This planter has a built-in water reservoir, and a custom drainage hole to prevent over-watering. A fantastic pot to start container gardening for beginners. It is ideal for vegetables, herbs, tomatoes, strawberries, and flowers – any plant that enjoys moist soil. I even have a blueberry bush in one of these.
1 year follow up video (what changes would I make?): https://youtu.be/TfBJRf0OpKw
*Instructions for self-watering planter*
Materials I Used:
14” Torino Round Black Bronze Plastic Planter (no drainage holes)
Bend-A-Drain 4” Polypropylene Flexible Perforated Drain Pipe (purchased as 12’ length, cut 2’ section)
Plastic shopping bag/grocery sack
String/twine
12” ABS tube
Handful of small rocks
Natures Care Organic Potting Mix (about 1/2 bag)
Espoma Organic Garden Lime (about 1/2 lb.)
Vigoro Tomato and Vegetable Garden Plant Food Plus Calcium (about 1/4 cup)
Bonnie herb plants (in order of placement: Purple Basil, German Thyme, Sweet Basil, Curly Parsley, Garlic Chives)
Tools:
Scissors
Dremel with cutting blade
Directions:
1. Assemble water reservoir: expand drain pipe into circular shape (3/4 circle), cut pieces from the grocery bag to cover the ends to prevent the potting mix from filling the pipe, tie those onto the ends of the pipe with string. Cut hole in drainage pipe for watering tube, insert tube.
2. Using dremel, cut a drainage hole into the side of the planter. Mine is about 1” x 1/3” large, and is lower than the top edge of the drain pipe by 1/2″.
3. Insert water reservoir in pot, positioning watering tube along the side of the pot. Place rocks on top of the drain pipe in front of the hole. This prevents the potting mix from running out of the hole when you water.
4. Pack potting mix into the gap between the ends of the drain pipe. This is the wicking column, where potting mix can wick water up into the rest of the pot from the water reservoir.
5. Fill pot within 4” of the top, then evenly spread garden lime or dolomite.
6. Fill pot and plant plants, leaving a space free of plants for fertilizer pocket.
7. Bury fertilizer in a pocket accessible to all the plants, cover with 1-2” of potting mix.
8. Cover with preferred mulch. If using a plastic mulch cover, potting mix should be slightly taller than the top of the planter so rain sheds off the plastic.
9. Water regularly into watering tube until excess comes out of the drainage hole.
10. Enjoy!
31 Comments
Excellent lady and the hounds are classics hello from Australia where I live totally off grid but for city folks what a simple and well presented idea ,one thing I may add and I do water retention graniels but then again I live remote NSW and it can be acrid at times due to drought and lack of rainfall ,logged in 2016 realise that comment is about six years late 🙂
clear and straight to point ..love it …many thanks
I lovr this my one suggestion is take a piece of foam like a caulk saver or strip of pool noodle put it in your watering hole it will float on top of the water and let you know when to rewater
Do you think this would work for dahlia's? I'm looking for alternatives to planting them in the ground.
A serial basil killer 😀
I've played your video multiple times and still need some help understanding the concept for the reservoir (perforated expandable drainage piping) system….so does this tube come with little tiny holes in it already? Is that how the water will get out to the potting mix? The only hole that I need to make is the big hole to fit the water tube in? Where (what section) of the hardware store will I find this? What is the actual / official name of this drainage pipe?
So easy and CLASSY looking, thanks…much better than the ugly 5 gallon buckets & pvc!!!
Great idea. Q: Could you accomplish this with a pot w hole and a deep saucer or bucker/ water resevoir below? With rocks on the bottom of the pot to prevent water logging the plants (or foam peanuts) and a wicking cord fm the saucer up in to the pot above the rocks. I've been experimenting with wicking to start my seeds and starter plants. Same concept as above but pots sit on a grate w the wicks in a water tray or bucket below. I use a spool of 3/16" cord bought at Michael's.
Very helpful. Thanks! I’ll bet I’ve killed more basil than you have. 🙂
how many days does the water last for at the bottom before refill?
Oh my Gosh girl you made the best
Wicking pot. 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻
Very nice.
Try some cheap nylon panty hose over the tube. It will keep the soil out better than just rock.
Genius!! I was debating how to budget for one of PW's AquaPots. Gorgeous, but SO out of my price range at the moment lol. Quick google led me right to your awesome video! So glad I found this first. Going to make container flower gardening life so much easier! Thanks for sharing your knowledge. =)
I’m so happy I found your video!!! Can’t wait to do this in the summer!!
Very nice presentation
I love your little helper. I had one just like him or her. We have a cream colored right now.
Sorry, unable to complete this DIY, missing smol helper part — pls send smol helper part immediately. Do not hoard all the smol helpers, you have two. DMing you my address. ;p
Something to try in your self watering system for a no mess indoor outdoor self waterer. Do not drill a drain hole in the side of your pot. Need a wine cork small enough to easily move up and down inside your fill tube. Sharpen one end of a section of 1/4” dowel rod to a point and poke it at least halfway through the cork. Drop the cork end into your fill tube mark where the top of your fill tube meets the dowel rod. This first mark indicates the water reservoir is empty. Measure the highest point of your water reservoir minus one inch using this measurement measure down from your empty mark & make another mark. This second mark is your full mark. If your using 4” pipe as your water reservoir you would make your full reservoir mark 3” down from the empty mark. This will assure a 1” air gap above the water level. As long as the top of your fill tube is between the marks on the dowel or your “water level rod” you know your plants have water. You can now tell your water level at a glance & have no water leakage from a drain hole.
How can you tell when it's time to add more water?
That plastic looks too thick to be a “plastic grocery sack”. I’m looking for a good plastic to cover mine with. Hopefully in blue, purple, or violent, since bees are attracted by those colors.
this was real useful dude, thanks 😀 cute dogs btw!
Love it! Thank you
Hi. What's at the end of your tubing? I note you have used grocery bags but on the video it looks like you have plastic discs under the grocery bag material and there are small holes in the discs. Have you missed this information from your instructions? I have been building self waterers and understand what you are trying to build but without the ends of your tubing having holes in them how will the water seep into the soil to provide the wick for the plants? I'm confused.
Well done, thank you.
Cool easy to follow thank you 👍🏻🌻
This is a great, short tutorial. the real reason I like was because of your beautiful Chihuahua.
I am a fellow basil serial killer 🙁
please tell us about potting mix ratio, which ration is the best
Great work. Love it.
This is a great video! So clear and such a great way to do it, think I'm going to adapt into self water troughs for tomato's!