Make Potting Mix At Home Guide

Kindly refer to our Shipping Information

Please refer to our Returns Policy

Send us an email to info@upontherooftop.com.au. Changes may be possible if your order has not proceeded to fulfillment. Don't place two orders because sometimes we will not see two consecutive orders due to our processing procedures and you will then receive two shipments and pay 2 shipping fees. Send us the email as soon as possible.

From the time it leaves the warehouse the proggress of your parcel is in the hands of the freight company. Shipping times may be affected by some factors such as high volumes going through the postal services or extreme weather events. We fulfill orders as quickly as posisble and usually within 2-3 business days. We cannot accept responsibility for delays after the parcel leaves our warehouse. The confirmation email we send you allows you to track the progress of your parcel throught the frieght partner systems. Please allow enough time (and more) for your order to arrive if there is a need to receive your parcel quickly. 

We do not offer Express Post as Australia Post unless requested. If you require Express post or a delayed dispatch, please send us an email or make a note on your order and we will invoice you the postal charge prior to fulfillment or note your requested dispatch date.

Click Frenzy! Single’s Day! Black Friday! Cyber Monday etc! Why will you not usually receive an enticing email from us at during those times?

You know that famliar cycle of annual sales - it’s the exhausting time of year where your inbox fills with sale offers, social advertisements offering discounts and SALE is the most popular 4-letter word. Despite the retail pressure, as a brand we are committed to rarely going on sale and we’d like to take a moment to explain why.

Integral to our business are the values of authenticity and sincerity. Authenticity to us means being transparent  in what we communicate and always looking for opportunities where we can improve. We always try to do what feels right as a brand and in line with our values. Sincerity means treating everyone with understanding and respect, from our suppliers to our customer and everyone in between.

With these ideals in mind, first, we want to ensure that we can offer ALL of our customers the lowest possible price all year round. To do so, we design, produce, and price our products to their true value and we do not price our products to go on sale. Besides guaranteeing fairness for all our customers, it also helps us ensure that we are paying our suppliers fair and living wages.

We think that there is nothing more frustrating (in retail) than when you buy something and then see it on sale 2 weeks later! We don’t want our community to feel that buyer's remorse, so we keep it consistent for everyone, year round.

Additionally, the past few years have been very challenging for small businesses. Price increases are the only way for many to survive the escalating operating costs. We too have had to dig deep to try to make ends meet and yet not compromise any of the quality of our products or service. To partake in endless "SALES" cycles means we simply don't have fat in the system to weather the increases elsewhere in the accounts.

When we do run a sale or offer it's usually to pass on incredible value to our Customers.

We have created or insist that all our  products are high-quality items that will work as expected season on season, year on year and we stand behind every item sent out. We check every order as thoroughly as a busy fulfillment process can allow and if there is a problem, we invite customers to let us know..."don't be sad or mad".

We spend alot of time ensuring that your fragile purchases are packed well for the often long journey. occasionally, that inordinate care fails to withstand the games of ping pong the freight companies seem to play with the post. This is so rare that the % of breakages is negligible in ourr case, however, from time to time something will be amiss. We will replace items damaged in transit.

You will notice when you receive your order that the boxes containing your Waterpot Ollas are basic. No fancy printing, no designer construction. Here at Up On The Rooftop we don't see the value in investing too much in attractive packaging - the products are beautiful enough!

The composition, recycle-ability and/or biodegradability of our packaging is importance to us...so important that we invested in a state-of-the-art shredder to provide useable void fill from our shipping cartons and packaging from other businesses in our building!

Our corn starch packing pellets are home compostable in your compost or worm bins under the Australian Standard AS5810/ABAP 20001.

We are working with our partners to find the perfect air-filled pillows when used in our packaging.

Our satchels are either made of cornstarch or recycled plastic. We have found that the former is often not strong enough for some of our dispatches, hence the use of the Pollitastic recycled bags.

Our clear tapes are biodegradable film with an organic adhesive liner, making it non-toxic and eco-friendly. It has been certified by REACH, RoHS & FDA. Please note the tape is not home-compostable so should be removed from the boxes before adding to the compost bin or worm farm.

Our bespoke tissue paper is printed with soy ink and is acid free and we are a member of the Eco Packaging Alliance and entitled to display the stamp that certifies our tissue packaging as environmentally friendly.

Please consider how you dispose of the packaging - worms will love eating it, your compost bin will enjoy the cardboard and paper carbon. It all goes back into the soil and growing great food and plants! 

Solving Your Garden Irrigation Issues

2000 years of olla technology has proven that simple low-tech device can solve important issues such as the irrigation of agriculture. Applied to our urban gardens and rural farm lands, this technique has the potential of getting gardeners through the toughest water shortages and restrictions. Using 50–70% less than normal surface-water irrigation, it makes it considerably better than drip irrigation, and virtually eliminates the surface-runoff and evaporation common in modern irrigation systems.

A clay pot is buried with only the top opening above the soil surface and filled with water. The porous walls of your Waterpot allow for water to dissipate into the soil as needed. Because the pores are small, the water does not freely flow out of the pot. 

A suction force is created by soil moisture tension as well as the plant roots. If soil is dry, the water inside the olla will release faster as the soil roots “pull” it out. Likewise, if there is a recent saturating rainfall the water in the olla will remain until the surrounding soil dries. Olla irrigation promotes deep watering and dense root growth which facilitates more efficient nutrient and water uptake. Soil and roots do not go through extreme drying and wetting cycles which prevents bitter tasting greens and cracks developing in tomatoes or melons.

The soil surface remains relatively dry in gardens with olla irrigation which can prevent the growth of weeds and help minimize some unwanted insect populations.

Tips for Using Ollas

• Bury The Waterpot leaving the neck above the pot shoulder remaining above the surface to prevent dirt and mulch from washing inside. Gently pack soil around olla.

• Water from The Waterpot will reach about 30cms  from the center point of the olla.

• Place Waterpots every 30cm in your garden for maximum impact.

• Use The Waterpots in planter containers at least 40 cm in size. 

• Check the water level frequently and refill The Waterpot as needed. The frequency depends upon the soil type, surrounding plant density, and weather. At times it may need refilling every 7 days or as frequently as every other day.

• The lid over the opening will minimize "evapotranspiration" and prevent mosquito breeding.

• Use Your Waterpot in slightly sandy or coarse textured soils. Soils with high clay content do not dissipate water well.

• If you have a very deep soil it is useful to place a saucer or drainage tray at the bottom of the hole where the Waterpot is to be placed. This impedes water seepage bellow while promoting seepage outward.

• Plant seeds a few centimetres from The Waterpot opening. Water the entire area and continue to surface water until the seeds germinate and continue this until roots are well established

How To Care For Your Olla Waterpot? 

We would recommend that if you live in a frost, snow or ice prone area that you dig up the pots up at the end of the growing season to prevent breakage over cold winter months; or if a container garden, that you move the containers to protected spaces. When turning over your soil at the end of a growing season, clean off any clinging roots and scrub to remove any salt or soil build up to free the pores of The Waterpot™ If you have a high mineral content in your soil a solution of 1:1 vinegar and water left inside the vessel for a few hours will help dissolve the mineral build up.