ONE way to Gentle Watering the vegetable garden while saving water is prince des ollas or oyas! This very old watering and irrigation system (2000 years old) is simple and effective. Updated in the last twenty years since the beginning of permaculture, it is gaining more and more followers!
How Do Ollas Work?
1/ Le prince of vases is based on microporous terracotta. These terracotta pots actually act as water reservoirs. Once they are buried at the base of the plants, simply fill them with water. The liquid then takes several days to slowly diffuse into the earth around the microporous walls of the olla.
2/ Le the ground is irrigated with a capillary. A more or less extensive wetland is formed around the oya depending on the capacity of the buried ola.
For greater efficiency, it is necessary to close the olla with its lid. It prevents water loss from evaporation, prevents many insects or small animals from falling into everything and drowning. Finally, it avoids the proliferation of mosquitoes.
Why Water Your Vegetable Garden?
LARGE irrigation with oya is mainly used in summer crops, with the vegetables free from sun and watering. This system complements the benefits of a good mulch.
Fewer Diseases
With all, watering is done from the roots. Therefore, you do not wet the leaves, which limits the occurrence of cryptogamous diseases such as powdery mildew or powdery mildew. You also avoid the risk of burns on leaves in direct sunlight due to the magnifying effect produced by water droplets.
On the other hand, plants hate irregular watering. Oyas make it possible to avoid these vibrations by offering gentle irrigation. Your plants grow better, are in better shape.
The frequency of watering is greatly reduced
As the water diffuses slowly, it has time to seep into the soil to the roots rather than run off and be lost away from the plants. So you can save up to 70% water compared to a conventional sprinkler irrigation system, and up to 25% water compared to dry year use of a drip irrigation fed by a rainwater recovery tank.
This saving is even greater if you combine the use of oya with natural mulching to prevent the soil from drying out too quickly. Depending on its capacity, your olla can take anywhere from a few days to more than a week to empty.
Fewer Weeds
When you water with everything, the watering is precise because you bring the water only where it is needed, i.e. directly at the foot of the plants. So you limit the proliferation of unwanted weeds and facilitate the maintenance of your crops.
A Flexible And Infinitely Reusable Watering System
The oya are very easy to move and bury elsewhere at the foot of plants that need it. Depending on the season and their capacity, you can use them in the vegetable garden but also in the ornamental garden to water a flower bed, a planter or potted plants grown on a balcony. There is indeed a wide variety of shapes and abilities, including all to bury and others to plant.
A Gesture For The Planet And For French Craftsmanship
Made of terracotta, oyas are natural products that are shaped by hand in France from clay by master potters such as Lutton Pottery in the Vendée.
How To Plant Ollas In The Garden?
- Dig a big hole.
- Place the olla straight, allowing its neck to protrude above ground level.
- Finally, bring the soil back to the walls without packing it too much.
How To Use Fertilizers In The Vegetable Garden?
At the Foot of Tomatoes, Eggplants and Peppers
enterrez 1 olla of 5 liters between 2 stalks of tomato, eggplant or peppers. This water reserve can irrigate about 1 m² and takes 1 week to 10 days to empty completely.
Tomatoes watered with ollas have more flavor because the plants take up just the right amount of water they need so they don’t drown. Also avoid irregular watering: some tomato varieties such as Cornue des Andes need a regular supply to prevent the development of black disease.
At The Foot Of The Pumpkin, The Pumpkin And The Pumpkin
The gardener’s trick is to sow 2 or 3 courgette seeds stuck to the wall of a 5 liter pot around mid-May. You don’t have to take care of it anymore, just fill the jars once it’s empty. The seeds will germinate and the courgettes will then grow by getting the amount of water they need.
Under The Cucumbers
1 pot of 5 liters is enough to water a cucumber foot.
At the Foot of Peas and Beans
Give 2.5 liters of oya every 50 cm distance in the row.
Which Plants Shouldn’t Ollas Be Used With?
Do not use ollas with plants that are afraid of moisture: onions, carrots, beets or even leeks appreciate a fairly dry soil and watering from time to time. Regular watering does not suit them.
At the Foot of the Fruit Trees
The use of larger aggregates is also possible at the foot of fruit trees for the first 3 to 5 years in order to keep the soil permanently cool.
What To Do With Eyes In Winter?
If you take care of it, your Oyas are almost infinitely reusable! To prevent them from being damaged by frost, dig them up at the end of the season to store them in a dry place.
Maintaining them is very simple: allow them to air dry for a few days, run a soft-bristled brush to remove any remaining soil, then store them on a dry shelf in a shelter.