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Lets say a 50 gallon is 3' tall. If you have it 24" above the soil level at the bottom of the barrel, your water level is actually going to be 60" and give you just barely above 2 psi. That's still within the realm of usable for our system. A bucket at 24" would be just above 1 psi since the buckets themselves are 10" - 15" tall. We recommend 0.5 to 2 psi as optimal depending on your environment, with 28" being 1 psi. 3 psi is the ABSOLUTE max our system can take, which is 7' above soil level.

This was filmed in southern Idaho. We're based in SLC and the surrounding area.

You can. Go for it

It's a cutaway illustration. You'd otherwise be watching dozens to hundreds of hours of videos to see it working because it works so slowly (that's a good thing)

You'll want to use 3-4 cups per plant for grow bags Make sure to have your reservoir 28" - 56" above soil level and hook up the auto fill.

@@thethirstyearth5387what volume of soil though? What if someone wanted to use 3 or 5 Gallon pots?

@@Levelc in 3 or 5 gallon pots you only have room for 1 olla to fit

We understand! It can be a bit of an up front investment, we believe the water, time and effort savings are worth it. Check out the frequent sales we run for discounts as well as our option for "pay in 4" to make it more accessible.

They can be

It allows you to run constant water to the reservoir and have it top itself off, closing via float valve when its full and opening again when water is used.

@@thethirstyearth5387 thanks. I was not able to clearly see the outside connector for the float on this vid. I had to watch it on a larger screen.

The pots themselves are 7" deep and 3" in diameter.

@@thethirstyearth5387 thank you. I will need to measure the depth of some of my beds that I have had quite a few years. I do not know if there is enough depth. Will it still work if I mound the soil up to cover the pots even if that is taller than the sides of the beds?

@@NancyVandemark it will still work, but not as effectively. Mounding/mulching will make a difference. The clay above soil level will evaporate water into the air if uncovered, so it'll just be less efficient that way.

The system is closed, so once you've air purged it, the only way for water to get out is to seep out through the microscopic pores. That means each olla is always full, so long as there's enough water in the reservoir

You'll find that our system is more efficient than hand watering and can keep up with plants needs while outputting less water due to it being delivered directly to the roots. I'm guessing you have a living soil bed and grow some... very thirsty plants. You may want to raise the reservoir up to between 28" - 56" height above the soil to increase water output. That should keep up with that output.

@@thethirstyearth5387 yes I am in living soil bed and growing cannabis plants. I’m assuming for my 4x4 bed I would need like 5 pots to cover my area. I’m very interested in trying this method if it will work in my setup.

@@adamvinson8991 it will. We have other growers using nearly that exact setup. During the flowering stage they will likely get extremely thirsty and you may need to fill the reservoir more frequently than once a week. You're probably best setting it up to auto fill

thethirstyearth.com

Yes

We now only sell 1 type of bucket that is both hand fill and auto fill. You can find it on our website TheThirstyEarth.com

Hi! We actually have a liquid fertilizer we carry and recommend called Mineral-Gro Liquid TNT It's a liquid mineral amendment chock full of both micro and macro nutrients that are ground to a nano-particle size that enables the best pass through the terracotta pores. You can find it in stock on our website.

It's possible for it to get clogged over an extended period, but we haven't experienced that in several years of using these. If it does you can clean it out with a mild vinegar and water solution and/or run some apple cider vinegar through the system. 5 gallons would take 5 tbsp per week. We selected this liquid fertilizer because the nano particulate size is best suited for passing through the microscopic pores in the clay of the ollas unobstructed.

@thethirstyearth5387 Thanks, you for some great information. So, since olla can be clogged, do you recommend the cleaning that you stated maybe once a year or just when needed to remove clog

@@junietisdale1074 I'd recommend it every couple of seasons, unless you have very hard water then once per year. We've not had clogging issues in the multiple years we've used ours so this is mostly hypothetical. We have used the apple cider vinegar to counteract hard water or (rarely) algae growth in the bucket, but we've also been fine without it.

Awesome! So glad to hear it!

It creates an 18" diameter circle of moisture we call the water plume. You get best results when you plant within 3" of the olla though

Depends on when you cut it. If your regularly mow your lawn and don't let things go to seed you'll do a lot better

Yes

Indeed 14" = 0.5 psi 28" = 1 psi 56" = 2 psi

Try using a crescent wrench carefully to unscrew the cap nut. You'll get past the initial resistance and then it will unscrew.

Thanks so much Margie! So happy that your garden is thriving with our system. - Eric

I would check the cups to see if you've air purged them and try repeating that following the steps in our install video. We've changed how we air purge since last year away from the bleed screw and to the cap nut.

Thank you so much! That was the problem. Your videos and instructions are clear and easy to understand.​@@thethirstyearth5387

That's something that we have on our to-do list!

Brilliant. Taking notes!

I wish I had looked at the comments before I did my cuts! lol Cause I have that tool. Good to know for the future! Thanks for the information.

@@mattriley2532 We'll work that into our Q&A as that's a really good tip more people should have!

Take both hands and get onto a corner. Press your palms down onto the lid while you simultaneously peel the corners up. That should make it easier to pull up. It wears in and gets easier over time.

They work for in ground gardens as well. We've had great results that way.

At low pressure, the olla creates about an 18" plume of water around it.

We'd love to hear what you think of it!

Do you have another video that explains the step-by-step process in a more detailed manner. The information at the end of this video is helpful but I’m looking for the set-up process and the day to day engagement with the bin.

Hi, Water stops flowing into the reservoir when the water reaches the level of the float valve. Your water source only needs to be above the height of the reservoir if it's gravity fed like with a rain barrel. If you're using pressurized water like a hose spigot or sprinkler head, the height doesn't matter.

@@erikjo2030 That’s very helpful. Thanks for responding with that detail!

I've done the DIY version. It works really well but its a PITA to get right. Pro-tip: PC-7 epoxy works best to seal the olla and the tubing into it. You also need to soak the DIY ones in a bucket before installing them in order to air purge them. If you try to glue barbed fittings into the bottom hole (top) of the olla it wiggles a lot and is really hard to keep from leaking. Your best bet is to glue 1/4" tubing straight into the top and then use 1/4" push-to-connect fittings (pneumatic air fittings) so as not to preserve that tubing and not have to cut it off of barbs when you make adjustments in lengths. The TE version isn't magic, it's just highly refined and developed after having done the DIY one for years.

That's a great tip!

Yes

I don’t think so. Fertilizer can get stuck in clay, and who knows how that will affect it

They are water tight. The pastic lid has a rubber seal. Quite a fantastic design.