I have enjoyed the Self-watering planter bu Paraller Goods for a long time, and as I am learning FreeCAD, I wanted to make a larger one as an excercise, but it also turned out pretty nice, especially if printed with a gradient or color change filament with matt finish.
The planter has two parts: the water reservoir, and an inner container for the soil and the plant.
Print the outer shell with 100% infill and preferably from PETG, and test overnight that it is watertight before using. If it leaks, you can use Titebond Ultimate wood glue to seal it from the inside. Titebond is food safe and waterproof, so it should do the job fine. But in my own use, printing wtih 100% infill seems to work fine too.
There are two versions of the outer shell - one for 2mm thickness that is faster to print, and a 3mm thick version that migth be helpful if the 2mm is not watertight. Did I mention to print with 100% infill?
Printed with a FDM printer, does not require supports. You might want to use a brim on the inner part if you have trouble with parts not sticking well.
Note: If you want to use a ceramic pot and just have an insert, I created a self-watering insert for the IKEA “GRADVIS” pot, check it out!
The author marked this model as their own original creation.