Saturday 9 August 2014

Olla Success!!!

Well, it looks like the Olla experiment is successful. So much so that I bought another dozen unglazed terracotta pots to make some more to help droughtproof the garden.


After I glued the two pots together the other day (see this post) I let them dry for a couple of days as we had drizzle the next day and I wanted to make sure that the glue was thoroughly dry. 


 Once I was sure it was dry I filled the Olla with water and waited to see what happened and, before long I could see the pots getting darker as the water started permeating.....


 ....until it was quite obvious that the glue had done its job and the water wasn't gushing out through the hole in the bottom which I had glued a small flat stone over and there was no obvious leakage where the two pots were glued together. As I had read somewhere that it was a good idea to soak the pots in water first before burying them, I did that for a short time.


 Then I started digging and digging with my little trowel as I was too lazy to walk to the shed to find a spade. After I had been digging for ages and got so far down that I thought I would reach China, I buried the Olla but left about 4 inches of it jutting out of the soil as I just wanted to see how it went overnight before digging it up the next day to test the moisture in the soil. You probably can't see it clearly in the photo but it is sitting under my cracked mug which has violets growing in it.

I was very pleased when I finally dug it up as the water was definitely wicking out and there was still plenty left in the Olla. Two Ollas should be enough to keep my calendula patch growing well so that will be another section of the front garden which won't need watering apart from what I put into the pots.


My husband had to go to Masters so while we were there I checked to see if they had any unglazed terracotta pots as I had bought my first two pots from Bunnings. I wasn't sure what their size was but I noticed that Masters had 15cm pots for 85 cents each whereas the 17cm pots were about $1.49 which I think is what I paid at Bunnings. So I bought a dozen 15cm pots and when I got home I compared them with the Olla in the ground and I would say that it would have been a 17cm one. However, I don't think the difference in size will matter too much and am now keen to get them all glued together and put into the garden. 


Onto another subject....lovely Lynda from Living in the Land of Oz asked me to join a Blog Hop Around the World - Creativity which, in a moment of weakness, I said 'yes' to. So Lynda has written her post and I am due to write mine this coming Monday and link to two other bloggers who will then carry on the Blog Hop after me.

Slight problem though.....I haven't been able to twist anyone's arm to join in the Blog Hop as most bloggers I know are either too busy, sick, moving, looking after rellies etc. and I really don't like asking them when I know they have a lot on their plate.

So if any of my readers have a burning desire to help me out and join in the Blog Hop then please email me at nannachel@gmail.com and you will earn my undying gratitude.

(UPDATE: I now have two bloggers who are happy to join in the Blog Hop. Now I just have to get my head around writing a post for it. )

A friend and I are off to the Big Smoke today so think of us my friend trying to drive through the crazy Brisbane traffic. I just realised the EKKA is on tomorrow so hopefully there won't be too much traffic on the highway. Yikes! Have a great weekend everyone!



17 comments:

  1. I had to read back for the details of Olla and what a wonderful idea it is. Funny isn't it how simple [and relatively inexpensive] things can solve a problem. Long may your garden grow with the watering system!

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    1. Thanks Shirley. Apparently it is an ancient method of irrigation so we are now catching up on what some cultures have known for centuries.

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    2. What a brilliant idea. How big are the pots you used Chel?

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    3. Heather, the one I have made was marked as 17cm and the other ones I bought are 15cm. Some people also put slightly smaller ones into large decorative pots to water their pot plants.

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    4. Thanks Chel. I am certainly going to give it a try in the warmer weather.

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  2. Success, great job, now i feel save going out and filling my raised beds with Ollas. Off to Bunnings today. Must go back to previous post to check out the glue situation. I might even find it in the great cave of creativity called the garage.

    No matter about the blog hop, i'd still like to hear your answers regarding your own special brand of creativity. Have a great weekend Chel. :)

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    1. Lynda, I hope they work well for you. There are probably cheaper glues that would be okay and your hubby might know which ones. In the US they use a glue called Gorilla Glue but I don't think it is available here in Oz.

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  3. That's brilliant, where did you come across this idea? I've never seen them before so will share on our FB page for other members to come and have a gurk!
    Hope you're having a great weekend
    xxx

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    1. Sue I got the idea from OutbackTania who is always full of great ideas :-) It doesn't get as hot here as it does in SA where Tania lives so they should do well. I will do a tutorial on the forum when I get myself organised.

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  4. This is a comment from Maddie

    Hi Nana Chel, Love your Olla pots. Can't quite discern from your garden pic whether you have the pipes hanging off like the guy on Olla has set up. Am thinking that you are just filling them up at the top individually when necessary, and if so they would be within my capabilities and well worth doing here. It's already so dry here and no hope of any relief til summer - if then. Thanks for posting this great idea.Tried sending comment thru 'Anonymous' but it didn't work for me. Hope you have a safe trip to Brisbane - awful at the best of times IMO.
    Regards,
    Maddie

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    Replies
    1. Maddie, I am not sure why you can't comment. I have a friend who tries to comment from her iPhone but it won't go through either so thanks for commenting via the 'Contact Me' form. No I just fill up the Olla and don't have any tubing connected. I checked it before leaving for Brisvegas today and there was still water in it so I was happy. In the next few days I hope to get the other glued and buried as well. It is so very, very dry I agree.

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  5. Great idea Chel and Tania. I'll use the link in my weekend readings this week if that's okay with you.

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  6. Rhonda, that's fine. I must admit the one I have buried is working well. I was shocked by how dry the soil was when I was digging down to plant the Olla. Drought proofing is the order of the day once again around here.

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  7. What a great idea! I love these simple solutions. Much more attractive than the plastic water bottle tipped upside down with a 'dripper' stake thing at the bottom that I've used in the past!

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    1. Yes it is a great idea I must say. You can't really see the one I have buried as the calendulas are growing around it and it is reasonably out of sight.

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  8. Fantastic idea. Our soil is so dry down here south of Brisbane, even heavy watering hasn't been penetrating the suface much. It's raining today at last, but that gives me time to set up these pots for the next dry spell. Cheers, Gay

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    1. Gay, it is really dry here too although it is raining lightly here at present...around midday...but presumably it will get heavier as the day progresses. On the radar though it looks like it is going around us like it usually does. However, I hope the farmers are getting good soaking rain as they really need it for their crops and for feed for their animals.

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