A quick note of my late summer 2022 results with ollas and terracotta watering spikes.
The image below shows a container of Dragon Wing Begonias. They are watered with an olla made from two clay pots glued together end to end. One of the drainage holes is plugged shut. The other drainage hole is corked to fill the reservoir with water.
The next image shows the olla that waters a second pot of Dragon Wing Begonias. This is after multiple days of 100-degree temperatures. The plant seems to be doing rather well.
The next two images shows wine bottles feeding terracotta watering spikes.
This year both the ollas and terracotta watering spikes have done well through the dry hot summer. Sometimes I would supplement them with a bit of top watering to cool the soil a bit during multiple days of 100+ degree weather. The rest of the time I just keep the ollas and the wine bottle full so that there is always a supply of water for the plants to use. This helps me to reduce watering frequency and overwatering.
Over the years I have learned to trust ollas and now watering spikes to provide the right amount of water to the plant. However, you can't forget about them. Don't ever let ollas and spikes go dry and you still need to keep an eye on your plant's needs.