Drought Tolerant Irrigation
Plants, humans, animals, we’ve all adapted to heat, stress, low income, screaming children, Aramex deliveries (lack thereof). It can be painful but we adapt. Here I wanted to share two very different approaches to water conscious irrigation for warmer countries. They work for different settings, stages, and environments.
First one, DEEP infrequent watering. This is great to train the plants to dig down into the water tables below. (If you live in Bahrain, where we are based, and you’re quite close to the sea, you’ll get there quite quickly.) This technique also trains plants to be drought tolerant and not so pampered. This means some of your plants won’t make it, accept natural selection and move on. Choose plants more adapted to the environment. This method requires support the first year for the plant to establish but once it does it is extremely resistant. If it’s a native plant (other than palm trees) it would barely need any watering.
Second approach is to use Olla Pots (in image above), these are made with porous clay. If you’re in Bahrain, we recommend the Bahraini clay pots, otherwise, terracotta pots are great.
How this works
Olla pots are highly porous, so water slowly seeps through their walls and into the surrounding soil. They are buried or placed right next to the plant's roots, delivering moisture exactly when it's needed. As the surrounding soil dries out, both the thirsty soil and the plant's roots naturally pull water out, slowly releasing it right where it's needed most — making it a beautifully passive, self-regulating system.
How to use it correctly
Make sure to soak your pots over night! This allows the pot to hold water and not absorb it into itself every time you fill it up. This is a mistake I made. I noticed every time I poured water into the pots it, the pot itself would absorb it quite quickly cause they’re super porous, especially the Bahraini clay pots. Soak first and they’ll be able to do the job well.
It’s important to keep in mind that these techniques work best with plants that are native to your area because they really demand a lot from the plants and for them to be a little more independent. Choose your plants wisely for your environment!