A plant waterer is a convenient way to automatically provide water to your plant over several days. They come in different size and shape.
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You’re leaving the apartment for a few days or go on a short vacation. But how to make sure the plant is getting enough water? Plant waterers are usually mechanical systems that provide water to your plants over a longer time period. They usually make use of simple physical rules to ensure a constant flow of water.
We’ll focus in this post mostly on indoor or balcony systems and not on large scale plant waterer setups.
How does a Plant Waterer work?
There are several systems that are commonly used. Some use a porous material such as terracotta while other just use gravity and a small ending to pour water into the soil. Let’s have a closer look at the available systems.
Plant Waterer Spikes
Most terracotta pots and drip systems are unglazed and therefore have a very rough and not shiny structure. Unglazed terracotta can absorb water. This great property can be useful to balance water you provide. If you water too much the pot absorbs a bit and provides the additional humidity when the soil is dry. The same effect is used in drip systems. The material is often even more thin and porous allowing more water to pass. The terracotta spike or stake is usually placed into the soil and connected with a water source. It will automatically try to balance the humidity between the water part and the soil part.
The waterer spikes can be bought online or local retailers such as Walmart or Amazon. If you buy them in bulk you’ll get some additional discount.
Plant Waterer Globes
Another popular system are plant watering globes made out of glass or plastic. Typically these systems have a longer tube connected to the globe that contains the water. The tube is put deep into the soil after filling the whole globe with water. The water then slowly dissipates in the pot based on how dry the soil is. If the soil is wet and soaked in water it won’t absorb more water. If the soil is dry the water can pass. Watering globes come in different sizes and shapes.
Both systems are easy to install and use. They last for several year, are cheap and can be bought online. Depending on your plants and pots you might want to look for a system that is not too distractive and fits in well to your overall decoration.
If you leave for a longer time period you can also use several plant waterers at once. You can use two or more to make sure the water lasts longer. If you have larger plants it might also be beneficial to use several systems to make sure all the roots get enough water.
Electric Plant Watering
If you have several plants close to each other and leave for a longer time period such as several weeks an electric system might be best suited. These systems consist of three components. Drip emitter pipes to distribute the water to the plants, an electric pump and a inlet pipe that sucks the water from a container. Usually you can combine these systems with any container. This makes them more adaptive.
Some of the electric waterers are battery based on others have a power plug. Be aware that they might make a little noise. I’d not recommend using them during the night while you’re at home.
How many days does a plant waterer last?
The plant watering spikes and the waterer globes can sustain the water requirement of a plant for 7-14 days. This depends on the size and type of the plant as well as the environmental condition. If you have a very dry apartment (less than 30% humidity) these systems might just be good enough to keep the soil wet for a week.