The Benefits Of Self Watering Planters

If you are a ‘non-traditional’ gardener looking for an alternative to traditional ‘spade-in-the-ground’ gardening, self watering planters can be a great solution for you.

What is a self watering planter, you ask? If you are not familiar with the term, these planters are self-contained raised beds that feature built-in reservoirs, which supply water to plant roots. Designed for growing a wide range of flowers and plants as well as fruits, vegetables and herbs, no urban environment is too big or too small for self watering planters.

I’m sure you’d agree it’s a ground-breaking design that certainly makes gardening the ideal hobby for everyone, including people in the cities with busy lifestyles and those not known for their green thumbs. Read on to find out the benefits of self watering planters, and you may be rushing to the store to buy your own planter before you even know it.

1. Water conservation

One of the common questions regarding this ingenious design is how do self watering planters work. Designed to minimise water losses through seepage or evaporation, the water reservoir is connected to a water level indicator that falls and rises accordingly to the amount of water.

Thanks to a soil cover above the reservoir, the water does not evaporate easily. In addition, as the water is slowly released into the soil, there is no excess that needs to drain off as it is the case with conventional pots and the plants get the necessary amount to thrive through their roots.

2. Soil Nutrients Retention

With traditional plant container, when you water a plant, the excess water drains out of the hole at the bottom or through the sides of the container. However, as excess water drains, the nutrients in the soil necessary for proper plant growth and thriving are also lost.

Hence, it becomes necessary to replenish the soil with new organic matter. With self watering planters this hassle is one less problem to worry about as the closed system keeps the nutrients within the actual environment.

3. Healthy Root Growth Encouragement

Healthy root systems require adequate and deep watering. However, this may increase the risks of water stagnation, which may result in the roots rotting in conventional pots.

Self watering planters are an effective solution for this also as they enable consistent watering at every depth in the pot without the danger of water stagnation or root rotting. Likewise, they help rid you of the worry of not watering enough or when needed, so you won’t get to see leaves changing their colour to yellow.

4. No Hassle Gardening

When it comes to gardening routine, self watering planters offer an unparalleled convenience considering one of the common problems for most people taking it up as a hobby happens to be watering, either over-watering or not watering enough. With them watering is not only an occasional concern, but going on long vacations is also possible without impacting the health and beauty of your garden and plants.

Whatever your watering preferences are, you have the chance to opt for manual irrigation with a watering can, hose or drip system, or irrigate directly into the reservoir by filling it up through the fill point and let the plants draw up as much water as they need through the natural capillary wicking action.

In other words, you no longer have the excuse that you’re a lousy gardener or serial plant killer, talking yourself out of taking up gardening as a hobby, knowing the self watering plant system does most of the watering chores for you.

5. Protect Your Delicate and Exotic Species

There are certain plants and exotic species that require a steady dose of water in order to survive harsh and extreme climates. With self watering planters growing such species and taking care of them is a lot easier. This is because the self watering planter ensures a regular and appropriate supply of water directly to the soil.

6. Space is No Longer an Issue

In dense urban areas where the commodity of a spacious home is becoming rare, one could still take up gardening and expect to have a flourishing result all with the help of self watering planters.

Regardless of the space you have available for gardening, you can still find the suitable planters to start with the garden of your dreams. Even if you have a small space on the balcony, the awkward corners inside the home, a tiny space in your kitchen, or just the windowsills, there’s the adequate size of planters to choose from plus the needed features, such as rails or attachments with the fence and wall designs.

Besides, there’s also the option to combine two or more units together to the same self watering plant system thanks to the integrated watering solution, thus helping you create a bigger garden.

7. Fresh Produce Free of Toxins

Now that we’re becoming more and more eco-aware and get to know the dangers common agricultural toxins pose to our health and well-being, there’s no better time to take up gardening and start reaping the benefits of growing your own fresh produce toxin-free.

Along with choosing eco-friendly fertilisers and products alike, you can have your peace of mind also opting for self watering planters that are safe and environmentally conscious, i.e. made of injection-moulded HDPE that’s free of BPA, is recyclable and most importantly food safe.

8. Aesthetic Aspect

What’s further great is knowing how versatile these planters are in allowing you to plant whatever it is you most want, from herbs, fruits and veggies, to all sorts of flowers. In addition to this, you’re going to appreciate the fact the benefits of self watering planters go way beyond gardening and food, considering there’s a rather aesthetic aspect to them too.

When you have indoor plants, you can rely on the planters to add some interest to the interior, especially when you choose something modern in a seamless design that doesn’t create visual clutter but rather fits in perfectly and contributes to the stylishness.

Along with freshening up with the greenery of plants, planters are key in spicing up your interior décor with some much-needed texture.