Worried your plants will shrivel in the summer sun this holiday weekend? Instead of hiring a plant sitter, consider the clay option. That’s what the ancient Romans did when they used ollas, or unglazed clay vessels, as irrigation. The Romans filled the unglazed clay with water (today, you could hook it up to rubber tubing and the water supply) and buried it beneath the soil to gradually water plants at the roots. The benefits? Less evaporation, runoff, and surface-level weed growth, and overall maintenance. Here are our favorite terracotta ollas and “plant nannies” for keeping small crops, raised beds, and potted plants hydrated.
Above: From French gardening company Bacsac, the Watering Cone is made in the south of France from black Roman terracotta, which, when filled, slowly dispenses water into soil; €50 at Bacsac.
Above: A 12-Inch Olla Bottle is designed with unglazed terracotta and a glazed top to keep water from evaporating above ground. Bury the olla beneath the soil for it to work best; $23 at Cutting Edge Ceramics on Etsy.
Above: From Grow Oya, the Medium Oya waters a space up to three feet in diameter (planter boxes, small raised beds, and large containers) and comes with a silicone lid; $29.95 at Grow Oya. It’s also available in Small ($24.95) and Large ($39.95) at Grow Oya.
Above: From Clayola, a company based in Egypt, a Clayola cone-shaped vessel attaches to a tube and siphon to irrigate plants for up to one month by way of gravity. Contact Clayola for ordering information.
Above: The Blumat Bottle Adapter for Plant Watering is made in Austria from clay and a rubber adapter that attaches to any bottle; $36 for a pack of six extra-large adapters on Amazon.
Above: Another ancient-inspired design, the Olla Ball Irrigation System is designed as a series of clay balls to be buried under the soil and connected by tubing to a water supply; $48 for a pack of six from Cutting Edge Ceramics on Etsy.
Above: Another design from Austrian company Blumat, the Junior Automatic Plant Waterer uses clay cones and tubing to keep plants hydrated; $36 for a six-pack on Amazon.
Above: The Waterworks Cone is a partially glazed terracotta cone that directs water seepage to the tip of the cone; €10 each at House of Thol.
