Container Gardening: Reasons to Use Self Watering Planters
Growing vegetables, fruits and herbs is a popular hobby for many people. And it’s quite a rewarding one, I must say. What’s better than to slice into a juicy tomato which only a few months ago used to be a tiny seed you bought from your local garden store? And gardening is not only rewarding to our taste buds since healthy, luscious plants can add natural beauty and fresh colours to our homes.
Having said that, if you really want to include plants in your life, there really is no excuse. Even if your lifestyle does not allow you to properly take care of plants, there are innovative solutions like for instance, self-watering planters. Self-watering planters consist of a water reservoir at the bottom which provides the plant with constant moisture for longer periods of time. Because of this smart design, there are many benefits to using plant self-watering containers.
No Hassle Around Watering
The primary reason many people refuse to start a container garden is that their lifestyles prevent them from finding the time to water the plants. But the extremely good news is that self-watering planters have water reservoirs which allow you to go on a vacation trip for weeks without worrying about the state of your plants. What’s more, you won’t even have to delegate the task of watering to another person while you’re away. You can simply pour water into the reservoir before you leave and the plants will be all good for the next couple of weeks.
Promote Healthy Root Development
Unlike plants growing in open soil, container plants have the disadvantage of having shallow access to water. What this means is that when you pour water on a plant in a pot, the largest amount of it is going to be soaked up by the topmost parts of the root. Because of shallow watering, the root can fail to develop properly and as a result, the plants will be less healthy and produce less fruit and blooms. Luckily, plant self-watering containers eliminate this problem. In the case of a small, developing plant, self watering containers cause the roots to stretch towards the reservoir at the bottom to reach the water and thus develop better. With a healthier root system, the plants can grow bigger and stronger and produce more flowers, fruit, or vegetables.
Water Conservation
A dry climate, like the one we have in Australia, can be detrimental to the development of plants since it tends to dry out the soil before the water can reach the roots. However, when it comes to self-watering planters, the water cannot evaporate because it flows directly to the tank at the bottom which is covered by dense soil. This kind of container is a great solution for water thirsty plants like strawberries or dwarf fruit trees.