Hot take: my self-watering planter was a lie the whole time

Bought this $35 self-watering pot from a garden center in June. Thought it would be great for my basil since I forget to water things. Came home from a weekend trip last Saturday and the basil was completely wilted. Turns out the "water reservoir" was just a shallow tray that holds maybe a cup of water. The wicking system was a strip of felt that dried out in like 2 days. So I basically paid extra for a regular pot with a fancy bottom. Ended up drilling my own holes into a cheap yogurt container and using a piece of rope as a wick. Works way better. Anyone else find those store-bought self-watering pots are basically useless?

2 comments

2 Comments

king.ruby1mo ago

Wicking needs the water to actually touch the rope, not just be in the same general area.

davis.mia1mo ago

Oh man, this is the most relatable thing I've read all week. I literally spent an hour last night rearranging my wicks in a jar because I thought the "general area" trick would work. Nope, bone dry on top while the bottom was swimming in oil. Guess I'll be sticking with the scientific method of "poke it down there until it touches." Why do we always overthink the simple stuff, right?