For a while now, I have been trying to figure out two different situations that have posed a dilemma in my backyard. The first was what to do with the 50-gallon water jugs that I have been filling up with water from heating up the shower. The second was how to water the plants in my greenhouse. Initially, I thought of just filling watering cans with very small holes. This option works alright for the short run, but required frequent attention. Another option I had considered was to have the watering system drip-feed some water emitters. The problem with this is that the flow would not always match the needs of the plants. After looking for quite a while for a viable solution, I found the olla to be a very good option.
Ollas (pronounced oy-yah) are porous terracotta containers that can be filled and let water out slowly. They discharge water slowly, leaving the soil moist, but not wet. The roots of the plants surround the olla and grow well. The only one I could find to buy that would work with a drip line was the EasiOyYa, which can be purchased online. It includes everything you need for the system other than a water barrel. There is a small in-line filter, which keeps debris out of the line. That being said, I purchased a sturdier in-line filter to ensure that no particulates get into the Ollas.
The EasiOyYa was incredibly easy to put together and get working. Once I got the Ollas ready, I placed them where I wanted them and left plenty of extra drip irrigation line so that if I needed to move them, I would be able to do so easily. To get the whole thing started, I hooked everything up, except for the drip line to the water barrel. Then I left the fitting for the end of the line open and hooked the whole system to a hose. I turned the hose on only a small amount and waited about 10 minutes until the water went all the way through the system to the end fitting. I then closed the end fitting, turned off the hose and hooked the whole system to the barrel and turned the spigot on the bucket to reestablish water pressure. My carosello plants quickly grew and the fruit ballooned.
The only drawback of putting in the EasiOyYa was that I put it in near the surface of the ground. By doing so, I attracted some fungus gnats, which began to feed on the roots of my plants. The fungus gnats may be in the greenhouse for a while, though I was able to move the Ollas deeper into the ground (remember how I had added extra drip line to each section). When I took each Olla out it was surrounded by roots. The plants did not appreciate this change, but eventually adjusted. The gnats on the other hand seemed to have gotten the point because I haven’t seen many since.
Overall, I would definitely recommend an olla system to anyone. Especially anyone who has a hard-to-irrigate location and prefers not to babysit their plants.
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| The EasiOyYa Olla size |
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| The packaging was very good. |
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| The non-olla parts of the system |
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| Instructions for assembly - Don't take the exact order literally! |
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| The in-line filter (not included) that I purchased to go with the system. |
Ollas (pronounced oy-yah) are porous terracotta containers that can be filled and let water out slowly. They discharge water slowly, leaving the soil moist, but not wet. The roots of the plants surround the olla and grow well. The only one I could find to buy that would work with a drip line was the EasiOyYa, which can be purchased online. It includes everything you need for the system other than a water barrel. There is a small in-line filter, which keeps debris out of the line. That being said, I purchased a sturdier in-line filter to ensure that no particulates get into the Ollas.
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| My assembly. |
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| All ready to hook to the line. |
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| Placing the Ollas |
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| Hooked to the line. Notice the hose for the initial flush (highly recommended) |
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| Water at the end of line indicates it is working. |
The EasiOyYa was incredibly easy to put together and get working. Once I got the Ollas ready, I placed them where I wanted them and left plenty of extra drip irrigation line so that if I needed to move them, I would be able to do so easily. To get the whole thing started, I hooked everything up, except for the drip line to the water barrel. Then I left the fitting for the end of the line open and hooked the whole system to a hose. I turned the hose on only a small amount and waited about 10 minutes until the water went all the way through the system to the end fitting. I then closed the end fitting, turned off the hose and hooked the whole system to the barrel and turned the spigot on the bucket to reestablish water pressure. My carosello plants quickly grew and the fruit ballooned.
The only drawback of putting in the EasiOyYa was that I put it in near the surface of the ground. By doing so, I attracted some fungus gnats, which began to feed on the roots of my plants. The fungus gnats may be in the greenhouse for a while, though I was able to move the Ollas deeper into the ground (remember how I had added extra drip line to each section). When I took each Olla out it was surrounded by roots. The plants did not appreciate this change, but eventually adjusted. The gnats on the other hand seemed to have gotten the point because I haven’t seen many since.
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| After the Ollas had been in for about a week. |
Overall, I would definitely recommend an olla system to anyone. Especially anyone who has a hard-to-irrigate location and prefers not to babysit their plants.
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| Watch the fruit grow. |
Here is a little video of my EasiOyYa in my greenhouse.
