Give Empty Wine Bottles A New Lease On Life In Your Garden

One of the common struggles folks with a home garden run into is finding a way to water it when they go away for a weekend. Those plants get thirsty, especially in the peak growing season when the sun is relentlessly beating down on them. One way to keep those plants hydrated involves a project most people are more than happy to take on: drinking wine. 

No, simply pairing wine with your favorite pizza every night while you are away won't keep your precious plants moist. However, once you empty a bottle of wine, the vessel can be recycled into a device that will give your garden some much-needed water. This hack keeps your garden healthy and prevents the wine bottle from ending up in a landfill.  

In its simplest form, you just rinse out an emptied bottle of wine, fill it with fresh water, and stick the business end directly into the soil near your plants. Make sure the bottle can stand up on its own without tipping over, and the water will slowly work its way into the soil over several days, letting you enjoy your getaway without worrying about your garden drying out. However, this could over-water some plants. Try testing your watering device before leaving to ensure it isn't giving your plants too much to drink. If that happens, there are easy ways to moderate the flow.

Understanding how much water your plants truly need is essential for the best results. Certain iris varieties and plants like forget-me-nots require a lot of moisture to thrive and are ideal for watering with a wine bottle while you are away. Yet, other species, such as lavender and marigolds, can survive lengthy stints without receiving water. Overwatering any plant is one of the easiest ways to destroy it, so those plants might not require anything but a heartfelt "goodbye" before you go.

Although the inverted wine bottle should last for days, you can slow the flow by putting a hole in the wine cork with a nail and shoving it into the neck of the bottle (or similar with a cap). It might give you a little more time to vacation worry-free or can help you get a more moderate amount of water to the greenery. If you understand your plants' needs, you should be able to discern whether the cork is necessary for the wine bottle hack while you are away from your garden. Either way, it is a great excuse to finish up that bottle of white wine in your fridge before you go.