My new experiment with ollas

We have been getting more heat and drought every summer. Some plants are suffering and some are dying. The water bill is getting out of control.  What's a permaculture solution? Ollas.  They are clay pots, filled with water, but buried almost completely underground. The water seeps out through the unglazed clay slowly, where the roots want the moisture.  To buy one new is very expensive, like $100.  A cheaper solution? Glue two smaller clay pots together, or a pot and a saucer.  I saw about someone gluing the bottom of one with Gorilla Glue, so the water wouldn't just flow straight down but out the sides to the roots.  I liked the idea, but Gorilla Glue seems toxic.  I cemented the bottom instead.  Warning: don't try to pick up a bag of cement on a bike.  The smallest bag I could buy was 60 lbs.!  I first made three ollas for my half barrel planters, which dry out quickly.  A saucer on the bottom and the clay pot upside down on top.  The hole in the bottom is now the filler opening at top.  I glued the pot onto the saucer with a silicon caulking tube gun.This is what they looked like.  You can see the water line on the outside of the olla. Filling the olla with a funnel is a great way to go.

John S
PDX OR

Then the next task was to bury them next to the plants.  As I dug the soil, I could see that it was dry below.  Apparently, plants love getting consistent moisture below the surface level.    It's good to have a place to put the soil when you dig it out to make room for the olla.  Then you just carefully pack it back in, avoiding air pockets.  As you can see, I set the filler hole just above the soil line.  I haven't yet made a top to cover the hole, but I am working on it.  I am looking forward to seeing how the plants do when I go on vacation.  Here is what they look like in the half barrel planters:

JohN S
PDX OR

I just added the tops to the ollas today.  The materials are very inexpensive, and you may, perhaps, recognize some of them.  I have included both an "innie" and an "outie" to see which works better.  The top stops mosquitoes from accessing the water and it keeps out dirt, etc.  I may experiment with removing the top during a strong rain.  As a bonus point, you can even commemorate your favorite beverage!
John S
PDX OR

I just added these to the urban and suburban forums, because I realize that a lot of the people on permies are homesteaders on lots of acres and wouldn't have enough time to cover large territory with ollas.  They are very useful for people with more limited space, though.   Cities create an urban heat island, so the heat and drought affect them even more.  That makes ollas all the more useful.

John S
PDX OR