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Fill hole, or not? - You could add a fill hole to the side of the reservoir, but I prefer not to. My belief is that the enclosed (sealed) bottom reservoir section creates a humidity chamber that is conducive to good root growth and plant health.
I simply lift the top planter section from the bottom and add a measured amount of water.
Self-watering - Sub-irrigation is the accurate term used by professionals. It is often referred to as wick watering. It is simply watering by capillary action from below. There are many ways to accomplish it. These bottle planters are a great way to learn.
“Self-watering” is a term that has unfortunately saturated the consumer market. It is marketing hype.
The misleading term has resulted in widespread misuse of what are otherwise very functional planters. The fault lies with the user and not the planter. It is operator error caused by ignorance about capillary action and plant physiology.
The ultimate fault lies with the providers who use the term and make false claims about the planters they sell. It is widespread malpractice.
Misuse of "self-watering" planters has also reinforced the use of drench and drain top watering. This arcane practice works for many experienced plant nannies who have killed many plants in the learning process. It is tricky business. Sub-irrigation is much easier to learn and it is significantly better for plant health and longevity.
Self-watering implies some intelligence on the part of the plant to drink or not drink. This is animal intelligence not available to plants.
You are the self in self-watering. Measure the soil moisture, not the reservoir contents. Using clear planters, you can see the soil moisture. Measure the amount of water you add and never add so much that it rises to the soil surface. The top ½” to ¾” should be dry.
Do this and you will never have fungus gnats and it is unlikely that you will over water.
If you keep topping off the reservoir, you will eventually drown the plant. This is definitely true in low light interiors. Outdoors is another story. Under high light conditions, the plants will most likely use all the water they can get.
Use these pop bottle planters and you will learn much about container plant watering and plant physiology.
Light Exposure on Roots – Using these planters, you will quickly learn that the root system has no aversion to light. Opinions to the contrary are often found on the web. They are among the many unfounded urban legends.
Algae - In high light the water may turn green with algae. Algae are not a parasite but compete with the plant for oxygen. It is also unsightly to most of us. If algae do grow, add diluted hydrogen peroxide to the water. This is common practice in hydroponics.
I am wondering about growing beans in the self watering planters. Have you done this? Thanks.
Posted by: Julie | April 20, 2009 at 03:33 PM