Gardening in containers can be both beneficial and detrimental to plants. You can control the soil, but when it comes to plants’ roots, they can easily become too wet or too dry, depending on your watering habits. Thanks to the improvements in gardening equipment, today, keeping your plants healthy and moisturized is easier than before. Self-watering planters have become an extremely popular choice for some very good reasons that the modern man greatly appreciates. But still, there are some people that prefer the good old traditional containers which frankly, require so much more of your attention. However, it all comes down to personal preferences. Now let’s take a look at some of the more obvious pros and cons of modern planters and help you out decide whether they’re the right fit for your needs.
PROS
Retain Nutrients
Taking care of plants in traditional containers means that you will need to add organic matter from time to time if you want to keep them healthy and beautiful. This is so because when you water the plants, the nutrients slowly diffuse out along with the water molecules, leaving the soil devoid of them and in poor quality. On the other hand, self-watering modern planters come with a closed system which allows the nutrients to stay inside the soil. As a result of this, your plants will thrive thanks to the healthy nutrients levels.
Encourages healthy root growth
Experienced gardeners know that shallow watering can lead to shallow roots which means that the plant will have improper root support. With self-watering planters, you can water the plants deep without worrying about root rot. The water in the reservoir will stimulate the roots to grow deep and take as much water as they need. This will consequently result in a healthy root system and a plant with more flowers, fruit or foliage, depending on its type.
Saves time
Being away from home and neglecting your plants’ needs won’t be a problem if you have self-watering modern planters which take care of their plants’ growth and watering needs. Your planters will make sure your plants are properly moisturized without any watering action from you – all you need to do is fill up the reservoir with enough water.
CONS
A breeding ground for mosquitos
Not all self-watering containers are the same. Some pots have a poor drainage system and open reservoir which is the ideal place for breeding mosquitos. They lay their eggs to the reserved fresh water. To avoid this from happening, make sure you regularly clean your containers and take care of them.
Not suitable for all plants
Although modern self-watering pots are considered a good choice for most plants, vegetables, and herbs, still some plants, like cactuses, are not suitable for them. They cannot tolerate excess water and require dry soil. Also, some plants, like rosemary, won’t grow to their full potential if planted in damp soil.