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Olla Gardening
The beauty of the earthern clay in a garden is an aesthetic, decorative element for most any landscape. It can also be an efficient and highly effective way to keep your plants nourished. Irrigation of plants by means of ollas—unglazed pottery jars—is an ancient practice. At its core, Olla gardening centers around plants capturing moisture emitted from the jar. Started in Rome, and now found in countries such as China, Pakistan, Iran and Zimbabwe, Ollas have been adapted to local gardens by Native American gardeners as well as Spanish settlers in the southwest. More modern systems have been used in home gardens but these are not as efficient as irrigation by seepage from buried ollas. Compared to the use of clay pots, most modern systems use much more water, are more likely to clog, and are much more expensive. The plant draws water directly from the pot, preventing any water seepage that may normally be lost to the soil. Plants absorb almost 100% of the water. The plant’s growing environment is stress-free, and they grow well. To modernize this ancient system, the jars may be recharged by a drip irrigation system, timed and sized to replace water loss. Olla porosity, size and shape must be matched to each plant’s water needs, root size and root distribution. Deeper roots are best suited to deeper ollas. The same correlation must be made to the smaller pots. Planting ollas in clusters helps to maximize water use; they can be left for years without disturbance Any exposed portion of the pot should be painted or glazed to prevent evaporation. Rocks or mesh screens are used to cover the tops to keep animals, insects or soil from entering into the pot. The gardener just waters the olla (at least 50% full) and lets the pot do the rest of the work. A study by the University of Pretoria showed results of clay pot irrigation as providing higher yield of crops: 38% for cauliflower, 58% for maize, and 26% for rape, compared to a water can system. It was also shown that “water savings between 50% and 70% are achievable with the clay pot irrigation system.” Plant growth was also significant in this study with results of a height increase of 87.5% for Mexican apple and 90% for citrus fruit trees. Many plants do very well in traditional home vegetable gardens. Basil, beans, chilies, cucumbers, marigolds, melons, onions, peas and squash are just a few varieties tested with success. Culinary herbs do well when placing an olla within another larger container pot. Olla irrigation solves problems for gardeners who cannot irrigate frequently, and is highly successful for plants that should not be irrigated frequently. Ollas can be placed singly for an individual plant, or placed in larger pots for container plants. Clay pot irrigation is one ancient yet super-efficient method of gardening worth considering in any region. Size Information and Ordering »
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