In recent times, self-watering planters have become a blessing for plants. You should possess these planters if you’re not home often, live in a dry climate, or are a rookie gardener.
Self-watering planters offer a method of delivering water straight to the plant roots. Thus, these planters have come to the rescue of gardeners-especially those who lack green fingers and yet wish to build a prosperous garden effortlessly.
While in use, these planters employ a reservoir of water and a wicking mechanism to give continuous hydration to the roots of plants. Plus, the pot size will be determined based on the plant’s standard dimensions and available space.
Besides hydration, the best self-watering planters should accommodate plenty of drainage for aeration, water supply holes, and a visible water gauge. While some variants make use of rope, others use soil wicks.
Our Top Recommendations for The Best Self-watering Planters (2023)
- Veradek V-Resin Indoor/Outdoor Taper Planter, Set of 2
- Lechuza 15683 Balconera Color 80 Self-Watering Garden Planter
- 12″ Self-watering Plant Pot – Unique Hidden Saucer – Fits Plant Stand
- Lechuza Cubico Color 30 -(22 inches Tall) Self-Watering Garden Planter for Indoor and Outdoor Use, White Matte
- Window Garden Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub
- 3.5″ Granite Style (Grey/Brown) Ruffle Shaped Self-watering Ceramic Planter
- 6″ Self-watering + Self Aerating High Drainage Deep Reservoir Round Planter
| IMAGE | PRODUCT | FEATURES | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|
 | Veradek V-Resin Indoor/Outdoor Taper Planter, Set of 2 | • Lightweight yet sturdy • Suitable for colder climates • Designed for both indoor and outdoor plants | |
 | Lechuza 15683 Balconera Color 80 Self-Watering Garden Planter | • Provided with a water-level indicator • Contains drainage plug • Features granulate compound (inorganic) and plant substrate | |
 | 12″ Self-watering Plant Pot – Unique Hidden Saucer – Fits Plant Stand | • Strong yet lightweight • Lifetime warranty by the manufacturer • The capability of self-watering for two weeks | |
 | Lechuza Cubico Color 30 -(22 inches Tall) Self-Watering Garden Planter for Indoor and Outdoor Use, White Matte | • Frost and UV-immune • Classic and modern design • Long-lasting | |
 | Window Garden Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub | • Includes fiber soil • Suitable for a variety of plants • Compact and attractive | |
 | 3.5″ Granite Style (Grey/Brown) Ruffle Shaped Self-watering Ceramic Planter | • Fit for moisture-loving plants • Stores water for one to three weeks • Requires little care and attention | |
 | 6″ Self-watering+Self Aerating High Drainage Deep Reservoir Round Planter | • Effective Drainage system • 100% BPA free • Risers in the bottom saucer |
Detailed reviews for each of these products are given below. Continue reading to find out what suits your plants and patio the best.
Bonus Read: 11 Fruit Trees You Can Grow Indoors (With Pictures)
Best Self Watering Planters
Keeping these characteristics in mind, we have reviewed the 7 best self-watering planters to help you build your dream garden in a breeze.
#1. Veradek V-Resin Indoor/Outdoor Taper Planter, Set of 2
Veradek V-Resin Indoor/Outdoor Taper planters are tall, flexible, lightweight, and particularly engineered to withstand all weather conditions. Most importantly, they are made with a single high-density polyethylene (HDPE) wall with V-Resin technology molding.
For that reason, Veradek tapered planters are frost-proof for cold climates and can withstand temperatures of -30°C all the way up to +60°C. Each planter measuring 30 inches tall, 15 inches wide, and 15 inches broad is equipped with a detachable shelf 13 inches below the planter’s rim. Because of this, you get the option of filling the planter completely with soil or utilizing an interchangeable plant insert.
Above all, this tall planter has pre-drilled drainage holes enabling it to drain out excess water. Besides its exceptional usability, the taper planter has a textured finish with a modern and sleek design beautiful enough to embellish your entrance.
What We Liked
- Lightweight yet sturdy
- Suitable for colder climates
- Designed for both indoor and outdoor plants
- Tapered design with drainage holes
What We Didn’t Like
- Slightly expensive
#2. Lechuza 15683 Balconera Color 80 Self-Watering Garden Planter
Revive your patio and balcony with the minimalistic yet premium appearance of the Lechuza 15683 Balconera Color self-watering planter. They even provide user-friendly brackets fitted at the back of the planter that acts as an invisible support system.
Furthermore, the signature water reservoir attached by the company delivers water to your plants as and when needed. This, in turn, extends the time for up to 12 weeks between watering.
Plants require a sufficient quantity of water that is neither too much nor too little. The Balconera self-watering planter focuses on inorganic granulate compounds that assist in distributing the right amount of water to the roots. Along with it, the planter also contains plant substrate, i.e., Lechuza-PON. This substrate helps in separating potting soil from the water reservoir and provides aeration and healthy nourishment to the roots.
Moreover, the planter is tailored to be frost and UV-resistant and comes with a removable planter liner. Most importantly, the garden planter has a water-level indicator. Now, you can easily monitor the water levels, eliminating any kind of guesswork during plant care.
What We Liked
- Up to 12 weeks of extension between watering
- Provided with a water-level indicator
- Contains drainage plug
- Features granulate compound (inorganic) and plant substrate
What We Didn’t Like
- Limited depth of the pot
#3. 12″ Self-watering Plant Pot – Unique Hidden Saucer – Fits Plant Stand
Self-watering Plant Pot appears minimalist on the outside and smart on the inside. The amalgamation of stone, cement, and fiberglass creates these planters as strong as iron, making them well-suited for indoor as well as outdoor plants.
Primarily, this self-watering pot is designed with a unique and hidden saucer. Speaking of the unique saucer, the saucer maintains the water level of your plants.
Even if you’ve overwatered, the saucer will collect the excess water. But, if you water too little, the saucer will also quench your plants’ thirst. Moreover, the planter has the capacity to self-water for up to 2 weeks.
You’ll be provided with a mesh sheet and wicking ropes along with the planter. When the soil becomes dry, the wicking rope serves as a straw, allowing the plant’s roots to drink from below the saucer.
Investing in this self-watering pot will maintain the desired hydration levels for your plants -undoubtedly!
What We Liked
- Strong yet lightweight
- Lifetime warranty by the manufacturer
- The capability of self-watering for two weeks
- Minimal look, yet concrete and durable
What We Didn’t Like
- Drainage could be problematic
#4. Lechuza Cubico Color 30 -(22 inches Tall) Self-Watering Garden Planter for Indoor and Outdoor Use, White Matte
The Lechuza Cubico Color is a blend of elegance and modernism, with a traditional cubic design that easily adapts to a number of decor themes.
This is a self-watering garden planter that fits beautifully, on an aesthetic note, indoors as well as outdoors. The outfitted drainage plug allows it to remove excess rainwater when installed outdoors. This characteristic makes the planter ideal for all-weathers, flowering plants, and foliage.
Similar to other garden planters by Lechuza, the cubic color also comes with an easy-to-lift plant liner making your gardening experience effortless. Besides, it is also equipped with its signature water reservoir for water regulation and a water-level indicator easing your plant care.
Possessing ingredients such as inorganic granulate compounds and plant substrate, the planter improves aeration, separates soil from the water reservoir, and provides an abundance of nutrients to seep into the plants.
What We Liked
- 12 weeks time frame between watering
- Frost and UV-immune
- Classic and modern design
- Long-lasting
What We Didn’t Like
- Sometimes delivered with missing parts
#5. Window Garden Aquaphoric Herb Garden Tub
Now, enjoy growing herbs on your windowsill during any season with this Window Garden Aquaphoric Herb Tub. A specialty of this window garden planter is that it advocates the maintenance of long-lasting plants. The passive hydroponic process generates the optimal balance between root zone water and oxygen, allowing plants to flourish.
Being a self-watering planter, watering is extended to weeks rather than days. The water indicator assists in determining when and how much water is required by your plants. Along with a planter tub, you will be provided with 6 quarts of fiber soil. Fiber soil promotes an excellent growth medium for roots to breathe more freely and allows plants to prosper.
Flowers, herbs, vegetables, tropical leaves, succulents, and seed-starting are some of the plants for which Aquaphoric Planters are well-suited.
What We Liked
- Includes fiber soil
- Suitable for a variety of plants
- Compact and attractive
What We Didn’t Like
- Difficult for more than 2 plants to survive
#6. 3.5″ Granite Style (Grey/Brown) Ruffle Shaped Self-watering Ceramic Planter
A hand-glazed granite-style ceramic planter as such is well suited for a variety of moisture-loving plants. Notably, this ruffle-shaped self-watering planter measures 6.75 inches wide, 4.5 inches tall, and has 3.5 inches openings.
The wide outer pot of the planter serves as a reservoir that has the capacity of storing water for up to 3 weeks. Plus, the inner pot permits water to soak into the soil as required by the plants.
Such a self-watering planter allows the plants to thrive with little care all year. African Violets, Boston Fern, Christmas Cactus, Chrysanthemum, Philodendron, Grape Ivy, Swedish Ivy, Peace Lily, Poinsettia, Asparagus Fern, and Spider plants are just a few plantation options that will thrive in these self-watering pots.
What We Liked
- Compact and captivating appearance
- Fit for moisture-loving plants
- Stores water for one to three weeks
- Requires little care and attention
What We Didn’t Like
- Small-sized planter
#7. 6″ Self-watering+Self Aerating High Drainage Deep Reservoir Round Planter
Now, get rid of wicks that clog and fail to function! This self-aerating, high drainage, deep reservoir, and round planter is sure to resolve your gardening stress. The design of the planter has extra-large open slats on the bottom to ensure air circulation through the soil, reducing the danger of root rot.
Each planter comes with a clip-on watering connector (stored within the saucer) to make watering your fragile plants much simpler. It adds an extra 2 weeks between watering. Plus, the bottom saucer has risers that elevate the saucer away from the floor and prevent the circular watermarks that are common with other flat-bottomed planters.
An additional benefit of this round planter is that it’s made with UV-stabilized polypropylene plastic. Thus, the colors will not fade, peel, or become smeared or spotty even when exposed to sunlight.
What We Liked
- Self-aerating functionality
- Effective Drainage system
- 100% BPA free
- Risers in the bottom saucer
What We Didn’t Like
- Build quality is mediocre
Important Considerations While Choosing Best Self-watering Planters
When looking for a self-watering planter, there are a few essential things to consider. For example, how much water it can store (allowing you to go longer without watering the plant) and how many plants you want to put in it. These purchasing concerns, as well as a few more, are listed below.
- Water storage
Planters can retain more or less water, depending on their design. The water reservoir at the bottom of the pot contains the plant’s water supply. To keep the plant healthy and blooming, the reservoir is first filled and constantly topped off.
Some self-watering planters have a water gauge (or water level indicator) that indicates how full the reservoir is and when it needs to be refilled. Based on the reservoir’s capacity, it will determine how long it can comfortably survive without being watered.
Having a larger water reservoir will be highly beneficial if you’re forgetful, not home often, or plan to take a long vacation. As large reservoirs can go on for weeks, it will relieve your concerns about plant care.
- Drainage holes
Not every self-watering planter has drainage holes. However, since a plant requires appropriate drainage to thrive, a planter with a built-in drainage system may be the best self-watering planter option.
Drainage is a highly imperative aspect to consider, depending on the plant type and the design of the planter.
- Length of the tubes
Self-watering planters are often equipped with “tubes,” which are part of a foundation meant to keep the plant and soil apart from the water reservoir. The length of these tubes may indeed be important in terms of plant size. For example, if the tubes are 3 inches long and the pot is 6 inches tall, there is a total of 3 inches available for healthy plant development.
Most tubes are intended to be smaller to have less of an influence on the plant’s growth space. Nonetheless, tube lengths must always be considered, especially if you want to develop larger plants or have a plant that has to be transferred.
- Material of the planter
The material used to make a self-watering planter can significantly influence both its appearance and endurance. Most of them are constructed of plastic, which may be suitable both indoors and outdoors.
Plastic planters are also more versatile in terms of appearance and are easier to clean and carry. In contrast, ceramic planters can be heavy and difficult to clean.
The material of the planter determines whether it can withstand indoor or outdoor environments. Additionally, it also identifies if they can sustain all weathers. If planters are made of plastic, they will probably melt when exposed to extreme sunlight.
Here are some other points to ensure while you choose the best self-watering planters for your garden:
- Choose a planter composed of fade-resistant and UV-resistant polypropylene plastic for outdoor plants or indoor plants requiring continual exposure to sunshine.
- Choose eco-friendly and toxin-free polypropylene plastic containers for culinary herbs to prevent chemicals from leaking into the soil, water, and roots.
- Choose a transparent plastic pot or one with a water level indicator to make it easier to check the water level.
Conclusion
Plants brighten up every living area, inside or out, and self-watering planters eliminate the work aspect of caring too much for them. You must enjoy the process of caring for your plants and appreciate their vibrant health as they enhance and refresh your house.
In conclusion, self-watering containers can keep your plants safe and healthy by controlling their moisture intake. They assist in the nourishment and watering of your plants, whether you are present physically or not. To help you choose a suitable planter, we have reviewed the 7 best self-watering planters and gathered some key points in the buying guide.
Bonus Read: Want to build a luscious garden? Read this review to know about different garden layout plans.