How Do self watering planters Work?

Gardening, the practice of growing and cultivating different plants, has been known to be very beneficial to human health. Plus, it is fun and relaxing outdoor activity. Of course, it’s no child’s play; gardening may be relaxing, but it certainly is demanding. After all, it is about taking care of living things. And one of the basic and crucial gardening chores (which is at the same time the most hated one) is watering. Luckily, watering has become so much less of an irritating inconvenience since the discovery of self watering planters.

Self watering planters are mechanisms designed to assist you and even take over your role in the watering process of your plants. We all find watering plants a huge obligation we’re not so happy to do. You need time, energy and patience, which of course, for those of us who do not find gardening a pleasure and a hobby, don’t have! Technology solved this problem of ours with the self watering planters.

Self watering planters comprise of two containers placed on top of each other. The lower container is empty and is meant for the water. These containers can be small and very large, being able to hold liters of water. The upper container is for the soil. Although you can put any type of soil in the upper container, make sure it is the right one for your plant. Some types of soil retain water and most plants don’t thrive in these conditions.

How does this system actually work? The two containers are connected with a mesh which has holes, through which soil reaches the water. There is also a capillary web, through which water is distributed in the soil. At first, water is pushed inside the soil so the plant can consume it. Afterward, when the roots are big enough and are able to reach the water in the lower container, they suck water directly from it. The plant takes water as much as it needs, and the rest is stored in the container for further use. These self watering planters also have an indicator showing how much water is left. When the level of water is low, all you need to do is just refill the container through the pipes it has attached to it.

Self watering planters are good for various reasons: they retain water longer that garden beds, so you don’t need to water plants every hour or two, especially if you have planted vegetables. There are also downfalls to this gardening ease: the upper container retains moisture a lot, creating the perfect environment for mosquitoes and since you water only the roots, you won’t have the opportunity for folliar feeding. Most plants don’t have problems with this, but the ones that do require folliar feeding, should not be planted in these containers.