Rain Cloud Waterer

Introduction

Water, along with sun and soil, is one of the most important elements needed to growing healthy and beautiful plants. It’s up to you as a gardener to provide plants with a steady source of water throughout the growing season. Mother Nature can also help keep plants happy and well-watered when clouds gather and provide much needed rain showers to the landscape and your garden alike. Did you know there are 10 types of clouds that form throughout the world’s skies? Pretend like you are summoning summer rains and create a Cloud Waterer for growing your best plants yet!

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What You Need:

• Shoe Box.
• Recycled plastic container, with screw top lid (for example a drink container).
• Packing peanuts and/or cotton balls.
• Plant with saucer.
• Glue.
• Scissors.
• Marker or Pen.
• Additional paints and markers as needed.

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What To Do:

1. Remove shoe box lid and set aside for later use. With the box sitting on a flat surface, remove one short side and ½ of each long wall. This will eventually act as the frame and backdrop for affixing your cloud and watering reservoir.
2. Using a well-rinsed and dried drink container, cut the bottle in half. Remove the lid and carefully poke holes in it using the pointy tip of the scissor blade. Screw the lid onto the remaining half of the drink container. This will come to be the reservoir that water passes through on the way to your plant.
3. Using the shoe box lid, trace and cut out a cloud formation, so that it is tall enough and wide enough that it will hide the remaining size of the plastic drink container. Set aside
4. Going back to your cardboard cloud form, begin to glue packing peanuts or cotton balls to the form, covering all open spaces and giving a fluffy texture to the board. Allow the glue to dry.
5. Positioning the cloud form to cover the plastic reservoir, glue the cloud form to the container with the lid firmly screwed in place and pointing down. Allow the glue to dry.
6. Affix the non-cloud side of the plastic container to your shoebox frame, about 2/3 up the backboard. Allow to dry while laying down on a flat surface.
7. Once the Cloud Waterer has dried in place, stand the frame up** and set your plant and saucer under the cloud.
8. Now just add water to the reservoir and watch as your cloud rains down onto your healthy and happy plant.

**If desired, paint or draw an additional scene behind your plant, and around the outside of the frame at this time.