Self-Watering liners have recently really come into vogue for those who want to pay less attention to their plants and have them flourish without the constant need for water. The premise of a self-watering liner, or planter, is to have the flexibility to forget to water your plants. The way the planter is manufactured and designed the root systems flourish within the soil and reservoir.
Just about any container can become a self-watering system, either by homeowner ingenuity, or through a commercially available model from a retailer. Each container has a false bottom allowing for the storage of water in the distance between the false bottom and actual bottom. In its most simple form, the water is wicked up to the plants through their roots and it provides them the drink to quench their thirst. As you might imagine, some models work better than others, yet, in certain geographic regions, self-watering liners can become detrimental to your plants and actually drown them.
In locations that receive staggering amounts of precipitation on a normal basis, or seasonally, planters that have self-watering liners do not perform well when left out in the elements. Although each self-watering system is equipped with an overflow drain which aids in dumping some rising water, the soil itself becomes ultra-saturated and without anywhere to go, literally drowns the root system.
So, before you buy into the hype about how great your friends self-watering system is please remember the environmental variables, and how it will affect whether or not a self-watering system is the right choice for your needs.
To learn more about self-watering systems, I did research on the internet and spoke to several manufacturers, but, none more factual and realistic than Kim Parker, of Kim Parker Plants, www.Kimparkerplants.com, whom I consider to be the AUTHIORTY on all things self-watering.
Please feel free to contact TerraCast® Products for all of your Self-Watering Liner and Self-Watering Planter needs.