Hello! I have a tomato plant in a 10 gallon “self-watering” pot that my mom purchased used for pretty cheap. Specifically, it is [this pot](https://www.gardeners.com/buy/gardeners-victory-self-watering-garden-kit/8609647.html?VariationId=P_5637162877) (without the potting mix – I used Foxfarm soil), and I have it set up on the front patio where it gets about 8 hours of sun per day.
The pot comes with a felt-like insert where the dirt goes, which inserts into the “internal” pot, which inserts into the “external” pot where the water is stored. It also has couple more felt strips that dip into the bottom of the pot where the water pours.
My questions are the following:
1. Is this really enough to keep the pot watered? The pot has good reviews but it feels strange to me! I can set up a drip-line irrigation system instead if needed.
2. Can I rely on this watering system from the start while the tomato plant is young/small, or should I wait until it has a more developed root system that travels lower into the pot?
3. Would this watering system work with slow-release fertilizer mixed into the soil, like Garden-tone, or do I have to fertilize the water directly? (And if so, is it safe to do so considering the risk of the water evaporating in the summer heat and leaving behind over-concentrated fertilizer?)
I also have a similar style of pot but much smaller for a basil plant.
by be11amy
3 Comments
We have a self watering pot , it’s a different style to this one but it really improved my tomato plants the year I bought it so I bought more. Yes I move the seedlings in when they are still quite small and I think it strengthens root growth. I put fertiliser straight into the water.
I use the same pots and water as if they aren’t self-watering. My pots are on a deck floor deck and get a lot of sun. Test the moisture a couple inches down to see whether they need a drink.
I build my own containers with self watering, five gallon reservoirs. I wrestle with the same questions as you. I water from the top down with just water and also with liquid fertilizers and nutrients throughout the season especially early while seeds and starter plants’ roots are establishing. I top off the reservoirs as needed with the same mixes. I usually need to water twice per day and late in the season the reservoirs often need to refilled completely depending on the tomato variety. I tried a drip-line irrigation system but it failed because the water dripping on the plants was too hot and it sort of scalded/stunted the roots and stems near the nozzles. (My containers are in full sun on an urban rooftop in reflective and radiant heat environment. And the heat nearly boiled the water in the drip lines and in the drip line reservoir.) I am a fan of soil amendments. I use both liquid and pellet fertilizers. I add pellets to my soil mix for seeds and starters at the beginning of the season and then spread it around the stem routinely throughout the season as the tomatoes grow. As far as pellets go, I’m also a fan of Espoma brand Tomato-tone but it usually sells out quickly. I use many different brands of organic liquid fertilizers that are made for the hydroponics and cannabis industries. (I’d be surprised if you didn’t need calcium and magnesium nutrients especially during fruiting.) I flush the pots with water as needed to avoid fertilizer build up which might be tricky for you if you’re on a balcony. I’ve not experienced fertilizer salt poisoning per se but I have had plants especially heirloom varieties that did not produce the volume of fruits that I expected which might be related to too much fertilizer build up. Given my grow environment, I can’t imagine having any success without soil amendments, nutrients, and fertilizers. My system is probably more horticultural engineering than retail gardening. Hoping that sharing my experiences helps to answers some of your questions!