and much of the water runs off and doesn’t water your plants deeply enough. Other then using a hose or sprinkler, what can you do for your thirsty plants? One easy solution is to make a milk jug plant watering system.
How to Make Your Own Milk Jug Plant Waterer
How about making your own drip watering system with a plastic milk jug? This is the perfect way to slow-water your plants and also repurpose your old milk jugs. It is also an easy way to apply liquid fertilizer to your plants, too!
Making your own drip irrigation system is super easy and the only things you need are a clean plastic milk jug and a sharp nail. That’s it!
What you need to do is to make tiny holes on the bottom of your milk container. Here is how you do it.
- Take a sharp nail and heat it up using a lighter (be careful not to burn your fingers when you do this part).
- Make four holes equally spaced on the bottom of your milk jug. You may need to reheat the nail after each hole, which helps the nail to pierce the plastic easily.
- Place your milk jug next to the plant you want to water in your garden and fill it with water from your hose. If the hose doesn’t reach your plant, simply fill it with water at the source, put the cap on and turn it upside down (so the water doesn’t come out the holes) until you reach your plant and then set it down.
- Water will slowly drip out into the soil around your plant, which allows the water to deeply penetrate the soil without runoff.
Your plants will appreciate the extra water and you’ll save time and water by not standing over your plants watering with your hose.
In my garden, I like to deep water my succulents using this method, too!
Bury the Milk Jug Watering System in the Soil
For a more permanent solution, you can make holes on the sides of a milk jug and bury it entirely next to your plant, just leaving the mouth of the jug exposed. Leave the cap on and unscrew it and refill with water when needed.
Next, learn why you should water plants with fish tank water.
