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Instructions for Fabricating Self-Watering Coca-Cola Pots

From a20oz. or 1L bottle of Coke…to a pot!

Materials:

·        Coke bottles with caps

We used the 20 oz. bottles for tomatoes and the 1 Liter bottles for peppers. We will also use the 1 Liter bottle to pot up the tomatoes when the seedlings get bigger.

·        Adhesive remover such as Goo Gone

Tools:

Electric Drill

1/16” drill bit to drill hole in cap

3/16” & 3/8” drill bits if drilling holes (or melt holes with soldering iron)

Soldering iron to melt holes

NOTE: If you elect to melt the holes, (which is the way we prefer) rather than use a drill make sure you do it in a well ventilated area & wear a respirator. If you do not have a soldering iron you can purchase one from Radio Shack, Wal-Mart, or any local hardware store for a few bucks.

If you wish to remove the Coke label, do it before cutting the bottle. Listed below is an easy way to remove the label and adhesive.

Trust us, if you do not warm up the adhesive before trying to remove the label, it is a very tedious job. We’ve been there!

·        Rinse each bottle with hot water

·        Fill the bottle with hot water and screw the cap on

·        Slide a knife blade between the label & bottle, cutting the label in half

·        Cut the label and carefully peel the label off. This way all of the label will be removed and only the adhesive will be left on the bottle.

·        Wipe the adhesive off with Goo Gone or a similar adhesive remover.

·        Pour the water out when done.

Another way to remove the label is to heat it with a hairdryer after cutting it.

Directions:

Step 1

·        Drill a 1/16” hole in the center of each bottle cap

·        Screw the caps back on the bottles

Step 2

·        Melt or drill 3/16” holes 2” down from the top of the cap, at the tips of the 10 indentations

Step 3

·        Melt a 3/8” hole 1 ½” up from the bottom of bottle for the water fill hole. If drilling the hole, drill a 3/16” hole first then enlarge the hole with a 3/8” drill bit. A Unibit works great for drilling the 3/8” hole

Step 4

·        20 & 24 ounce bottles - Cut the bottles 3 ¾” from the bottom

·        1 Liter bottles – Cut the bottles 4 3/8” from the bottom

Step 5

·        Rinse out the bottles again and snap the top half into the bottom half.

IMPORTANT: If you are using these self-watering pots, make sure that you use potting mix,  NOT potting soil. The potting soil gets hard & you will not get the proper moisture or drainage

Feel free to offer us ideas for improvements or any suggestions!

e-mail us: broth@wluctv6.com