Read at :
http://www.ecocomposite.org/restoration/claypot.htm
Buried Clay Pot Irrigation
By David A. Bainbridge
Associate Professor
United States International College of Business
Alliant International University
San Diego, CA 92131
The book Fan Sheng-chih Shu describes the use of buried clay pot irrigation in China more than 2,000 years ago (Sheng Han, 1974). It is likely buried clay pot irrigation had been used for many years before this description was published. Current practices remain much the same.
Make 530 pits per hectare (210 pits per acre), each pit 70 cm (24 inches) across and 12 cm (5 inches) deep. To each pit add 18 kilograms (38 lbs) of manure. Mix the manure well with an equal amount of earth.
Bury an earthen jar of 6 liters (1.5 gallons) capacity in the center of the pit. Let its mouth be level with the ground. Fill the jar with water. Plant 4 melon seeds around the jar. Cover the jar with a tile. Always fill jar to the brink if the water level falls.
Buried clay pot irrigation uses a buried, unglazed clay pot filled with water to provide controlled irrigation to plants grown near it.
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