How would you like it if you could only have water when someone offered it to you? Just like people, plants need water to thrive. Self-watering planters allow potted plants to have constant access to water without the risk of root rot. Self-watering planters are made with a built-in liner, which collects water and grants a 24/7 oasis for your plants roots to seek hydration. Self-watering planters reduce the amount of work you have to do, while helping plants grow faster, stronger, and even more beautiful. Here we explain how self-watering planters work and why they make the greatest potted planters on the planet!
Why Your Plants Need Just The Right Amount Of Water
Water impacts how well any vegetation is going to thrive. You don’t want to give your plants too much water, but you also don’t want to deprive them of water. The perfect solution differs from plant to plant and can be hard to find. It’s so important because plant growth has everything to do with root growth, and in order for plant roots to be healthy they need just the right amount of water.
Think of roots like the veins in your body, only instead of transmitting blood, roots are busy transmitting water, dissolved sugars, and nutrients from the soil up to all parts of a plant. If a plant does not get enough water it will become weak and malnourished, as a result it will start to appear droopy and lifeless.
It often takes some guessing, and unfortunately some droopy leaves, before you figure out the right amount of water for your every plant. Self-watering planters take a lot of guesswork out of the equation, granting you less work and better looking potted plants.
Plants are incredibly resilient, and truly have a will to live. Even if your plant does not look healthy, you can bring it back to its peak health by making the right adjustments. Self-watering planters ensure your potted plants don’t have to cling on to life by a droplet of water. (Read More)
4 Tips: How to Tell if Your Plants Need More Water
Unsure if your plant needs more water or not? Here are 4 simple tips you can use to determine if your potted plant is dehydrated.
1. If your pot is small enough to pick up, you can see if it feels lighter than usual. If the pot does feel lighter, this is a key indicator that your plant needs to be watered.
2. If you notice the soil is drifting away from the sides of the pot, this means there is not enough moisture in the soil to keep the pot full to its original form.
3. If the leaves appear droopy, lifeless.
4. Push your entire finger directly inside of the soil to see if the soil feels moist, if it does than your plant is likely getting adequate hydration.
Is Your Potted Plant Getting Too Much Water?
Oddly enough, signs your plant is getting too much water can be very similar to signs your plant is getting too little water. If your plant is over-watered the rots are continually wet which leads to unavoidable rot. Root rot is not something you want to deal with, so it’s important to be cautions of over-watering.
Signs your plant is over-watered:
- If the lower leaves on your plant appear yellow
- If the plant is wilting
- If algae is present, or if the soil appears green
- If the roots are rotting there will be no new growth of the plant
- When baby leaves sprout they turn brown and crumble off into debris
One way to prevent over-watering is to check the topsoil for moisture before watering your plants. If the topsoil still feels moist, you can wait until the soil begins to feel dry. Or, you can simply switch to self-watering planters and let them take care of the hard work. (Learn More)
How Self-Watering Planters Benefit You And Your Plants
If you over-water plants kept in a traditional planter, the bottom of the planter will naturally flood. With nowhere to drain, the water will sit there, soaking plant roots until they start to rot.
Self-watering planters are the only pots designed with real life plants in mind. All of the water that flows into them is stored in a chamber separate from the soil and roots. This means self-watering planters always contain water for plants to utilize but the water never soaks the roots, taking away the possibility for root rot.
You might be wondering how the plant accesses the water if it is stored in a separate chamber. As a plant uses water, surface tension is created causing the water stored below to rise and absorb into the soil for plant roots to capture. This is technically known as capillarity.
Self-watering pots offer large chambers, but every container can only hold so much liquid. Still, there’s no chance for overflow because the chamber will begin to pour water out of its side if it becomes too full. For this reason you should keep a matt or tray of some sort beneath indoor self-watering planters.
Self-watering planters are great indoors, and in dry or wet outdoor climates. While there is no chance your plants will be waterlogged, you can also rest assured that they won’t dry out either. Even on hot summer days your potted plants will be getting adequate water, without you having to remember to water them. (More Information)
How Self-Watering Planters Pay For Themselves
Self-watering planters put to use every last drop of water and greatly reduce maintenance work. For these reasons self-watering planters can pay for themselves in savings within 4-6 months. Imagine going days, weeks, or maybe even months before watering your potted plants? Never once having to worry if your plant has too much or too little water. (See More Here)
At TerraCast Planters we want everyone to experience the convenience, savings and style of self-watering planters. We offer some of the widest variety of self-watering planters currently on the market, including many different sizes and styles.