Self-watering pots water your plants when you can’t get around to them.
However, before you rush out to replant every plant in your home in a self-watering pot, you should know that some indoor plants do better with a self-watering planter than others do.
So, we got a ton of self-watering pots and a huge number of different plants and we filled up the water reservoir under each plant and monitored how they did.
We found that these plants are super happy in self-watering planters.
The Best Types Of Indoor Plants For Self-Watering Containers
Don’t forget that while these containers can be super handy on their own, they can also be used in a full smart gardening system. We’ve got a great guide to smart gardens.
Peace Lillies
If you’ve ever kept peace lilies before, then you’ll know that they’re not always the best plants to keep because they’re prone to root rot.
But a self-watering pot ensures they get evenly moist soil that never gets soaked and that keeps the rot at bay.
They have an ample water supply but no excess water building up in the potting soil. And that’s the best condition to keep these plants in.
Fiber Optic Plants
A fiber optic plant is a semi-aquatic plant and it likes a lot of soil moisture and dry soil will lead to its rapid death.
A self-watering pot lets these plants draw in as much water as they need. They’re as good at being self-watering plants as indoor gardeners are at using a watering can.
They get ample moisture but are never at risk of over-watering.
Umbrella Palms
This is the ideal plant for the self-watering pot. Again it’s an aquatic plant which means it’s thirsty.
You will need to top up the watering pot reservoir regularly with cold water but these umbrella palms can easily ensure that they get a steady supply of water when they need it.
Ferns
Watch the plant’s roots – if they start to rot, they’ve been overwatered.
That’s why we like to leave these fast-growing plants in charge of their own soil conditions.
The self-watering pot rocks for ferns.
Basil
Give this herb some grow lights and pop it into a pot and it will take care of itself right up to the point you harvest it for the dinner table.
In fact, many of the easiest indoor herbs to grow are fine in self-watering pots.
African Violets
These beautiful plants are happy to pour water over their own roots given sufficient water and the right pot.
Just make sure they have enough water in the reservoir and that you use distilled water as tap water can kill this plant.
Golden Pothos
This is a super hardy plant that rarely sees root rots. That makes it an ideal self-watering candidate and so it proves to be.
We’ve not seen any fungal infection on a Golden Pothos in charge of its own water intake.
Selaginella
These tropical plants prefer a humid environment and as long as they get it? They can easily ensure that they don’t dehydrate when given a source of water that they can draw on themselves.
Cherry Tomatoes
Growing vegetables at home can’t be easier than when they water themselves.
In fact, under-watering is a big risk with tomatoes and some other plants and that makes them the ideal plants to handle their own watering regimes.
Cherry tomatoes are easy to grow anywhere and we like to grow them in our urban kitchen garden.
Pitcher Plants
Looking after pitcher plants is a lot of work normally and you will have to tend to their potting soil and drainage constantly if you want them to thrive.
However, it turns out that if you pop them into self-watering pots then they can often handle their own needs and thus, be much less effort for you to care for.
That’s a good thing, we think because it frees you up to appreciate what a miracle of nature these plants really are.
Final Notes
Self-watering pots are an awesome convenience for our plants. After all, a self-watering plant is less of a hassle and more of a joy to have around.
And the simple automatic watering system doesn’t lead to a self-watering pot that needs replacing or repairing regularly, you just pop the plant in the self-watering container and as long as it’s happy? It will keep drinking for itself, just top up the water every now and again, that’s it.
