Watering outdoor or indoor plants has never been straightforward. It’s true, especially for Gardeners with tight schedules and frequent travels.
But is there a way that keeps your plants flourishing even when you’re busy or out of town?
Yes, a self-watering pot or planter. These outdoor or indoor self-watering planters help water your roots when you’re busy or away.
A self-watering planter has drainage holes that clear out excess water from the soil. It also has a water reservoir that automatically waters your plant.
In this guide, we’ve compiled the best self-watering planters to help you pick one for your needs.
Best Self Watering Planter
- Lechuza Classico Color Planter – Top Pick
- Plow & Hearth Sussex – Best self watering outdoor planters for shrubs
- Lechuza Cubico Color – Best Plant Pot Water Reservoir for Floors
- HB Self Watering Planter For Houseplants – Best for Drainage and Airflow
- AeroGarden – Best Self watering Flower Pots for all Lighting Conditions
- Glowpear Urban Garden – Best self-watering wall planters
- Eva Solo Orchid Pot – Best Orchid plant pots with water reservoir
- Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub –Best self-watering herb planter
- LeGrow Self Watering Planter –Best for Custom Designs
- Santino Self Watering Container–Best Bargain
- Lechuza Puro Spherical – Best for water regulation in Roots
- B SEPOR Ceramic – Best Budget Water Reservoir Planter
- Hanging Planter Basket – Best Hanging Planter with Water Reservoir
- CedarCraft – Best Outdoor Self watering Planters
- Gardenix Décor Large self watering planter–Best for Hydroponic Technology
- DELF 6 Pack Self Watering Planter–Best for Preventing Root Rot
- GardenBasix Elongated –Best Water Reservoir Plant Pot for Tabletop
The Best Self Watering Pots Reviews
1. Top Pick: Lechuza Classico Color Planter
[amazon box=”B00CE6W3G2″ template=”horizontal”]
Most, if not all, Gardeners love Lechuza compared to other self watering planters. These planters have stylish designs that enhance your living room’s appeal. Moreover, they’ve several styles, colors, and sizes for your modern decor.
Thus giving you different options. Lechuza’s water level is straightforward to check. And its water reservoir lasts between 3 and 4 weeks. The lengthy water retention lets you fly out or do other important stuff without worrying about your herbs.
Lechuza plant pots have an efficient drainage plug that’s removable. This feature allows you to take your plants outdoors when summer kicks in. The drainage plug also prevents soil waterlogging which enables you to drain excess rainwater from the plant pot.
I’ve used this Lechuza planter box for years and realized it’s UV light tolerant. Thus, your plants won’t discolor or fade when in the sun for extended periods.
Its Uv resistant plastic material makes it our top pick.
Pros
Cons
2. Best self watering outdoor planters for shrubs: Plow & Hearth Sussex Self Watering Pot
[amazon box=”B009ZH38NU” template=”horizontal”]
I’d vouch for this Sussex self watering planter since it’s both functional and stylish. It’s also available in small-medium-large sizes.
The large-sized Sussex self watering planter is enough for large indoor or outdoor plants. Besides, such sizes are rare at such price points.
Sussex planter has a high-quality material. But the frost-free resins make it more expensive than other planters.
But this planter is worth it since the material holds water for extended periods. And enough water means the plant’s roots will be fresh
Also, this self watering planter guarantees you more plant years without worrying about:
- Fading
- Warping
- Other damages
Fill the planter’s water reservoir near its bottom. Do that before you start potting your house plants. Once you’ve planted, go ahead and water your tropical plants. Any surplus water drains out via drainage holes or moves to the planter’s bottom.
The self watering plants use the excess water when in need using their roots. Sussex is both an outdoor and indoor planter. But I’d recommend utilizing it for outdoor use. I say so since it comes with several drainage holes.
The drainage holes in this self watering planter drain out excess rainwater. But that happens after the water reservoir has stored enough water.
Pros
Cons
3. Best Plant Pot Water Reservoir for Floors: Lechuza Cubico Color Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B004OX8GAU” template=”horizontal”]
Lechuza Cubicor self watering planters have several color and size options. Thus, you can pick one that’ll match your indoor spaces.
The setup for these water pots is somewhat easy. You’ll need a few minutes to do that. Also, the self-watering planter has an internal liner into which one can pot the plants.
The feature eliminates the need for filling the planter using potting soil. Furthermore, with that feature:
- The self watering planter’s watering system won’t have some problems.
- You can lift out the inner liner without any problem.
These planters have a unique substrate that separates the media from the reservoir. This separation helps deliver water at a reasonable rate to your plant roots.
Thus, you won’t waterlog or have dead plants all over your house.
Pros
Cons
4. Best for Drainage and Airflow: HB Self Watering Planter For Houseplants
[amazon box=”B0799G3Y73″ template=”horizontal”]
HB self watering planters have hollow legs touching the water reservoir. Such a structure directly draws moisture into your soil. The structures do so without wicks that can block or become less efficient over time.
The design also boosts airflow around its potting medium. It does that since it has large slats within the base. These slats improve airflow and drainage. They do so while delivering water to your potting medium whenever it dries.
The HB pots have clip-on attachments that fill the planter’s reservoir without strain. But nothing compromises the self watering planter’s design during regular use. Also, I love these planters since they’ve slightly elevated feet on their bottoms.
The feet raise off the planter from the surface to prevent watermarks. HB’s design makes it a perfect planter for use outdoors during summer.
Pros
Cons
5. Best Self watering Flower Pots for all Lighting Conditions: AeroGarden Harvest Elite
[amazon box=”B07CKVMXHR” template=”horizontal”]
AeroGarden combines hydroponics and a self watering mechanism to maintain healthy plant growth. I’d recommend using this self-watering planter to grow your favorite herbs. The AeroGarden has been my favorite self-watering planter for several years.
Its previous versions weren’t stylish compared to the modern models. But the recent AeroGarden models have LED grow lights. These lights make them perfect for any room within your house. Fortunately, you won’t compromise your plants’ growth.
If you grow herbs or other plants through hydroponics, they’ll grow larger and faster. Thus, the AeroGarden is a perfect option for homeowners who love cooking more herbs.
This self-watering planter allows homeowners to grow their herbs throughout the year. It does that even when lighting conditions aren’t top-notch. Fortunately, there are similar self-watering planters on the market.
Pros
Cons
6. Best for Modular Design: Glowpear Urban Garden Self Watering Planters
[amazon box=”B017L5LS6G” template=”horizontal”]
Glowpear is an excellent option for Gardeners who want to grow different herbs at once. This beautiful white plant pot is available in three unique variants:
- The standard variant (29.5 inches)
- The mini cousin (23.5 inches)
- The wall planter
“I’ve always vouched for the wall planter variant since it fits well within small room areas,” says Rhys, founder of Mower on the Lawn. The said Glowpear variant also allows homeowners to grow plants on small balconies. Glowpear manufacturers designed this planter to suit edible plant growth.
But remember, you can use this planter to grow other greenery types that need more water. It’s easy to know when your herbs need more water with the help of its display indicator. But, the inbuilt tray prevents stains from forming on your floor.
The planter has an intelligent modular design that allows you to link it to an extra planter. This linkage enables the two planters to share the water reservoirs. It also allows one to begin or start with a single planter but transition to two later.
The feature is also crucial, especially when planning to upscale your planting ambitions.
Pros
Cons
7. Best Orchid plant pots with water reservoir: Eva Solo Orchid Pot
[amazon box=”B00569ZTSI” template=”horizontal”]
Most Gardeners are orchid fans, I included! Well, this self-watering planter’s manufacturer designed it to water your orchids constantly. But, this planter’s idea is to directly put the orchids into the pot.
This pot’s water reservoir extends to the growth medium through nylon wicks.
The most significant feature of this orchid pot is its superb styling. The styling makes it look beautiful when you put it on display within your home. Unfortunately, this self-watering pot isn’t 100% perfect for orchids.
But they’ll still water your herbs well enough, preventing them from drying. The pots also reduce the after-effects of plant negligence or overwatering. Thus, they prevent your orchids from going bad.
Furthermore, the pot prevents the exposure of roots to light. Otherwise, it’d be challenging to avoid root rot.
Pros
Cons
8. Best self-watering herb planter: Aquaphoric Self Watering Planter Herb Garden Tub
[amazon box=”B074NB4BX8″ template=”horizontal”]
This product made it to our list because it combines the following:
- Hydroponics
- A self-watering mechanism
The planter also comes with unique fiber soil. The soil provides an efficient growing environment.
Apart from that, this planter offers your plant’s roots enough ventilation to blossom.
Its size perfectly makes it a suitable self-watering planter for windowsills. Moreover, the size allows you to plant around three plants. Also, the planter’s design is for growing herbs as they make planting them easy.
This product minimizes the risk of herbs going bad when a homeowner neglects them for some time.
With it, you can trim your plants periodically for some culinary projects. It also gives homeowners the luxury of getting fresh herbs. Since they’re fresher and cheaper than those, they could get them from the grocery stores
That’s because herbs grown in self watering pots last longer while remaining fresh.
Pros
Cons
9. Best for Custom Designs: LeGrow Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B07D6Y5WXC” template=”horizontal”]
This LeGrow self-watering planter has a particular modular system. The self watering plant system allows Gardeners to plant and grow several plant varieties. It also allows them to bring out their artistic selves depending on their:
- Personal preferences
- Plans
- Styles
The said system has several valuable modules:
- Bluetooth speakers that create a calm-relaxing environment for your indoor Garden.
- A moss planter.
- LED Grow lamp.
- A 360° humidifier.
I love these specific indoor self watering planters because their appearance looks fantastic. They’re somewhat tiny, but they’ve modular designs open for customization. Fortunately, the custom designs will always come out looking fine.
I can even liken its customization ability to LEGO. In short, it’s the LEGO king of plant pots. Each LeGrow pot has a reservoir, which maintains suitable water levels for your herbs. Also, this self-watering plant pot module has several integrations:
- USB power
- Humidifiers
- Grow lights
The USB integration allows you to power your phones while using the plant pot to grow your herbs. I’d recommend using these plant pots to plant the following plant species:
- Dwarf indoor plants
- Cacti
- Succulents
I say so because such plant types are small and they fit in well in these indoor self watering planters.
Pros
Cons
10. Best Bargain: Santino Self Watering Container
[amazon box=”B079ZBNXZ2″ template=”horizontal”]
This product is for Gardeners who want planters that’ll keep their herbs moist even when busy. Made of lacquer plastic, it’s the best planter to upgrade your Garden’s aesthetics. It also has a transparent window that helps you know when to refill or not.
This self-watering planter has internal and external pots. The internal pot allows proper oxygen circulation and moistens your plants’ roots. All of that act as catalysts for faster growth. Elsewhere, the external pot has a reservoir that adds moisture to your herbs.
Honestly, this self-watering planter is the best bargain option on our list. It has a durable, UV-stabilized plastic that comes in different color ranges. Thus, these plant pots should serve your Garden needs for several years.
The pots come in several sizes that let you pick one that matches your plant’s size.
Pros
Con
11. Best for water regulation in Roots: Lechuza Puro Spherical Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B00TKHVSW8″ template=”horizontal”]
This planter has a watering system that the company has been developing for decades. It has unique features that make plant care and potting look straightforward. That’s unlike other planters.
Their water reservoirs sit at the base of their pots. You can easily pot your favorite plant into the inner insert on the said reservoir.
Lechuza provides uniquely designed substrates that boost water drainage. The substrates also regulate the water quantity that moves to the plant roots. The Lechuza company has a wide range of pots.
So, there are pots for your size, style, or color needs. Without blinking, I’d recommend these pots any day since I’ve utilized them for years.
Pros
Cons
12. Best Budget Water Reservoir Planter: B SEPOR Ceramic Self Watering Spikes
[amazon box=”B08CF2PVDY” template=”horizontal”]
B SEPOR planters are a great option to keep your herbs hydrated and healthy while on vacation.
Their watering spikes hold 1.5-liter water bottles each. That eases the recycling of used bottles within your home. Also, the device releases moisture slowly but steadily for a week or ten days. With that, you won’t worry about your favorite herbs while on vacation.
If you’re after the best budget self-watering planters, buy these water spikes from B SEPOR. Buy them in bulk, which will help you utilize the economies of scale. The good thing is, you’ll only need recycled wine bottles or other glass bottles.
Fill the wine bottles with water, then add them to the spikes to create a slow-release water system. Most Gardeners love using these water systems while busy or away from their Gardens. Also, they’re suitable for daily use.
They’re a fantastic way to turn our pots into sustainable options. But they aren’t fully self-watering planters.
Pros
Con
13. Best Hanging Planter with Water Reservoir: Self-Watering Hanging Planter Basket
[amazon box=”B08JCYHWC2″ template=”horizontal”]
These Gray Bunny self watering hanging baskets have two critical hanging baskets features:
- Self-watering
- Drainage
Unfortunately, filling these self-watering planters is tricky. Thus, it’s better to water them less frequently. Also, you must let them drain water adequately to make your roots rot-resistant.
This self-watering planter features interior baskets with the following:
- Triple drainage holes.
- It has three wicking points for transporting moisture back to the soil.
- Water meters to ensure there’s a perfect balance.
The interior baskets where your herbs grow are somehow shallow. So, I’d not recommend growing herbs with broader root structures in these baskets. Their exterior shells are resin of beautiful wicker styles with optional secondary drains.
The drains are helpful when a heavy downpour occurs or when you want to drain excess water. Without this feature, there’ll be waterlogging in your favorite outdoor herbs or plants.
Their outer shells act as reservoirs and can keep four cups of moisture. The four cups last for a few weeks, depending on a Gardener’s plant use. Moreover, these self watering hanging baskets are mainly for outdoor use, such as hanging morning glory.
But one can remove their chains and take them inside their house for tabletop pieces. Always ensure you’ve closed the secondary drains before bringing them indoors.
Pros
Cons
14. Best Outdoor Self watering Planters: CedarCraft Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B07NYW21FS” template=”horizontal”]
These planters ease the outdoor watering of plants. And are made of weather-resistant cedar materials. I say so since you won’t reach up, kneel, or bend over to take down these hanging planters.
You can also use these self watering outdoor planters for most seedlings and mature plants. They need some assembling. But their tongue-groove constructions cut the need and use of tools. Most Gardeners won’t lack any necessity to put together these planter boxes.
Their fantastic 6-gallon reservoirs sit along the planter boxes’ bottoms. Such water capacities can take your herbs for a few days.
Unfortunately, that’ll depend on the plant numbers or their growth stages.
Moreover, these planters include reservoir fill spouts. Apart from that, they’ve water level indicators at the end. I recommend using these watering planters to grow large outdoor herbs.
They’re challenging to move after you’re done assembling and filling them. So, it would be helpful to fill and assemble them closer to where they’ll sit.
Pros
Cons
15. Best for Hydroponic Technology: Gardenix Décor Large self watering planter
[amazon box=”B082CRTRQN” template=”horizontal”]
These planters have double-point designs that prevent overwatering of plants. This design isn’t in other self-watering plants. Further, the designs lift the herbs out of the water to safeguard them from excess moisture.
The planters use hydroponic tech to regulate water levels. They do so while offering the nutrients your plants need.
They come with natural coco soil pellets, making them eco-friendly. Also, I’d recommend these planters to busy plant parents. I’d so since they only need refilling after two weeks.
Pros
Cons
16. Best for Preventing Root Rot: DELF 6 Pack Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B07SPPKNM4″ template=”horizontal”]
Are you among plant parents who need to look after many herbs despite being busy? If so, these 6-pack planters are ideal for a plant parent like you. I say that since they store enough moisture for extended periods.
Enough water means your herbs will be healthy and happy for a week.
This spider plant pot has drains that protect your herb roots from rotting by easing breathing. Moreover, they’ve beautiful shapes, making them suitable for home decor.
Nonetheless, they’re of high-quality and BPA-free plastic materials with polished finishes. Thus it makes the planters with reservoir eco-friendly for your favorite herbs. Since they’re lightweight, you can hang these planters to make your spaces brighter.
Pros
Cons
17. Best Water Reservoir Plant Pot for Tabletop: GardenBasix Elongated Self Watering Planter
[amazon box=”B07KCTJJ12″ template=”horizontal”]
GardenBasix is your best if you’re looking for planters for tabletops. These elongated pots come with water-level indicators that help you observe water levels.
And without this excellent feature, you won’t know when the planter needs refilling. They also feature inlets for easy water injection into the outer basins.
The planter with reservoir is made of high-quality plastics with lacquer finishes. The material comes from 1/2 quart of water and plant fiber. Thus, you’ll get value for your investment.
But the soil from coco coir has few nutrients, meaning you’ll need extra fertilizer. Doing so ensures your herbs get the required nutrients.
Pros
Cons
Outdoor and Indoor Best Self Watering Planters Comparison Table
[amazon box=”B00CE6W3G2, B009ZH38NU, B004OX8GAU, B0799G3Y73, B07CKVMXHR, B017L5LS6G, B00569ZTSI, B074NB4BX8, B07D6Y5WXC, B079ZBNXZ2, B00TKHVSW8, B08CF2PVDY, B08JCYHWC2, B07NYW21FS, B082CRTRQN, B07SPPKNM4, B07KCTJJ12″ template=”table” link_id=”6106″]
How Do Self Watering Plant Pots Work?
Self-watering planters use the sub-irrigation method to water plant roots directly. Importantly, they water your plants without guesswork.
The reservoirs at their bases also allow your herbs to soak water at their pace. Besides that, self-watering planters and sub-irrigation work because of basic botany.
Your plants will soak water via osmosis and then move it to different plant parts. The transport only happens when there’s water potential difference and capillary action. The water movement across your plants is transportation, in short.
Plant roots never soak enough water when you feed them with less water. Thus, they won’t maintain your plant’s rigidity. Also, your plant may lily droop when it’s too dry since its rigidity is low.
What to Look for in a Self-Watering System for Pots
Size
Pick the largest self-watering planter available if possible. A larger one will still perform optimally when your herbs grow bigger.
Drainage
All self-watering planters and pots must have proper drainage. Otherwise, the soil will waterlog.
Reservoir
I’d recommend knowing the planter’s watering system type and capacity. That’s because it’ll help you to know when to water your herbs.
Material
I’d recommend a self-watering planter made from heavy-grade plastic materials. Such materials hold the soil and plant elements, preventing damage.
Water Level Indicator
Pick a self-watering planter with an easy-to-read water level indicator. The indicator should also be close to the planter’s reservoir. All that helps us know the self-watering planter needs refilling.
Oxygen circulation
You must pick a pot that’ll prevent your plant roots from drowning. The pot would only achieve that by dividing the reservoir and roots. So, if you choose an inefficient pot, your roots won’t receive adequate oxygen and water.
Size of pot
Picking self-watering planters that are too small or big causes stunted growth. This stunted growth arises because of unfavorable conditions.
Refilling frequency
Although some planters need refilling within three weeks, others go past four weeks. Most of these planters come with water indicators that display water levels. This way, it’s easy to know your planter’s low water levels.
What Are the Benefits of Self-watering System for Potted Plants?
Efficient use of water
A self-watering planter ensures your herbs use water the right way. They do that by absorbing what they need via their roots.
Thus, if you’re looking for water conservation methods, go for self-watering planters.
Consistent moisture levels
Your herbs will have consistent water levels without needing you to water them daily. Even when hot, the herbs will still have an adequate water supply. They’ll also bloom with less effort.
These self-watering planters are ideal for herbs that need frequent watering to blossom. Unfortunately, they aren’t suitable for cacti and succulent plants
Prevention of plant diseases
A self-watering planter prevents fungal infections from attacking your plants. They do so by preventing water splashes on the plant’s leaves.
Read: Best Strawberry Planter
What Soil To Use In Self watering Trough Planters
Weight and drainage matter when picking potting soil for self-watering planters. A densely packed and highly absorbent potting soil will:
- Increase root rot risk
- Cause waterlogging
A soilless mixture of perlite and peat moss does well most times. But you can simplify everything by getting premade products.
Read: Boat garden planters
What Size Of Self Watering Planter To Choose
The plant roots’ growth must be like the wicks that connect the potting medium to the reservoir. So, placing small plants in large self-watering planters will dry them at the top. Also, the self-watering mechanism won’t perform efficiently.
Elsewhere, placing large plants into small self-watering planters will cause issues. But the problems will be less, unlike the other way around. By design, a self-watering planter’s water mechanism works better on well-sized plants.
So, larger plants in small self-watering planters won’t receive adequate water, being one of the problems with self watering pots. Your plants may also need a supplementary water supply from above.
Pick a bigger planter if your plants are big and vice versa.
Read: Best African Violet Planter
FAQs
How often do you need to fill a self-watering planter?
The self-watering planter’s water amount depends on the following:
- Growth stage
- Plant type
- Growth conditions
Most Gardeners refill their planters at least once every week. But they do so after checking their water level indicators. So, a week is a bare minimum.
What types of plants are self-watering planters good for?
The best plants for self-watering pots are those that prefer consistently moist soil, such as ferns, peace lilies, African violets, and spider plants. Herbs like mint, oregano, and basil also thrive in self-watering pots.
Are self-watering pots effective?
Yes. Self watering planters are extra effective. Moreover, homeowners love these planters. They do so since they offer water plants a continuous water supply with no supervision. And that offers busy homeowners a free pass to do other important stuff.
Also, self watering pots are durable and are a sustainable solution. That is, for indoor or outdoor planting.
Read: Light bulb terrarium
Conclusion
In our best self watering planters review, we’ve gone with Lechuza Classico. They’re UV-light resistant which makes them perfect for indoor use during summer. Also, they keep your herbs and soil most for 3-4 weeks, and their drain plugs prevent waterlogging.
Our 1st runner-up is the Sussex self-watering planter. It’s made of high-quality frost-free resin. Thus making it a perfect self-watering planter for winter. Also, its enormous size is rare to find at that price.
Our 2nd runner-up is B-Sepor. It best suits plant parents looking for cheaper but more efficient self-watering planters. And although this self-watering planter is a budget option, it can hold up moisture for weeks. They’re also eco-friendly since they promote recycling.
I hope this best self watering planters guide will make up your mind on which products suit your taste. Please, let us know what you’ve picked in the comments.
