Self-Watering Planter, Clear Plastic Automatic-Watering Planter Flower Pot Square-Plant-Pot for All Plants, Succulents, Herb, African Violets, Flowers (3 Pack Medium)

My Calatheas are loving these. They used to dry out within a couple of days and I often travel up to four days per week for work so I was coming home to stressed plants. These pots keep them evenly and consistently moist. Plus they look really pretty.I put window screen in the bottom and ran the cords through a small hole I punched in it before putting in soil because I wanted to make sure that the water in the reservoir stayed clean. I think you could use a coffee filter, a paper towel, or scrap cloth of some kind if you didn’t have screen. I really think this was a good decision because the holes in the bottom are big enough for finer substrate material to fall though. I also added the two cords per pot that were included with the package but having both in the water at once keeps the soil a little too wet for the Calatheas so I have tucked one up into the pour screen of the lid by threading it through the slats. I might use them in summer when it is drier and don’t want to disturb the soil so I’m leaving them embedded in the soil but keeping them out of the water. I am using both cords with distilled water for my Venus fly trap though. I imagine if you don’t need quite as much moisture you could replace the included cord with something smaller diameter and/or less absorbative. I’ve also been putting cotton balls in the pour screen of the lids to keep gnats and mosquitoes out of the reservoirs and I just pop them out and then back in when I need to fill. I am using RO water because the Calatheas hate the chlorine of my tap water, which I think helps with algae too, but have used hydrogen peroxide to clean the cords when I noticed any green on them and have added it to the reservoir in a 1:4 ratio too. I completely clean the the reservoirs about once per month with a light bleach solution and refill with fresh RO water. I also put a layer of sand over the top of my soil to prevent fungus gnats because I hate them and they love the moist soil in these pots.I love these so much I would totally buy larger sizes if they were available because transplanting something from a four inch pot into one of these is challenging especially if the whole pot is full of roots. I’d love to be able to go up a size or two when these plants get bigger.

My African violets love these pots and so do I! They are easy to assemble and to get the string positioned in the soil. I use soil specifically designed for African violets. They are so easy to refill with water and to both see when water needs to be added and make sure not to overfill them. I had several plants that were not doing well and they are thriving in these pots. They are the perfect size for my violets too. The photos are 2 of my happy plants! One is starting to bloom.

The media could not be loaded. Overall this seems pretty good! The wicks are generous, so you can have more in pot or in water depending upon what is best for your plant. You get 2 wicks per pot, which I feel is awesome. You can only use 1 if you prefer. Plastic is a bit thin and easily bent, but that shouldn’t be much of a problem.I feel like the holes in the bottom are a bit wider than I would prefer, and worry that soil will constantly be washed into bottom, but am excited about it overall.

Easy to use and easy to keep clean

My African Violets love these as much as I do. I love that I can instantly see the water level, it takes away the entire guessing game, and no more plant dedicated dishes.I had other pots that had the same concept but made from other materials. However, since they were not transparent I kept forgetting to check the water levels and my plants were not best pleased with me.There's a helpful mark on one side of the pot to help make sure you don't over water.As for dirt in the water, that was an easy fix. Once the dirt had wicked up water through the string, I was able to remove the pot with the plant, rinse the clear pot and put it all together again to have it look as advertised. The wet dirt holds together better and doesn't crumble through.I've bought these several times for myself and friends who were impressed with the blossoms on my plants.

The media could not be loaded. As described. I fill the basin with water rather than through the holes at the top. The water seems to absorb via the cotton string better than pour through the holes. Other than that I love the compact and uniform style to the self watering planter. They’re a visually stunning addition to my Milsbo greenhouse cabinet.

The clear outer pot has about an inch of clearance on all sides of the inner pot, which takes up a lot of space without purpose, since you should *not* be filling up the clear pot past the bottom of the inner pot. This watering system relies on a small cotton wick, which extends down from the inner pot into the water reservoir and carries just as much water as is needed up to the plant without flooding it. The inner pot has plenty of other holes - presumably for drainage? - so if you fill the water above the bottom of the inner pot, the plant will just be sitting in water and getting far more than it needs.It would have been very helpful if this had come with instructions, and I wish it had less wasted space on the sides. But other than these drawbacks, it works well enough and looks pretty nice considering it's plastic. There are ceramic/terracotta pots available with a glass reservoir that work on a similar principle and look much nicer, but also cost much more. As long as you understand going in how the self-watering feature works and have enough space for the full footprint of the pot, this should serve you well.

I have a few young african violet plants that you're supposed to water from below, so I replanted them into these pots. The pots are great-- the plants are growing well, and I can always see when it's time to add more water.