self watering pots ?

[Nievesgirl]

Charlie I found this
http://www.bghydro.com/BGH/itemMatrix.asp?GroupCode=HGSAAGRB&eq=&MatrixType=1

are these similar to the pots that you tested out ?

[jpiper82]

Does HVH recommend or have any experience with self watering pots for Hibs?  My current clay pots are getting all crusty on the outside.

[Charlie]

I have limited experience with self-watering pots but the one I tried worked great. I got it at WalMart maybe 8 years ago after Dale Dubin told me his wife had good luck with them in Florida. He was skeptical at first, he said, and teased her about them but then they grew great hibiscus so he changed his mind. I put an Eva Paolini hibiscus in the one I bought, a plant that had only done fairly well before. It took off in the self watering pot and bloomed like crazy. I think I still have a photo of it and will post it below if I can find it.

I've also tried smaller pots that work great for African Violets but for some reason the hibiscus I tried in them did poorly. I think the amount of water they allowed into the growing media was too little for hibiscus but just right for the African violets.

The key to the Walmart self watering pot was to let the reservoir completely dry out and then the soil to dry down some before refilling the reservoir. If you keep the reservoir constantly filled there is more of a chance of root rot developing than if you let it dry out and stay dry for a couple of days before refilling. I would recommend this type pot to anyone for the convenience and for the great plants that grow in them.

I found the photo. It shows my office manager of that time holding a Carmen Keene bloom and the pot of Eva Paoloni in front of her in full bloom. Too bad EP does not always look like this - it was a special day.

Charlie

[Charlie]

Hi Kerry, I didn't see your post on the self watering pots til now.

This is a similar design to the ones I tested, but has a different way of bringing water into the potting mix. All self watering pots have a reservoir and some means to deliver the water to the growing mix. The one I tried has an advanced type of sensor that actually opened a valve when the water level in the potting mix became dry enough. In theory that is a good idea because the other types rely on some type of porosity or wicking action that pretty much saturates the potting mix all the time. They do not flood the mix, which is crucial so that air spaces remain, but the media that can absorb water is able to absorb as much as it can as long as there is water in the reservoir.

The link you provided shows some attractive pots but they seem to provide too small a space for hibiscus roots. That was the case with the African Violet pots I tried, too. The idea of a self watering pot is that you can fill it and forget it for a week but if the pot is too small you could end up refilling it as often as you would water a normal pot.

Anyway, if anyone tries any self watering pots we would sure like to hear what happens!

Charlie

[helixturnhelix]

EP is really nice, too bad it doesnt always look like that!

[Charlie]

Yes, you can make out the bamboo stake helping to support EP in this photo. It is usually a floppy cv but the self watering pot brought out the best growth and blooming I have seen with EP either before or since.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Hello Charlie ,

the link I provide was just for an example , The pots are so small ! I think I might try this but I need to see what cv I have might do well in this type of pot. Do you think I could mix fertilizer and supernova into the water added to the reservoir ?

I will see if I can find a bigger pot at home depot.

I did find these online I love how they look so i am kind of tempted to buy one

http://www.indoorflowerpots.com/content-categories/cat-199_257/self_watering_classico.html

or these square ones

http://www.indoorflowerpots.com/content-categories/cat-199_256/self_watering_cubico.html

here is the info on how it works
http://www.indoorflowerpots.com/about_us.php

Here is a better picture of how it works
http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/lechuza_self_watering_planters_classico.htm

Ok lst link watch the video
http://www.lechuza.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Link-Page?cid=CP_CUBICO#

[Nievesgirl]

I guess the company Lechuza made pots for target these are plastic so I went ahead and bought 2 of them.
They should be here any day now

http://www.target.com/Lechuza-Self-Watering-Planter-Aubergine/dp/B001TJSLQQ/sr=1-4/qid=1250708211/ref=sr_1_4/183-1204724-2043207?ie=UTF8&search-alias=tgt-index&frombrowse=0&index=target&rh=k%3Aself%20watering&page=1

[Nievesgirl]

I got these pots last week. I planted Blue ballerina in one of the Lechuza pots.  Well I am not sure if I should have because I did not let the blue ballerina grow more before putting it in a 8" pot.  The Lechuza directions said that I have to water plant normally for 12 weeks before I start using the reservoir.  I brought plant to work on last thursday and I put it near my desk window. All of the hibiscus I brought to work went 3 days with out watering. I was scared that i could kill my seedlings so I left them on my desk instead of the window seal.  I came back to work to blue ballerina looking a mess. Some leaves wilted and two buds fell off  I am not sure if this was a good idea now. I touched the soil it was super wet. I am not sure if my co worker watered it ! She is notorious for over watering her own plants. I got a post it and put on the pot Do not water please lol . I am not sure who did it but the soil was too wet to just be from the reservoir water below. 

I hope it will be ok  I might put heartbreak hotel in one because this plant is super thristy compared to the rest of the cv's I have.

[Nievesgirl]

Any suggestions ??

[Charlie]

Kerry, tell us more about how the pots work or provide a link to a description of the exact pot. Most of the self watering kind are only one way with the water. Meaning that they draw up from a reservoir but if you pour water in the top it does not seep down to the reservoir and can build up inside the pot, effectively drowning the plants. However, since they instruct to water "normally" at first maybe these drain. It sounds like the Blue Ballerina was sitting in water for too long or maybe it wilted from lack of water and your co-worker watered it heavily to revive it? Did you ask what the situation was?

Personally, if I ever have a strong negative reaction right after potting I take the plant out of the pot and start over with a different idea while I try to figure out what went wrong. That might still be the best thing to do for the Blue Ballerina.

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Hey Charlie

I posted the link above but here are the main links again they have a video on how it works

Here is a better picture of how it works
http://www.eastofedenplants.co.uk/lechuza_self_watering_planters_classico.htm

Ok lst link watch the video 
http://www.lechuza.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Link-Page?cid=CP_CUBICO#

The only thing I am confused about is the plugs to use these pots indoors and how you take out plugs for out side use, I did not receive any plugs. I also do not under stand how does the water stay in the Reservoir if you take plusg out ?

I just got back to work today. The plant looks ok I took like maybe 4-5 leaves that turn yellow off. The rest of the leaves look normal. I felt the soil and someone did water it because today the soil is not as wet.

I have not asked yet on what happened but I think the sign I put will insure no one will water it.  I think I will take a risk and see how it goes.  I was thinking of taking Heartbreak hotel and putting it in this pot instead of Blue ballerina because HH just is so thristy it would probably do well in this pot.

[Charlie]

Hey Kerry,

I think I get how it works. A lot depends on how big the planter is and how big the root ball of the hibiscus is when you plant it in the pot. They seem to be assuming that a small plant with small root ball will be installed in their planters. This may not be true for hibiscus, but it could be if you planted a 4" pot in a much larger one of these planters.

Anyway, the plug is critical to avoid overwatering when water enters like rain or when hand watering directly onto the soil surface. If the plug is inserted there is the possibility that the pot will receive too much water and it will back up into the root ball. Bad news if that happens! To avoid it you remove the plug and excess water will then drain out. You could do that in the bathroom sink since it will drain out rather quickly if there is excess water. Then put the plug back in if using the pot indoors.

I am guessing that the root ball of the Blue Ballerina was large enough to touch the "Pon" material they supplied. If that is true then you should skip the 3 months of watering by hand and start using the reservoir right away. The filling column shows when the reservoir is full and prevents overwatering that way. I would try using just the reservoir and see how the plant does. If the soil seems really dry and the plant starts to wilt then it is not working and you will have to resume watering by hand.

If in doubt just add a small amount of water, like a cupfull to the roots by hand, and see if that plus what it gets from the reservoir is enough.

I am glad the Blue Ballerina recovered and is not showing wilt. That is the big danger, wilting while wet and not recovering from that wilt.

I don't know how clear the above is. If clear as mud let me know and I'll try to write it better.  lol

Charlie

[Nievesgirl]

Anyway, the plug is critical to avoid overwatering when water enters like rain or when hand watering directly onto the soil surface. If the plug is inserted there is the possibility that the pot will receive too much water and it will back up into the root ball. Bad news if that happens! To avoid it you remove the plug and excess water will then drain out. You could do that in the bathroom sink since it will drain out rather quickly if there is excess water. Then put the plug back in if using the pot indoors.

I forgot to make my self clear on what I did not get about the plug system. Ok on my planter there is no walls to keep water in. look here at the second a third picture.
http://www.lechuza.com/on/demandware.store/Sites-US-Site/en_US/Search-Show?cgid=Sub-Irrigation

They have walls to keep all the water from coming out. My planter is like the first picture ( the slide show on how it works) as you can see there are no walls to keep water in. I am now wondering if the model I got from target is just a simple indoors model only.

I am guessing that the root ball of the Blue Ballerina was large enough to touch the "Pon" material they supplied. If that is true then you should skip the 3 months of watering by hand and start using the reservoir right away. The filling column shows when the reservoir is full and prevents overwatering that way. I would try using just the reservoir and see how the plant does. If the soil seems really dry and the plant starts to wilt then it is not working and you will have to resume watering by hand.If in doubt just add a small amount of water, like a cupfull to the roots by hand, and see if that plus what it gets from the reservoir is enough.

The root ball of BB looked small to me I took it out of the 4" pot and never re planted it in a 6" pot. In other words it has been in the 4" pot since you shipped it to me. So it could be close enough to the pon. I put a small layer of soil over the pn as directed.

I will try what you suggested about using the reservoir if that does not work I will do a small cup of water and see how it does.

I am glad the Blue Ballerina recovered and is not showing wilt. That is the big danger, wilting while wet and not recovering from that wilt.

I am glad also it looks fine too. I can see the new bud growing in pink ( probably because I been using straight water with not fertilizer.)

I am not sure how I will use fertilizer with these pots , I know on the Lechuza website is says to add liquid fertilizer on every second watering.

Guess this is just a big experiment right now lol

I could understand you no worries

[Charlie]

Hi Kerry,

Looking at the web site for the Lechuza planters again, I see that the self watering part, what they call the sub-irrigation system, is an "accessory" for the planters. I assumed that this was the only way they come but apparently not. I'm a little confused whether you have the sub-irrigation parts that create the water reservoir or not. If you do have these parts the plug should be there, too, seems to me. Maybe the planter was missing a part?

But, maybe yours is just the planter and does not have the sub-irrigation option? If so, is there no drainage hole in the bottom? Or is there a drainage hole and no plug for it? If there is no drainage hole that is dangerous for growing hibiscus which need to have the soil well watered. I'm betting that there is a drainage hole but you did not get a plug for it. In that case you could either water it only in a sink and let it drain completely before moving it back to where you want it, or use a saucer underneath the planter to catch the overflow. With hibiscus in summer we allow the overflow to remain in the saucers of our houseplant hibiscus - they suck it back up as the soil mix dries and helps keep the water level even for a longer period.

Anyway, whether the planter is equipped with the sub-irrigation or not, you still have to experiment and observe how it is working for you with the particular plant you put in it. As long as the root zone of the plant is staying moist it should do just fine.

Charlie