A. You'll want a pot, container or grow bag that is at least 9" tall.

A. Installation is easy. We've included everything you'll need in your kit to install your watering system.

To install your Thirsty Earth Olla System:

1. Bury your olla cotta cups in the soil (in a grow bag, container, pot, raised garden beds or in the ground).
2. Set up your hosing system.
3. Your bucket/reservoir that's included in your kit will fill your cotta cups (terracotta ollas). Your bucket will fill your cotta cups (ollas). You can handfill your 2.5 or 5 gallon bucket weekly. Or set up your kit to auto-fill your ollas by a hose hook up, single drip line, sprinkler head or rain barrel.
4. Place your bucket/reservoir in your pots, grow bags, garden bed/row garden or anywhere around it. Your bucket needs to be 0"-6" above your soil for optimal water pressure and water savings.
   
5. Your plant’s roots will call for the water it needs. The porous terracotta olla let water seep through the cotta cups, slowly watering your plant’s roots.
6. Watch your plants grow!

For more detailed install instructions for your exact water source and bed size, click HERE.

A. Everything you'll need to set up your watering system.

Choose your kit size (small, medium, large). Then click "add to cart", checkout, and you're all set. We'll make sure you have all the ollas and parts to install your watering system.

Indoor & Outdoor Container Olla Watering Kits include everything needed to hand-fill your bucket/reservoir (weekly) or to connect to a hose, single drip line, sprinkler head, or rain barrel to auto-fill cotta cups.

Here's a list of all the parts included in each kit:

Small Kit Includes:
3 - Thirsty Earth Cotta Cups
2 - 1/4 push-to-connect tee
1 - 1/4 push-to-connect elbow
1 - 1/4 push-to-connect shut-off
1 - 1/2 NPT female to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - 3/4 female spigot adapter to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - 1/4 inch poly tubing 25 feet
1- 2.5 gallon food grade auto-fill reservoir

 
Medium Kit Includes:
6 - Thirsty Earth Cotta Cups
5 - 1/4 push-to-connect tee
1 - 1/4 push-to-connect elbow
1 - 1/4 push-to-connect shut-off
1 - 1/2 NPT female to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - 3/4 female spigot adapter to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - 1/4 inch poly tubing 25 feet
1- 2.5 gallon food grade auto-fill reservoir

Large Kit Includes:
12 - Thirsty Earth Cotta Cups
11 - 1/4 push-to-connect tee

1 - 1/4 push-to-connect elbow
1 - 1/4 push-to-connect shut-off
1 - 1/2 NPT female to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - 3/4 female spigot adapter to 1/4 push-to-connect
1 - Dig 1/4 inch poly tubing 50 feet
1- 5 gallon food grade auto-fill reservoir

A: This totally depends on your preferences. There are 5 different water sources you can choose to have fill your olla cotta cups. You can fill a 2.5 or 5 gallon bucket about weekly by hand, or have your olla cotta cups be automatically filled by a hose, drip line, sprinkler head or water barrel. We recommend choosing what's most convenient for you. Here's the video that'll explain more.

A: To directly sow seeds make sure they are planted within a 6" radius (with 3" giving best results) of your Cotta Cup in order to ensure they receive enough moisture for germination. They need to be sown to their appropriate depth as the top 1/4" of soil will be too dry unless it's underneath a mulch layer.

A: Yes. You might need to adjust our recommended placement of your ollas to give your established plants a little more room. Shoot for burying the olla cup 3"-6” or so from the plant. Where you place your olla is a judgement call based on the size of your plant and roots. Also, our auger is helpful when installing in an existing garden. Use the auger slowly and be gentle on any roots you encounter.

A: Through extensive testing we have measured how much water our cups emit at 0.5 psi. We've compared this with drip emitters laid out identically and measured the water usage.

A: Your bucket/reservoir that's included in your kit will fill your Cotta Cups (terracotta ollas). To handfill your bucket: Fill your 2.5 or 5 gallon bucket weekly. Your bucket will fill your cotta cups (ollas). To auto-fill your bucket, hook up your reservoir/bucket to a hose hook up, single drip line, sprinkler head or rain barrel. All fittings and supplies needed to handfill or auto-fill your bucket are included with your kit.

A: Place your bucket/reservoir in or anywhere around your container, grow bag, pots. Your bucket height is determined by a variety of factors including soil quality, heat, sun, humidity, mulch, and plant species. While you can start with the bottom of the bucket level with the soil to 6" above it, we recommend 28" - 56" above the soil at the float valve if you're in a hotter drier environment.

A: The cups are just under 3" in diameter and 7" in height. The internal capacity is 14.4 oz fluid volume, but that capacity is supplemented by the much larger reservoir the cup system is fed from. They emit roughly 250ml / day and so a dozen cups will last a week from a 5 gallon hand fill reservoir. 250ml / day at the 0.5 psi we recommend they run on.

A: 100 cups on 100' on 1/4 line before you'll want to step up to 1/2" tubing or use another reservoir. It also depends on the size of your reservoir and how often you want to fill it. In an auto-fill reservoir with constant water feed, it would never be the bottleneck. An auto-fill reservoir on a timer filling once per day can handle up to 40 cups at the recommended pressures. When hand filling, the 5 gallon reservoir can handle up to 12 cups for 1 weeks time.

A: Yes. The CottaCup system works great growing cannabis indoors or outdoors and works with soil or coco. Keep the bucket inside or route tubing from a reservoir outside the tent.

A: Most setups need refilling every 3–10 days depending on pot size, plant stage, and climate. Connect to a hose, drip line, sprinkler head or rain barrel for auto‑refill.

A: Liquid nutrients work great. Just add them to the reservoir. Avoid thick or particulate‑heavy mixes that could clog the tubing or the cups.

A: No. The system can be set up 100% off-grid — powered by gravity and soil moisture tension.

A: Absolutely. It’s one of the easiest ways to keep indoor plants consistently happy, reduce gnats, and avoid overwatering.