I like to grow herbs like cilantro , mint , and basil in mycontainer garden . But it can be a botheration make to irrigate the flora every mean solar day . I heard that ego - watering gage can be a good idea for herbs and need to cognize more about using them .
Self watering pots are secure for herbs like parsley , mint , chives , and winter sweet because these herb necessitate moist territory to originate well . But self watering deal are not good for herbs like sweet basil , rosemary , thyme , and pot marjoram because they prefer the territory to dry out out between watering .
I ’ve write a raft more details about the benefits of using self - watering pots for herbs , how to utilize such containers , and why you should quash using them for certain plants .
Holy basil I transplanted into a pot
Which herbs can you grow in self-watering pots?
A self - watering pot will leave the plant with a incessant supply of pee . This means the plant ’s radical will have moisture available whenever they require it .
So a ego - lacrimation pot is good for herbs like Allium schoenoprasum , Petroselinum crispum , marjoram , andmintthat ask a constant supply of urine for their roots .
However , herbs like oregano , thyme , rosemary , and basil favour to stay in dry grease for a bit before you irrigate them again . So using a self - watering gage for such herb is not worthy .
If you do apply the ego - tearing pot for such herbs , the plant will not have safe flavor and they might even have poor growth .
How to choose a self-watering pot for herbs
You want to clean a self - lacrimation dope that is the right burst for the herb plant that you ’re turn .
Choose a pot that is the right size
You may have grown the herbaceous plant seedling in a seedling tray or bought it from a local garden nerve centre or nursery . You need to pick a ego - watering pot that is 1 - 2 sizes larger than the plant .
This helps you meet the container with enough potting soil for the herb works to grow well . You will be able to fulfil enough water and food for the herb plant life as well .
Choose a pot based on your budget
ego - tearing pots are made by different ship’s company and will come in different prices . you’re able to pick one based on your budget but check that that you do n’t compromise on the quality just to bring through a few bucks .
A good timber self - watering pot will last you for several years and will make up for the toll with the value it cater .
What is the best self-watering pot for herbs?
I think theLechuza Classico Self - Watering Potavailable on Amazon is a good selection for growing herb . It is cheap but has a good quality and an attractive figure .
There ’s a water - level indicator that will help you check the piddle level and refill if the water is humble . It ’s easy to satisfy water system in the source using the piss inlet on this container .
And it come with a drainage hype at the bottom that you’re able to unplug when keeping the container outdoors or plug away when indoors .
How to use a self-watering container for herbs
Once you ’ve picked a dependable self - watering pot for your herb , you’re able to get down the process of grow them in it .
Transplant the herb to the container
The first affair to do is to tally respectable potting grunge to the self - watering pot . ensure to cover the dope fully with the soil . Gently tap the bottom of the seedling tray or container to extract the herb seedling .
verify to hold the base of the herbaceous plant works with your paw as you slue it out of the container along with the root formal .
Make a hole in the center of the potting soil you bring to the self - watering pot . Place the root nut of the herbaceous plant plant in this hole and cover it well with more potting soil .
you could even the soil out and check that that the soil is covering the roots . tauten the soil near the base of the herbaceous plant plant to give it good support . But do n’t apply too much pressure as that can pack together the dirt and cause a want of moisture and aeration .
Fill the reservoir with water
The next step is to fulfill the source with water . The way you do this depends on the type of ego - watering stack you are using .
For some pots , you may need to lift the intimate plenty moderate the herb flora . Then add water to the reservoir in the outer potty . For other tummy , there may be an inlet connected to the source inside the pot . You just necessitate to occupy the recess with water till the required tier is reach out .
You may need to use a lacrimation can that has a long , narrow-minded neck to be able to fill up a self - lacrimation sess with a small inlet for the water .
Keep the reservoir clean
The water in the reservoir may last anywhere from 1 - 4 weeks depending on precondition like the type of flora , humidness , heat , and size of the reservoir .
I recommend cleaning the reservoir every 2 weeks to keep it free from the growth of any fungus , algae , salt , or mineral deposit that may befall from pat piddle .
If you may take the source out of the ego - lachrymation pot , make clean it with a intermixture of soap and weewee . Then rinse it well with H2O before seize it back to the self - watering pot .
What are the benefits of a self-watering pot?
There are some benefit you get when using a self - lacrimation jackpot than a veritable one .
Saving of water
In a self - watering pot , you just fill up the source to the signal stratum . The herbaceous plant plant ’s roots will absorb the required wet from the substrate using the wicking action .
This stand for there is no need to keep irrigate the plant till the water system debilitate out from the bottom as you would in a regular pot . And you save a heap of water system due to this .
Regular supply of moisture
As long as you keep the reservoir meet with urine , the herb industrial plant ’s root are always getting the required amount of wet from the potting territory .
This is very good for develop herbs that require consistent wet in the soil and do n’t like it when it becomes dry .
Prevents overwatering or underwatering
The most common trouble that beginners confront when growing herbs is to eitherunderwater or overwater the plants . The underwatering will cause the herbaceous plant flora to dry out and not uprise . Theleaves will turn yellowand come off .
Overwateringis an even serious job where you give too much water to the plant . This make the potting territory to get sloppy and the root to drown . The roots get infect with a disease that get root rotting .
The roots become soggy and turn over black . They are unable to provide nutrients to the herbaceous plant plant and it will finally kick the bucket .
The ego - lachrymation pot helps prevent these problem . You just fill up the source with the right amount of water and the roots absorb the require quantity .
If you endeavor to put too little piss , you will acknowledge it in the indicator on the container . If you seek to put too much water , it will enfeeble out from the outlet on the container .
Lower risk of fungal diseases
The biggest risk of the herb plant getting infected by a fungal disease comes because you are spraying pee on the foliage or splashing pot soil on it . The moist conditions make it friendly for fungal disease to attack the flora .
You wo n’t have this problem with a ego - watering potful because you just add H2O to the reservoir . There is no splashing of water on the leaves or the dirt .
Add fertilizer for the herbs
One benefit of using a ego - watering pot is that you’re able to add fluid plant food along with the urine in the man-made lake . This helps your herbaceous plant plants get a unremitting supply of nutrient from the urine in the man-made lake .
you could tally such limpid plant food along with the piddle and it should last the herb plant for a couple of weeks .
What are the drawbacks of a self-watering pot?
There are some situations where you should not utilise a self - watering container as it can harm plant growth .
Heating of the water
You want to avoid using a self - watering grass if it ’s go to persist outside in very live weather . The high temperature will cause the H2O to ignite up and that would be harmful to the growth of the plant .
The hot water will also impact the growth of the beneficial micro-organism in the potting soil and stunt the emergence of the plant .
So you either need to move thecontainer to a locationhaving shadowiness or avoid using the self - watering pot for home that get hot .
Consistent watering
Some herbaceous plant plants like Basil the Great , thyme , oregano , and rosemary would prefer the soil to dry out before you add water . This helps them grow better and becomes more flavorous .
If you apply a ego - watering tummy , they will get a incessant provision of pee which is not suitable for their growth .
Fact discipline , Written , and Published by Kevin Rodrigues
Kevin is the founding father of Gardening Mentor , a website that aims to instruct hoi polloi to grow their own food in a limited space . As a self - taught nurseryman , Kevin has spend several years growing plants and create horticulture content on the web site . He is license in Home Horticulture and Organic Gardening from Oregon State University . He has a Post Graduate Diploma in Horticulture and Landscape Gardening from Mumbai University . Read more
