A helpful yet simple DIY for spring gardeners!

Every year my hubby and I use few of these in the spring, we use them to water our seed trays, just-up seedlings and house plants. They are so easy to fill, carry and pour, they don't leak or drip back down the spout like watering cans! The other handy thing about them is that you can make one with a super fine/gentle spray by using a small needle and one with a more substantial flow by using a bigger needle. I need one for my house plants so I'll be using a bigger needle for this DIY.

DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
No drips!
DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
Gather what you'll need, I recommend using lighter because you need to
reheat the needle every second time. 

DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
The needle I chose 

DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
Heat the very end for a few seconds


DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
Pierce the milk bottle lid, being careful not to get your fingers in the way! Reheat and repeat, remember
you can always add more holes after if there isn't enough water coming out. 

You might look at your needle when your done and be cursing me but its OK just heat the needle again and wipe it on some card or paper a few times and it'll be back shiny and clean!

DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
This is what mine looked like when I was done



DIY for up-cycled watering can from 'a journey to a dream'
Perfect for small house plants :)

We keep a 3ltr one in the greenhouse with a finer spray and this one in the kitchen, they last forever and when the bottle does get a bit old, just swap the lid to a new one! We go through so much milk in our house, I love it when we can re-use the bottles ourselves instead of sending them away to be recycled.

Happy spring gardening :)


***Edit/Addition Feb 2017***

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139 comments:

  1. What an awesome idea. Thanks!!!

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  2. That is an amazing idea - I love it!

    Philippa x

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  3. Great idea, Astra! Thank you!

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  4. No problem guys! I'm really glad you like it :)

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    1. That's brilliant! DEFINITELY making one!

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    2. Awesome! Im SO glad your making one :) Hope the instructions are all ok although it is pretty easy lol

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  5. This is genius! I was just thinking about buying a watering can for me and my little guy, but now I think I'll make two, one for me and a smaller one for him! Thanks for the tutorial!

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    1. No problem Christina/Tiffany :) It really is a great one for kids, less splashes than a watering can. Its so fun to hear people are making these all over the world now. I love your marble run idea by the way, I'll be making them for my pre school class for sure!

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  6. Brillian, brilliant idea

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    1. Cheers Ali, glad you like it :)

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  7. Awesome! So clever and kind to the earth too. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. Thanks Carol, I do love a good recycling project!

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  8. This is so great. I was just about to go out and buy a watering can, but this is genius, so clever! I came here from Pinterest- thanks!

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    1. Hi Marci, glad my little project has inspired you! Pinterest is my new best friend lol It's the first time I've been pinned and its brought so many new people to my blog I love it!

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  10. Found on pinterest and lost my watering can this spring, going to do this today!!! :) Thanks!!

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    1. Pinterest rocks! Glad my DIY is of use to you, thanks for commenting :)

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  11. What a great idea!! Saw this on Pinterest and I will definitely be trying it. It will also allow my daughter to be able to help water the plants!! Thanks!
    -Katie

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    1. Thanks for dropping by Katie, Im sure your daughter will love getting involved with the watering! Far less spills than with a can too :)

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    1. OF COURSE! Thanks for asking but no need, the more people that are inspired to recycle their bottles the better in my opinion :)

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  15. Thanks for the great idea! Also, where did you find those cute herb containers?

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    1. Hey nom nom! The herb pots were a gift from my sister for christmas, she finds all the wee hidden gems in charity shops and stashes them away for birthdays and christmases. Clever cookie :)

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    1. Thanks very much - lovin your blog btw :)

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  17. Clever girl - I love it :)

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    1. Thanks Dani, I'm guessing you need a bit of a larger scale watering system with your brilliant veggie FOREST lol are your underground pipes still working well a few months on?

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    2. Astra - they're working a treat :)

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  18. How clever...love the idea and my four year would would love this DIY watering can. Thanks for sharing!

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    1. Glad you like it, I hope you daughter enjoys hers :) I love your little craft projects, especially the glasses case - so cute!

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  19. My brother did this years ago with a laundry detergent jug. He made the holes bigger and my niece (who was then around 6) would use it to water the flowers. She is 18 now! My brother rocks!

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    1. Great minds think alike! Personally I'd worry about the laundry chemicals damaging the plants but I suppose after a good wash there wouldn't be much in it. Does your daughter still make them, that'd be cool!

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    2. Oh, that's a great idea! My 4-yo borrows my watering can all the time to "water" his toys, the driveway, etc. This weekend I'm going to make him his very own watering can out of a laundry detergent jug. Thanks for the inspiration!

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    3. No problem, Im sure he'll love having his own! That is so cute - watering his toys, i can picture it now :)

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  20. Found your blog on Pinterest, what a great idea! I will definitely be making me one.

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    1. Brilliant, I'm so glad you're making one! I had such a good giggle with hubby just now while on your blog, 2 words, cinnamon. challenge.

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    1. Thanks SMW, recycling projects are the best!

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  22. Brilliant!!! Love this so much:)

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    1. Im so glad :) Thanks for commenting Andrea!

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  23. Fantastic idea Astra, I've passed it on to head gardener: Mr Sft x

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    1. Hey SFT, thanks glad you like it, hope its useful for Mr SFT :)

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  24. Awesome idea! I passed it on to some teacher friends...would make a great Mother's Day gift along with a pack of seeds that the kids could plant with their moms!

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    1. Oh great! that would be a lovely idea, they really are so easy to make. I was confused because you've just missed our mothers day over in ireland but of course there are a few different ones!

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  25. Love this idea and your love of Nelson Mandela!!

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    1. Glad you like the Mandela background, its actually a length of south african made fabric which was a wedding gift from my family who live thier - i love it so much!

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  26. Thank you ...I was just thinking I had to run into town to get something to sprinkle my starters....

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    1. Oh great, glad my idea came in handy for you!

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  27. Genius! Thanks for sharing! SMiles, Jill

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    1. Ah thanks Jill, had a nosey around your blog and i love your kids craft ideas :)

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  28. A-MA-ZING! So simple, it is brilliant! Can't wait to try this with the kids this weekend! We have so many milk jugs that we recycle, so why not make a couple into watering jugs.

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    1. I hope they enjoyed making them :) thanks for the comment!

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  29. Great idea. Thanks for sharing.

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    1. No problem Carole, really glad you liked it :)

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  30. So I tried this but I may not be as crafty as you are because my water just dribbles down instead of coming out nicely shower-style! Any ideas what I did wrong? It seems that it gasps for air after a little while too, do you have that problem? Love the idea, though, and I can't wait to get it right! I just started gardening on my apartment balcony and need a good watering can :)
    Thanks!!

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    1. I am interested in her idea as well, this is the exact problem I have with using watering cans - either it drips out of the threads on my store-bought version or it dribbles down the bottom of the lid. I'm going to try the heated needle, because I think it might be the size of the holes. Did you use a small needle? I notice she has a fairly thick one.

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    2. It's a nice idea, but I think it isn't coming out very forcefully because there isn't another hole somewhere else in the jug to let more air into it as the water comes out.

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    3. Hi philippa, thanks for your comment id say though if you wanted the water to come out much faster or more forcefully than in the picture id recommend just pouring it out gently and save yourself the hassle lol if you're watering things altogether and would prefer a continuos flow id make a mall breathe hole like mentioned below but the size of the container and the holes are really for seedlings and little plants that need a gentle spray.

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  31. Hi Val and Anne, I think a few things can add to the dribbles.

    - Having the holes too close together because then the water can 'stick together' and dribble down.
    - Having holes too small then the water comes too slowly and so it has time to 'stick together'
    - Not heating the needle is a big one, if you heat the needle and it melts through it creates a smooth surface for the water to shoot out of but if you just pierce it you create a hole with a (microscopic) rough edge which will encourage the water to cling to it and then dribble down

    I hope these tips help, probably should have put them in the main post... Let me know how you get on :)

    P.S Val, since mine's for indoor pots i just hold it upright after each pot and it sucks in the air, if you wanted to have a continuos stream just melt a small breathe hole at the top of the handle. Good luck with your balcony garden!

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    1. Thanks so much for the extra tips here! I made one of these several years ago, and it dribbled and made a mess. I see where I went wrong given your tips here. I might have to try again given the season for starting seeds!

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    2. Hi amanda glad the extra tips helped, best of luck with your spring garden :)

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  32. Love it, Astra! Thank you! I've also made one with a large liquid laundry soap container. The lid is much thicker, so I had to make holes with a power drill instead of a needle. Thanks again!

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    1. Hi Mom the builder, thanks for sharing my idea on your blog :) Im looking forward to seeing that play frame your gonna build, you seem very industrious! I'll definitely be keeping up with your projects, they're right up my street :)

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  33. I LOVE THIS IDEA!! and your planter holders! I have the same but for my coffee sugar and tea :) Would love to know where you found those :)

    Micia

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    1. Thanks Micia, my sister actually found them for me in a charity shop! They are super cute hey?

      I love your cards btw, really nice :)

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  34. Super great idea!!! Found you on Pinterest, too!

    It would also be cute with little individual smaller milk bottles for little hands to lend a hand in watering~

    Thanx for sharing!!!

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    1. yeah definitely, it seems to be a really popular idea for kids and I hadn't even thought of that! Thanks for your comment x

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  35. Such a great idea, my kids have been doing this now! Can't believe I dodn't think of this! Shared it on my blog yesterday,

    http://myhandcraftedhome.blogspot.co.uk/2012/04/one-day-monday-kids-activities.html

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    1. Thanks so much and your blog is lovely, loved the bird box idea you featured too!

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  38. Such a fabulous idea tht I had to try it out myself!!! Loved it!! To think I've been without a watering can for so long that I could have just made one myself! Brilliant idea!

    I linked to you from my own blog, and tried to recreate your fun craft!
    http://www.nickiwoo.com/2012/04/something-i-found-on-pintrest-diy.html
    Thanks for sharing!!! Have a great day!

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    1. Thats awesome, you did a great job! Looks like you'll get lots of use out of it with your lovely garden. Thanks for the link love too :)

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  40. What a fabulous idea. One of those that poses the question, 'why didn't I think of that'? lol

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    1. Haha I get those moments all the time too! I love the simple, useful DIY projects :) Glad you like it, thanks for commenting

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  41. Genius! I'm featuring your simple and incredibly SMART watering jug today. Thanks so much for being so intelligent! : )

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    1. LOL thank you so much Laurel and thank you for featuing me, I hope your readers liked it! :)

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  42. Thank you so much for this helpful tip. I didn't have a spare needle, so I used a couple of push pins and a lighter. It did sort of melt the bottom plastic of the push pin, so I had to be careful not to touch it. I put the milk cap on one of my kids' bibs so I just had to punch the lid with the push pin. It works great! I noticed too that if I squeeze the jug a little, I can increase the water pressure. THANK YOU!

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    1. Cool, I like your improvisation and your so welcome! I'm glad you like it :)

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  43. Well if that just isn't the best idea ever! I had to buy some watering cans for school this week but think I just might make a few of those instead.

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  44. Amazing idea and I have linked it on my blog. Hope you wont mind it and incase you do please let me know and I shall have it removed.

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    1. Of course i dont mind, thank you so much for sharing my idea :) the more people recycling the better! glad you liked it enough to share :)

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  46. I love your SA Madiba ShweShwe in the background!!!

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    1. thanks di, I love it too! It was a wedding gift from my SA family - going to make a baby sling from it soon :)

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  47. This is so great. I made little ones for my kids! Not sure if you know but this person is using your picute on FB, with no credit to you.

    http://www.facebook.com/gettingstarted/#!/photo.php?fbid=422672327776067&set=a.422628484447118.96305.313496135360354&type=1&theater

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    1. Thats great TFP, hope your little ones like them :)

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  48. I would love to feature this on Reduce, Reuse, Upcycle. Feel free to stop by and grab a featured button. Thanks!

    Great idea!

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    1. thanks for sharing rachel, hope your readers liked it :)

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  50. I loved this idea and already made one! You inspired a blog on my brand new website! Thanks so much!

    http://onesweetthing.weebly.com/blog.html

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    1. thats awesome! I love your diy tutorials, really good x

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  51. Love your blog and how you upcycled plastic bottles and so I featured you in my roundup of plastic bottle crafts here. Feel free to check it out if you want and hope you like it! : )

    -Mel the Crafty Scientist

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    1. Thanks mel thats awesome, some other great ideas too :)

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  52. Where did you get the Nelson Mandela mud-cloth? Love It. Also, love the water bottle. :)

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    1. HI, thanks for your comment, the material was a wedding gift from my SA family, its called shwe shwe - going to make a baby sling from it soon :)

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  53. Excellent tip :) It goes right along with a blog post I wrote a couple weeks ago, so I linked to your blog. Just wanted to let you know!

    Thanks
    Jodie
    http://sewing-chick.blogspot.com/2012/11/save-water-with-upcycled-milk-jug.html

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    1. Thanks sewing chick! love your blog btw :)

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  54. Thanks for posting. I have an anti-deer/rabbit mixture that I was spraying on my plants to keep them from being mauled by my neighborhood deer & rabbits, but the sprayer kept getting clogged. I usually make the solution in milk jugs anyway, so all I would need to do is screw on the cap with holes and then replace the cap when storing the solution.

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  55. I have tried doing this, my problem with it, is when I want to water my garden the bottle acted as though it wasnt getting the oxygen pushing down to let the water come out without GULPING. it would pour GULP pour GULP, making it difficult, do you have any tips to prevent this?

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    1. Hi MelieMel, My initial thought is that there is too much water coming out, it shouldn't gulp... Maybe try fewer holes or it might be the bottle, is it flexible? our milk bottles sink in at the sides so you only have to let it take air once in a while. More a dripping problem heres what i wrote before
      - Having the holes too close together because then the water can 'stick together' and dribble down.
      - Having holes too small then the water comes too slowly and so it has time to 'stick together'
      - Not heating the needle is a big one, if you heat the needle and it melts through it creates a smooth surface for the water to shoot out of but if you just pierce it you create a hole with a (microscopic) rough edge which will encourage the water to cling to it and then dribble down
      hope that helps x

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  56. Thanks for great idea! I linked it on my recycle- upcycle blog! (http://freshtrashplace.blogspot.com/)

    Have a nice day!

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    1. I love your blog! its awesome! thanks for sharing it x

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  57. I love this idea! I just pinned it :)

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    1. Thanks kelly, glad you like it!

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  59. The girls and I still use this in our vegatable garden, thank you!

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    1. thats awesome! they really do last hey?

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  60. I love that it controls the flow of water! I can fill back to back over and over bottles of water, but this seems like it makes it last! Thanks!!!

    rebecca at
    http://thisfineday.com

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  62. Thanks for the great idea! It's much more elegant than my original plan to hack a hole in the top with a box knife, lol. I shared your post on my own fledgling blog at http://theexperimentalgarden.blogspot.com/2013/09/milk-jug-watering-can.html :)

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  63. Hi - just came across this post, and I love it! I run a not-for-profit organisation called The Greening Project in perth, WA where we connect kids with nature through growing plants from seed to create gardens of happiness! I have been battling with getting the watering system they use - good old watering cans are a bit rough on newly-planted seeds and seedlings. This is a great idea for them to get the gentle waterflow happening! Thank you! :) For Your Interest: www.thegreeningproject.org :) and p.s. I'm an ex-Saffie too! x

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  64. What a great idea! We made this today and wrote about it, have linked to this page. Thank you

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  65. You've done great job! Thank's for sharing such useful materials! Keep up working, and have a nice mood! http://best-essays.co.uk

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  66. Can also use smaller drill bits. Leave the lid on the jug or bottle will drilling & since out when done.

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  67. Awesome idea! I was just looking to buy a watering can the other day... this is such a fantastic idea! Thank you, I'll be making a smaller one for indoor plants and a 3litre for my outdoor pot plants!

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  68. Like the saying goes, any idiot van make things complicated. It takes a genius to keep things simple.
    Genius! Thank you!

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  69. Brilliant.(I knew of using a bottle but you took it a notch higher with creating the holes in the cover).I'll never buy another watering can again.

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  70. Brilliant, simply brilliant!

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  71. Brilliant, simply brilliant!

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  72. Genius...do not know why I didn't think of that...have been looking for the old fashioned water sprinklers, you insert in bottles for ironing... guess I'm dating self...ha!!! once again genius...thx

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  73. how come the water won't come out? I used a gallon plastic container of orange juice (drilled holes), but there's no pressure so that water will come out.

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    1. Hi Mercy! Hmm thats a odd one, is the container very strong? As in its hard to squeeze or press the sides in? If so that would stop it flowing nicely :( the bottle I used is quite thin plastic so when tipped the sides can dip in as the water flows out - I hope that makes sense! x

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  74. Hi Astra! I did this trick with a plastic oil jar, which is hard enough to squeeze. It's problem is water is not coming out smoothly. Every time I need to do "up & down" while watering. Please help.

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  75. This is a really simple idea that is positively brilliant. Congratulations in bringing this to our attention. Bless you

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