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  • May 22, 2025
Gardening Recipes
 
Craft Projects Photography

Coke Bottle Watering "Globes"

February 22, 2011 By radmegan 58 Comments

I’ve had six empty glass Coke bottles sitting on my kitchen counter since late last summer. Every time my husband suggested that they get recycled, thrown out, or just moved off the counter, I would tell him that I was RIGHT in the middle of a craft that required those six glass bottles to be on the kitchen counter, and that I just needed another week. Just oooooone more week. 

When the mister and I left for a quick weekend get-away and returned to wilted vegetable seedlings and limp bulb stalks, I finally figured out how to use my bottles: Watering “Globes” for my garden! 
It’s not glamorous, but recycled bottles work JUST as well as Aqua Globesonly they are free. To make your own recycled bottle watering “globe,” take an empty glass bottle, fill it with water, and slam it down into moist soil! If you see bubbles rapidly forming, or the water level changing at ALL, the bottle-mouth may not have sealed against the soil, so pull the bottle out, re-fill it, and try it again. 

Out of six bottles I filled and jammed into my potted plants, one of them needed to be re-filled and re-stuck into the dirt. This seems to work best when the soil is already damp, so water before you go out of town, and then add the water bottles to the planters. And since they *are* glass, be careful when you are pushing the bottles into the soil. If the soil is hard, or there are loads of rocks in your medium, there’s a chance the bottle could break, so consider using heavy work gloves if you are concerned.
And if you have an extremely thirsty plant, or are going to be gone longer than a few days, use a Martinelli’s or wine bottle- the bigger the bottle, the deeper drink your plants will get. 

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Filed Under: Gardening Tagged With: bottles, Gardening, glass, plants, recycled


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Comments

  1. a. b. says

    February 22, 2011 at 11:34 am

    This is super smart. And delightfully puzzling for people walking by the garden. “Lush, but not *that kind* of lush”

    Reply
    • Cynthia Ramsey says

      April 28, 2017 at 10:10 am

      I have done that to it works great I also use a sparkling water bottle was a blue bottle with a very long neck and some plants live on the sparkling water they will grow better when you use a soda water bird of paradise loves soda water and I’m sure there’s other plants out there that would love it too but also yes my husband drink Pepsi I used it I was a Coke drinker and I used it those bottles are great spreading they’re nice to look at. Never had a wine bottle. When I moved after my husband death I lost my sparkling water bottle so thank you for reminding me to use the bottles I will be getting the sparkling water bottles​ hopefully the store still has them.

      Reply
      • Cynthia Ramsey says

        April 28, 2017 at 11:24 am

        Sorry about the spelling of sparkling water

        Reply
  2. littlechrissy says

    February 22, 2011 at 5:47 pm

    This is SUCH a good idea. I’m definitely going to try it.

    Reply
  3. weebug says

    February 22, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    what an awesomely amazing idea! thanks for sharing it!

    Reply
  4. lamckin says

    February 23, 2011 at 6:32 am

    Can this work for plastic bottles as well?

    Reply
    • sherrie says

      May 31, 2015 at 10:25 am

      i was thinking the same thing. Anybody???

      Reply
  5. Kat says

    February 23, 2011 at 6:35 am

    I’ve tried this with plastic bottles. Best too if you still have the cap. Just punch a hole on the cap, and the water will drip through that. :)

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    February 23, 2011 at 7:04 am

    I’ve been saving some beautiful olive oil bottles. My husband keeps asking are you sure you want to save all of these? Finally, my chance has come.
    Thank you!!

    Reply
  7. CherishedHearts Vintage says

    February 23, 2011 at 7:55 am

    Lovely idea! Time to paint some water bottles for lovely water globes.

    Reply
  8. Rachel says

    February 23, 2011 at 8:23 am

    This is a great idea. I use upturned plastic bottles with the bottom cut off as watering vessels (rather than drip waterers like these) for plants like tomatoes that need a LOT of watering. They’re best when you just can’t get enough water into the top of the plant pot at once, and don’t have time to wait around for it to soak it up!

    Reply
  9. ouvyt says

    February 23, 2011 at 8:30 am

    I love the idea. What is the chance that this will over water the plant? Will the water be syphoned out only as much as needed?

    Reply
  10. Lori says

    February 23, 2011 at 8:32 am

    FINALLY a use for all the pretty olive oil bottles I’m, er, saving (not hoarding… )

    This is a great idea. So glad I came across it!

    Reply
  11. noolygirl says

    February 23, 2011 at 10:09 am

    absolutely brilliant!!!!

    Reply
  12. jenclair says

    February 23, 2011 at 10:36 am

    Thanks for sharing this idea! Summers around here are so hot–this is just the trick!

    Reply
  13. Mikey Sklar says

    February 23, 2011 at 12:25 pm

    I just placed 2 dozen wine bottles around my yard. I already have a irrigation system, but this seems like a better solution for later winter where I only have a small amount of lettuce growing.

    http://blog.holyscraphotsprings.com/

    Reply
  14. radmegan says

    February 24, 2011 at 10:50 am

    Thanks for all the comments!

    @a.b. “lush garden” LOVE IT!

    @lamckin plastic works well for drip systems like @Kat mentioned, but they may collapse if you stick a plastic bottle in the soil.

    @ouvyt I don’t think there’s too much concern about overwatering. If it seems like the plants are too wet, let the plants dry out for a few days before re-filling the bottle.

    @CherishedHearts Vintage I love the idea of painting the bottles! :)

    @Mikey Sklar! Glad you were inspired! Did you link back to me?

    Thanks again everyone! Happy gardening!!

    xoxo
    radmegan

    Reply
  15. artattac says

    February 24, 2011 at 8:24 pm

    very very very good idei

    Reply
  16. Katie Mc says

    February 25, 2011 at 7:28 am

    Very cool! Thanks Ms. Rad

    Reply
  17. thezenofmaking says

    February 26, 2011 at 8:06 am

    I’m going to try this out with giant glass lemonade bottles in my fire escape garden this summer. It gets really hot out there during the day, so this could make for much, much happier plants!

    Reply
  18. Henriette Weber says

    February 27, 2011 at 9:44 pm

    Awesome tip – thanks Megan! – they are definitely going to be a part of my watering routine from now on =)

    Reply
  19. Hi! I'm Peach. says

    February 28, 2011 at 10:19 am

    Such a great idea! I made my own today and blogged about it {with praise to you for the original idea of course} 😉

    http://tinyurl.com/diyaquaglobe

    Reply
  20. Anonymous says

    March 2, 2011 at 8:21 am

    Hmm, a use for the 100+ liquor bottles in my kitchen NOT being used for the gin still…

    Reply
  21. Shaina Smith says

    March 7, 2011 at 9:32 am

    Hey there – you were featured in Missouri Organic Recycling on Facebook and now have me as a new subscriber!
    http://www.facebook.com/MissouriOrganic

    Reply
  22. farm chick says

    April 4, 2011 at 7:10 am

    Super fab idea!

    I had to share on my blog:
    http://www.esbechic.com/1/post/2011/04/coke-bottle-watering-globe-diy.html

    Reply
  23. Butterscotch Caramel says

    April 23, 2011 at 1:17 pm

    What a great idea. I need this when I go on vacation. Thanks

    Reply
  24. antoine says

    May 18, 2011 at 12:22 am

    does it works with plastic bottle?

    Reply
  25. stan says

    June 25, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    This is awesome.I use Corona bottles.Thank you !

    Reply
  26. Emma says

    October 16, 2011 at 1:19 am

    I love this idea and am going to use it. Especially since we don’t have an outside tap so don’t have a way to water the garden with a hose. Thank you.

    Reply
  27. Madeleine @ NZ Ecochick says

    October 16, 2011 at 1:46 am

    Great idea I’m going to do this for my container garden as they are always thristy. Thanks.

    Reply
  28. Madeleine @ NZ Ecochick says

    October 18, 2011 at 1:14 am

    I’ve posted on this http://www.nzecochick.com/2011/10/beer-bottle-water-planters.html

    Reply
  29. How to make hair bows says

    December 8, 2011 at 5:38 am

    This is great. i love coke eversince I knew it

    Reply
  30. regina Smith says

    December 28, 2011 at 10:16 am

    Love it!!! The decorative bottles =art work

    Reply
  31. Mario says

    March 3, 2012 at 12:52 pm

    Do Does the WATER heat up enough that it germinates the soil with warmth and moisture, and the glass add as a heating lamp?

    Reply
  32. instant bad credit loans says

    April 11, 2012 at 7:03 am

    It serve as an alternative. It does work actually.

    Reply
  33. Elizabeth says

    April 14, 2012 at 12:46 pm

    So awesome!!! Love it! Thanks for sharing!!! I have pinned this and will totally try it!

    Reply
  34. Anonymous says

    May 13, 2012 at 7:22 pm

    The coke bottles are old tech for watering flowers, we did this in AG class back in 1995.

    Reply
  35. Lindsay Lovstrom says

    May 30, 2012 at 9:40 am

    This is fantastic… I’ve been wondering for a while if this would work but couldn’t find anything online and haven’t had the time to try it. Going to pull all of our wine bottles out of the recycling tonight!

    Reply
  36. Patent Agent says

    December 23, 2012 at 9:44 am

    The layout is what really caught my eye, then the i looked at the writing and i think you did a very nice job. Good work:)

    Reply
  37. Mak Counter says

    January 29, 2013 at 8:21 pm

    This is what I call a really good thought. It enables recycling and increasing the efficiency of the product. Similarly we can also recycle our water to make a better use in a garden. If you are interested in knowing some simple procedures of recycling water with existing hydroponic systems in your garden then check this recycling water procedure.

    Reply
  38. stan says

    June 25, 2013 at 10:15 pm

    Thanks radmegan,ive been using Corona bottles. Now my plants speak to me in Spanish !!Ole

    Reply
  39. Anonymous says

    June 27, 2013 at 8:31 am

    People, stop using plastic on your food, you don’t want food with leeched chemicals. Glass is clean.

    Reply
  40. mistrygal says

    July 16, 2013 at 10:38 am

    can anyone explain why my bottle empties out right away, like within minutes of inserting into the soil. What am I doing wrong?

    Reply
  41. Martha says

    November 12, 2014 at 7:28 am

    May i use it in my violets?

    Reply
  42. Laurel L. says

    April 15, 2015 at 1:52 pm

    I got a freesia plant for Easter and am really bad with plants so this is super great advice! I know I need to water 2 to 3 times a week. I am not sure exactly how much that would be, so I will figure this out on my own. Thank you for the advice!

    Reply
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    November 16, 2017 at 7:20 pm

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    Reply
  44. Calvin Miller says

    January 24, 2018 at 10:22 pm

    I have been reading your posts regularly. I need to say that you are doing a fantastic job about watering houseplants. Please keep up the great work.

    Reply
  45. Hazel Frank says

    August 8, 2020 at 10:47 am

    Its become very handy to use best 330ml water bottle for outing rather than buy a expensive one.

    Reply
  46. Jenifer Wola says

    February 22, 2021 at 3:14 am

    self-watering is a cool way to save your expensive indoor plants especially when you are not at home. I love your thoughts on such a topic keep writing amazing knowledge you have and share it with others.

    Reply
  47. Jade Robson says

    February 22, 2021 at 4:01 am

    This can be one particular of the most helpful blogs because I am a travel blogger and I have many exotic pants that method may sound helpful. the self-water method is interesting. Actually Fantastic. therefore, I can understand your effort. Well, the article is, in reality, the finest on this worthy hile topic. I harmonize with your conclusions and also will certainly thirstily look forward to your approaching articles. Just saying thanks will certainly not simply just be enough. Enjoyed reading the article above, really explains everything in detail, the article is very interesting and effective. Thank you and good luck with the upcoming articles. I definitely will directly grab your RSS feed to stay abreast of any kind of updates.

    Reply
  48. Copper Jade says

    February 22, 2021 at 4:03 am

    Now my coke bottle found a new life and give new life with this method thanks a lot for this unique info.

    Reply
  49. Rozalia says

    March 26, 2021 at 9:49 pm

    Tagged creative reuse d-i-y acqua globes d-i-y watering globes glass bottles wine bottle watering globes
    Rozalia recently posted…SUBJ1Tagged creative reuse d-i-y acqua globes d-i-y watering globes glass bottles wine bottle watering globesMy Profile

    Reply
  50. Tonny says

    October 17, 2021 at 3:07 am

    Your site looks great Mani! Good luck with everything.

    Reply
  51. Watering Globes says

    November 23, 2021 at 5:21 am

    Thank for sharing your creative idea.i will follow you for make my coca battle become watering globes.

    Reply
  52. Crystal Bottles says

    January 16, 2022 at 10:05 pm

    Great solution to a simple problem we have here down under – thank you from Australia

    Reply

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    […] http://radmegan.com/2011/02/coke-bottle-watering-globes.html […]

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  3. Up Your Gardening Game with these 14 Hacks - GardenWorks says:
    December 23, 2016 at 2:13 pm

    […] Just make sure that the water isn’t leaking out too quickly. If it is, just refill and try again. […]

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