Regular watering is one of the main tenets of proper plant care. Homemade automatic plant watering systems can keep your houseplants watered while you're on vacation or cut down on the time you spend on plant care. These watering systems are inexpensive and easy to make; they can be scaled up or down based upon the size of your plant container. Plants that don't receive enough water can sicken and die or attract pests since they are weak.
Test out your wick before you begin to ensure the automatic watering system will work. Fill your jar with water and place the wick in the jar, leaving one end in the liquid and one out. Wait to see if the wick draws up water and becomes saturated. If it does, your system will work. If it does not, choose another material and test it again.
Drape one end of the the wick fabric over a screwdriver. Poke one end of your wick up through the drainage holes at the bottom of your plant's pot, using the screwdriver to tuck the wick up through the soil. Remove the screwdriver through the hole once you've pushed the wick up through the soil to the roots.
Set the houseplant down. Trail the wick from the bottom of the pot into your jar. You can hide the jar directly behind the houseplant if you want to camouflage it or choose an attractive jar and place it directly beside or directly underneath the plant container.
Refresh or change the water in your jar weekly to ensure the plant gets a supply of fresh water.