'Self watering' planters

Lifes_Grand_Plan

Hi folks,

As a keen amateur gardener, I love growing stuff but i'm too forgetful to water every day which usually means I get rubbish results.

I am thinking of making my own "self watering" planters for various plants and wondered if anyone on the forum had tried it in the past and how they got on, with the making and with using them?

I should add here that I fully understand that they aren't fully "self watering" and they will need topping up regularly, but I think it would help to even out the watering so they get little and often rather than drowned once every 2-4 days...

I'm thinking of something like this for lettuces and pak choi:
http://www.instructables.com/id/Self-Watering-Veggie-Table/?ALLSTEPS

And something like this for Tomatoes....
http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Dearthbox-A-low-cost-self-watering-planter/?ALLSTEPS

thumperrabbit

I am using this in my planters this year.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380583869465?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I haven't used them before but am giving them a go this year.

Leif

thumperrabbit wrote: »

I am using this in my planters this year.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/380583869465?ssPageName=STRK:MEWNX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1497.l2649

I haven't used them before but am giving them a go this year.

Or a ready made one for a similar price, cheaper if you don't already have pots to take the above gadget:

http://www.crowders.co.uk/buy/plant-pots-and-planters/balconniere-planters/balconniere-square-planter-40cm-green-by-stewart-garden-products#

southerly

Interesting, I am thinking about watering as well. I am fed up of losing all my outdoor tomatoes to blight, so this year will probably keep them all in pots inside my mini plastic greenhouse. I will definitely need some watering system or they won't survive.

In a 1983 vegetable book I have by Peter Seabrook, growbags are put in trays, with a wick to connect them, and the trays are filled with water. It sounds a very good and simple idea, but I have never heard of them being used or sold. I was thinking of using bits of old towel for wicks and leading them out from the bottom of the pots into some sort of reservoir.

Bunnygirl

Lidl are having them in might be worth a look

http://www.lidl.co.uk/cps/rde/xchg/SID-C274F5E1-A157B5F7/lidl_uk/hs.xsl/offerdate.htm?offerdate=39489

vandanfc

southerly wrote: »

Interesting, I am thinking about watering as well. I am fed up of losing all my outdoor tomatoes to blight, so this year will probably keep them all in pots inside my mini plastic greenhouse. I will definitely need some watering system or they won't survive.

In a 1983 vegetable book I have by Peter Seabrook, growbags are put in trays, with a wick to connect them, and the trays are filled with water. It sounds a very good and simple idea, but I have never heard of them being used or sold. I was thinking of using bits of old towel for wicks and leading them out from the bottom of the pots into some sort of reservoir.

Grow Bag trays here:
http://www.crowders.co.uk/buy/plant-pots-and-planters/grow-trays/growbag-tray-black-100cm-stewart#

Also try Wilkinsons or your local garden centre.

sobie

we've been selling gardman water savers for a few years now. The good thing about them are they fit different sized pots, the edges fold up the inside of the pot to capture water as it runs down the side of the pot. Like these: http://www.amazon.co.uk/New-Gardman-Water-Saver-Pots/dp/B004O2YJNO

If your compost drys out and water runs straight through it try adding a couple of drops of washing up liquid to 10ltrs of water in a watering can. it will help the soil re-wet.

Lifes_Grand_Plan

They look ok sobie, but how do you get the water into them, since it doesn't look like there is a tube... is it just water the plant normally and then it collects the excess water?

Still tempted to make my own so I can have them exactly how I want them.

sobie

Lifes_Grand_Plan wrote: »

They look ok sobie, but how do you get the water into them, since it doesn't look like there is a tube... is it just water the plant normally and then it collects the excess water?

Still tempted to make my own so I can have them exactly how I want them.

Yes, you are correct, they don't have a tube, the sides fold up to fit the exact diameter of any pot (within the two sizes they are available in). Then when you water, you know how a lot of water goes down the sides of the pot if the compost is a bit dry? well the sides capture all that water and divert it to the reservoir. Once the compost is saturated it flows naturally into the reservoir, the plant roots can grow into the tiny mesh holes and directly into the water source.

If you can make your own that is by far the best thing to do, as it will be the best match for your pot.

You can also buy capillary matting. We've had "Holiday Watering Kits" for sale at our centre before. its basically a 5ltr plastic bottle, with a cap set to regulate water flow, which is then sat onto a plastic sheet with some capillary matting on top. These are fab for houseplants and so easy to replicate. You can also simply dip the end of capillary matting into a bucket full of water, then sit your pots on the other end of the matting, the plants get watered by simple osmosis.

Personally I don't like self watering pots of any description, drip irrigation systems are much more efficient and more suitable for the requirements of most plants. I set mine up at the start of the summer, attach it to a timer on an outside tap, & forget about it, unless we get lots of rain again :rotfl:

tim_n

be aware many such box containers aren't UV stable and will break down/easily shatter with impacts after a few months in the summer sun. Garden purposed plastics are fine.

LadyDee

I used these in all my tubs and planters last year and was very, very pleased with them. I think the best thing about them is that the soil is kept moist rather than being saturated then dried out in between waterings.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/AQUADRIP-BOTTLE-TOP-PLANT-WATERING-SPIKES/dp/B002SUNIQI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1362499079&sr=8-1