Self Watering Pots...

[Rich45s]

Hello,

I picked up a self watering pot (more like a long trough) cheap via the amazon warehouse. I was planning on using it for growing herbs for culinary use on my kitchen window.

However after a bit of a buying spree of succulents, I was thinking it may need to be called into action for plants that are on their way. The gist of it is. You fill bottom of it with supplied gravel, then top with soil and plants. Water normally for 3 months for roots to get established then fill the reservoir up and you are then good to go. Are these a good or bad idea to use with cacti & succulents. It dawned on me after buying that, in effect it may mean roots sitting in water constantly, which is potentially very bad.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Lechuza-13384- ... ref=plSrch

It’s from this range but bigger and longer but principle is the same. Do they have a place with cacti & succulents or are they just a solution in search of a problem and unnecessary?

Thanks

[JaneO]

Hi Rich,
Can't see me using them! Succulents with soggy bottoms tend to die! My succulents stay almost totally dry from September/October to March. Where possible I put outside during summer month, and water more but as plants need. Obviously some require more than others.

[ralphrmartin]

Rich, I agree with Jane. Permanently soggy roots is a bad idea for most succulents...

[Rich45s]

That’s kind of what I thought. It’s just such a snazzy looking pot!

I’ve definitely been watering too much if yours are dry for best part of 6 months then. To prove that point, I’ve been tidying my plants up and the pots I’d forgotten about stuck behind a curtain have grown better than ones I’ve tended too!

You two are turning into a great help. Thank you!

[Paul in Essex]

I once visited a nursery in Holland that specialised in hydroponic plants and it would seem it is posible, in time, to wean any plant to growing like this as there were a vast array of cacti and succulents growing hydroponically. Seemed so odd! But i think the thing is it takes a while to grow particular 'water roots' or something.

[Rich45s]

Hi Paul,

I’ve seen your site many times appearing when I’ve googled various cacti & succulent things. Once I’ve finally moved I may need a chat with you! At least as far as getting hold of larger specimen type plants for the garden.

Holland, Hydroponics oh aye! I’ve heard all about those plants! I’m joking of course

Not cactus related so probably should be in another section but I’ve been looking into aquaponics lately which is pretty much a closed loop system and combination of aquaculture and veg and salad growing. So you have freshwater fish in bottom section, their waste in the water fertilises the veg you are growing via some method of pumping water onto their roots and soil and the soil filters the dirty water back clean for fish and you have a ‘crop’ of fish and veg. Just small amount of food for fish is the ‘input’

Currently a pipe dream and I need to get far more ‘au fait’ with bog standard plant growing first

[DaveW]

Yes Succulents can be grown hydroponically, just as you can root some Succulent cuttings in water. I too have read that "water roots" are slightly different to those produced in soil, therefore it takes a little time to change from one to the other either way, whether you are changing to hydroponics or planting from hydroponics to soil based media.

See:-

https://www.hunker.com/13426591/growing ... droculture

http://sacredcactus.org/cultivation/hyd ... i-growing/

https://hydroponic-culture.tumblr.com/p ... -of-cactus

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uH_-IUxmQw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GFiixRgTObg

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-ta9JEiq4v4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W-tEz4h0ci4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cMDO72V0iaQ

James, who posts on this forum also uses a form of hydroponics:-

http://jp29.org/brculthydro.htm

[Paul in Essex]

Hah! I realised, once I'd typed it, there may be other 'interpretations' to what I'd written!

I have a mate who has a similar set up in that it is an enclosed systems for Amazonian tree frogs, a small pond and jungle foliage plants. You chuck in some little insects that they eat and off it goes - in principle they can breed so you only need to 'seed' it with the food once, although I don't think it works that well on such a small scale. Pumps, sprayers, LEDs, heaters - all controlled via an app on his iPhone once you dial in the ecosystem you are looking for from the presets. Eye wateringly expensive, of course. And no veg, although you could program it for that I guess.

[Rich45s]

Oh wow, that sounds fancy. Everything has an app these days!

My trouble is I’m not a big fish eating fan. If I ever did it I’d see how feasible it would be to do with crayfish. The native ones are massively under threat from US ones let loose in UK rivers. Half for dinner and half to attempt to redress water way balance, if as I say it’s feasible and whoever looks after the waterways actually wanting them to help with repopulation of course.

I’m a bit weird, in that I’m crazy about shipping containers, I’d love to have a set up like that in a shipping container / shed in my garden. LEDS, Partially solar powered etc. In theory fresh salad and veg crops all year round.

[Rich45s]

Meant to also say. Thanks for those links Dave, will have a read / watch later