Self-Watering Planter Collection

Introduction

I started designing my own self watering pot as I found all the other ones out there didn't fit my needs and, safe to say, I got a little carried away. So here is my collection of self watering pots with many different designs and patterns to choose from all using the same tolerances and functional principles.

As always I've included source files, .f3d for fusion360 and .step for any other CAD software in case you want to edit or add to the project.

Features

• Lots of styles and choices
• Optimized to fit on a 100x100x100 bed (All designs are as close to 98x98x98mm as I could get)
• Larger size for more water storage and root growth
• Easy assembly/planting
• Adjustable watering
• No supports (For most of the designs)
• Easy to print
• Can be scaled down to 60-80% without the fit  being too tight

How To Make

Choose your desired planter from the list of folders included in the downloads (or use the included step/f3d files to edit or create your own)

Print Reservoir.stl and Planter.stl, they are already oriented correctly and don't require supports unless the file name says otherwise

Test fit the planter and reservoir, the fit is supposed to be somewhat loose so that the planter can be scaled down without the fit being too tight and to allow people with lower quality printers to enjoy the file too. If you don't like how loose the planter fits onto the reservoir you can always use a little super glue to permanently bond them.

Once your files have finished you need to choose your wicking media (see the 4th photo in this print). The more water your plant needs the more absorbent the material you should choose. For plants that need less water select something like Expanded clay pellets, Perlite or Bark. For plants that need more water use coir fiber, cloth or plain old dirt. Once you've selected your material pack it into the tube at the bottom of the planter as in the aforementioned photo. If your plant needs very little water it might be worth putting a little extra to fill the bottom of the planter also.

Fill the rest of the pot up with dirt, potting mix, coir fiber or whatever growing media you choose and plant your plant as you would in any other pot.

Fill the reservoir with water through the top fill hole (or separate the two halves and fill the reservoir directly if you are afraid of spills)

Enjoy!

-Tips for printing-:

• Use at least 3 Walls (Vertical Shells) and 3 Bottom/Top Layers (Horizontal Shells)
• Make sure your filament is dry
• It may be worth printing at a higher temperature along with an extrusion multiplier of 1.05 to make sure the layers seal well
  • Going up to 1.1+ extrusion multiplier may help the planter to be more waterproof but will degrade quality.
• Higher layer heights may help to squish the layers together better
• If all else fails and you can't seem to get your print waterproof you can coat the inside of the reservoir in some form of silicon or epoxy to seal it (use one that won't harm your plants!). You can also get purpose made pot sealant from the hardware store if you want to be on the safe side

Note: Personally I printed my pots in PLA+ at 210c and 0.3mm with 3 shells (both vertical and horizontal) with 1.0 extrusion multiplier and haven't had any issues with leaks so far! Your millage may vary

-Tips for plant care-:

• Research the water needs of your plant and susceptibility to root rot and other diseases caused by over-watering
• Choose the right wicking media, this will probably take some experimentation
• Refill the planter with hydroponic nutrients or “worm tea" (Watered down to the recommended application rate of course), but make sure to wash out the reservoir after each couple of refills to avoid a buildup of salts. Alternatively use a foliar fertilizer that suited to your plant and situation
• Make sure you place the planter somewhere it gets enough sun for the needs of the plant you've chosen

Conclusion

Thank you for reading this far! I hope you can get some use out of this project and have as much fun printing it as I did making it.

Don't forget to post a make to show me what you've planted.

If you have any requests, suggestions or issues please leave a comment.

All feedback is much appreciated!