Estimated Delivery between October 19 and October 21.
A slow drip feed made from a bottle you already have.
Each spike screws onto a standard soft-drink bottle in place of the cap. Turn the bottle over, push the point into the potting mix, and open the valve as far or as little as you want.
Three spikes per pack, 6.9 in (17.5 cm) each, in beige or green. How long a bottle lasts depends on the valve setting, the pot and the weather, so give it a trial run before you rely on it.
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Turns a used soda bottle into a slow drip feed. Three spikes, a screw valve on each, no tools needed.
Container plants are hard to water evenly. Pour too fast and most of it runs down the inside of the pot and out of the drainage holes before the root ball has taken any of it up.
A drip spike slows the whole thing down. You fill a plastic bottle, screw the spike on, turn it upside down in the pot, and the water is released gradually into the soil around the roots instead of all at once.
How long a filled bottle lasts depends on the valve setting, the size of the bottle, the pot, the mix and the weather, so treat the first few fills as a test rather than a fixed schedule.
Fill a clean plastic bottle with water. A standard soft-drink bottle neck, 28 to 30 mm, is what these are made to fit.
Screw the spike onto the bottle in place of the cap.
Turn the bottle over and push the pointed end into damp potting mix, close to the root ball but not through it.
Turn the valve to open the flow. Start almost closed, then check after an hour and again the next day.
Water the pot normally once before you start. A spike keeps moisture topped up; it is not a good way to rewet soil that has already dried out hard.
Quantity: 3 spikes per pack
Size: 6.9 x 2 in (17.5 x 5 cm) each
Material: PP plastic
Fits: bottle necks of 28 to 30 mm, the standard size on most soft-drink bottles
Flow: adjusted by turning the valve, from closed to a steady drip
Not included: the bottle. You supply that.
There is one spike here in two colours. Beige and green are the same part, same size and same valve, so pick whichever disappears better against your pots.
Both options are a pack of three. For a single large pot, people often use two or three spikes spaced around the root ball rather than one in the middle.
An inverted bottle is top-heavy. In a light plastic pot or on a windy balcony it can tip, so lean it against something or use a heavier pot.
Very fine or very dense potting mix changes how fast water leaves the spike. So does the weather.
Grit and mineral deposits can block the outlet. Rinse the spike through if the flow stops.
Mineral-water bottles often have a narrower neck than soft-drink bottles and may not thread on.
Plastic left in strong sun goes brittle over a season or two. Bring the spikes in over winter.
What kind of bottle fits?
A standard soft-drink bottle with a 28 to 30 mm neck. Many mineral-water bottles use a narrower neck and will not thread on, so check before you commit to one.
How long does one bottle last?
It depends on how far you open the valve, the size of the bottle, the pot and the weather. Test it at home for a couple of days before you rely on it while you are away.
Can I use these outdoors?
Yes, in a sheltered spot. An upside-down bottle catches wind, and rain will add water the spike is not accounting for.
Will one spike water a big pot?
It wets the soil around where it sits rather than the whole pot evenly. For anything above roughly 10 inches across, spacing two or three around the root ball works better.
Why has the flow stopped?
Usually the valve has closed off, the outlet has picked up grit, or the soil around it is already saturated and cannot take more.
Why you'll love it
Uses a bottle you already have. Threads onto standard soft-drink bottle necks, so there is nothing extra to buy or store.
You set the pace. A screw valve on each spike takes the flow from closed to a steady drip, so you can tune it pot by pot.
Three in a pack. Enough for three pots, or for spacing two or three around one large root ball.
New to drip watering? Start here.
The mistake most people make with a drip spike is treating it as a replacement for watering rather than a way of spreading watering out. It works best on a pot that is already moist. Water the plant properly first, let it drain, and then set the spike to top the pot up from there.
Open the valve barely at all to begin with. It is much easier to notice that a pot is drying and open the valve a little further than it is to rescue a plant that has been sitting in saturated mix for a week. Check it after an hour, then the next morning, and adjust from there.
Do a trial run before you go anywhere. Set the spike up on a Friday and see where the bottle is by Sunday. That tells you far more than any published figure, because your pot, your potting mix and your window are the things that actually decide the answer.
And keep an eye on the pot itself. A full bottle upside down in a light plastic pot makes the whole thing top-heavy, which is worth solving before you leave rather than after.
A quick guide for your growing space
Heat
Pots dry out far faster than garden beds in a hot spell, and a small one can empty in a day. Check the top inch of soil before you top anything up rather than watering on autopilot.
Humidity
Damp air slows evaporation, so soil stays wet longer than you would expect. In a humid stretch, water less often rather than on a fixed schedule, and make sure every pot can drain freely.
Frost
Water left in bottles, tubing or a reservoir can freeze and split it. Drain and store watering gear before the first hard freeze, and water in the morning so roots are not sitting wet overnight.
Small spaces
Balconies and patios catch wind and reflected heat, which dries containers faster than an open garden. Grouping pots together helps them hold moisture a little longer.
