Repurpose Old Liquor Bottles Into Pretty And Practical Plant Irrigation Systems

Sometimes there aren't enough hours in the day. A common to-do that most folks forget is to water their plants — or have someone do it for them while away. If you neglected to tell your house- or dog-sitter about this simple yet important task (or simply forgot to do it yourself), you may come home to some a few withered, dying flowers. One quick fix is to use empty liquor bottles as a self-watering system.

That's right: If you rinse out old liquor or wine bottles, fill them with water, and tip them upside down into the soil of your potted plants or container garden, you'll have a self-sufficient watering system to keep plants alive and well while you're away. Upside-down bottles will slowly release water into the soil over the course of a few hours to a few days. This will ensure that your plants are getting their much-needed daily supply of H2O.

While just about any glass bottle will do for this gardening project, liquor and wine bottles tend to hold just the right amount of water. If you have larger plant boxes, feel free to use two or more bottles on either side of plants that need more TLC. For a little extra flair, decorate them to match the whimsical or upscale theme of your outdoor space. It's an eco-friendly, simple, and creative way to repurpose empty wine bottles.

First things first, make sure your wine or liquor bottle has been thoroughly washed before refilling it with water. Before you tip it over, hold your thumb over the opening to keep water from spilling too quickly. From there, bury the bottle neck deep into the soil, about two inches, so it stays put. Check that your soil is damp and already well-watered before doing this hack. You'll want soil to be slightly moist (not dry) so that the water isn't soaked up immediately.

While this hack works great for potted plants, it also works for container gardens, plants in your yard, and even hanging plants. Try to remove bottles every so often to replace the water and during frigid weather, as glass bottles can explode in the cold. If you're an absolute beginner at gardening, you may choose to skip traditional container gardens and try self-wicking planters. This is an affordable alternative for keeping soil moist and plants well-watered — no bottles needed!

Looking for more ways to give your empty bottles new life? Reuse liquor bottles for easy decanting at your next dinner party, which is just a fancy way of saying that you can use it to hold newly poured wine while it breathes. Not only will this impress guests, but it will also give your bottles another purpose before eventually devoting them to your garden plants.