I've been using these for about 10 years now in a very hot climate (South of Spain) and I keep seeing the same thing on videos which is people not putting the olla in deep enough. You need to have about half an inch sticking above ground and the top inch of the olla should be varnished, otherwise you lose an enormous amount of water through evaporation. Otherwise, great video.
one thing to take note of is your climate. If you live in a very warm climate you want to very much more of the pot to keep it cool. If you live in a cooler climate you want to leave some of the pot above-ground so the sun can warm the water.
Well, if the water is permeating to the outside (and that’s the whole concept of an Olla) it starts cooling the part of the pot above the ground by default via condensing its content (like a wine cooler). So, no. As long there’s water inside, the pot shouldn’t heat up.
Hi. I love your video!! Amazing thorough demonstration, thank you!!! I was wondering on your 'how to make DIY terracotta ollas' what is the exact silicone sealer you used? I live in Italy- so we may have different brands and types of silicone sealers; I am told that they are all waterproof, but are split up depending on what material you are using the silicone for. As far as nontoxic; the only ones seem to be used for aquatic life- making aquariums, but are NOT used for porous materials such as terracotta. Also, silicone used for interior water plumbing don't seem to be nontoxic and again are not to be used for porous materials. The only silicone advised for terracotta are ones that are used for constructing porous building materials (listing terracotta), but are NOT listed as nontoxic. The clerk told me that it shouldn't matter anyways (even if there's a chemical) since it is just to seal the two pots together....? I tried to use the nontoxic aquatic silicone sealer for attaching the two terracotta pots together, which is supposed to dry in 24 hours, but it is very sticky and seems to wipe off a bit even if the two pots are staying attached together. Not sure if it just takes longer to cure or this is how it will remain- if at all. Could you please show me exactly what one you used? I would appreciate any information or advice you could give me on how to proceed; do I need to wipe it off and start over with the Universal builders silicone for porous materials? Thank you for any help you can offer me! Paj Tognetti
I paused the video about 3 mins in and the label says Bostik marine (silicone sealant I think). It looks like the one used for aquariums but I'm not sure. What happened to the pots you attached together, did it work?
Product overview Bostik Marine is a clear, one part acetoxy curing high quality silicone sealant that provides a permanent flexible, durable, watertight seal when building fish tanks and aquariums. Excellent for heavy duty marine work. Ideal for general purpose sealing, waterproofing and weatherproofing requirements in and around the house when doing DIY projects. The sealant is extremely resistant to UV, weathering, ageing and water, and offers excellent chemical resistance and is unaffected by alcohols, diluted acids and alkalis, soap and household detergents. The sealant remains flexible over a wide range of temperatures from -40°C to 100°C. It also performs as an excellent adhesive on non-porous surfaces where an elastic gap-filling bond is required. Not suitable for alkaline surfaces such as concrete, fibrous cement, asbestos, plaster and marble. Not suitable for some metals i.e. mild steel, lead, copper, tin, galvanized iron, brass or zinc as it may cause corrosion. May become discoloured in contact with some organic elastomers, which tend to bleed oil or solvents into the silicone, e.g. EPDM, APTK, Neoprene and Bituminous surfaces. It should not be used on the back of mirrors, as it will de-silver the mirror backing, affecting the front appearance of the mirror. Not suitable for contact with natural stone i.e. marble, granite, quartzite as it may discolour the surfaces. Will not adhere to some plastics such as polyethylene, polypropylene and Teflon. Do not apply sealant when relative humidity is below 10% - cure rate will be affected. Not suitable where mould-resistance is required e.g. sealing of showers, basins and baths. Does not contain a fungicide which may be harmful to aquarium fish. Not paintable.
Hello Tanya, I just found your channel and I love it. Thank you for sharing your enthusiasm and your knowledge! I am going to use Ollas pots in my keyhole gardens and was wondering if I need to use one for every plant? It'll get a little crowded in there if I do! For a pot the size similar to the one you use in this video, what would you say the watering radius is? Can I bury it between two or three tomato plants and still reap the benefits of the ollas? Would a larger pot serve a larger area, do you think? Should it be checked for water levels sooner than every two weeks? Thank you so much!
I am using a single unglazed terracotta pot. I plug up the bottom hole with painters putty which works well. I cover it with a plastic lid However, when I bury it, the water level never goes down, even after a couple days. Am i doing something wrong?
As she has said already, it needs to be watered from the outside too to "connect" the Olla to the surrounding soil and its capillary (water transporting) system.
