Hi all! I was just looking through the Gardeners Supply catalog (gardeining catalogs are my second favorite hobby, next to digging in the dirt!) and I saw varoius self-watering containers, hanging baskets, including an interesting setup just for tomatoes. Having almost no experience with container gardening, I was wondering if these pricey gadgets were really worth the money! They seem like a great idea.
I have a yard full of flowers, especially roses, and all my suuny beds are full. My 8yr old daughter wants me to grow tomatoes - they're one of the few "veggies" she'll eat (yes, i know they are fruit :) ) I thought the self-watering containers would make it easy - Lord knows I barely have time for all my roses! I could grow them along side my patio in the sun in containers without having to dig yet another bed.
So - are they worth it? Or can I rig up something similar myself? Or just use regular containers?
self-watering planters?
i've found i have to water my self-water containers almost as much as my regular containers. with the tomatoes, just make sure the container is large enough based on the type of tomato you're planting.
cupoftea --- You may want to purchase an Earthbox instead of Gardeners as there were some negative remarks from the Gardeners box. www earthbox.com and see for your self, also check the tomato forum and this forum. You will find many more comments about EBs.
If you will incorporate water crystals into your potting mix, you only have to water half as often - wonderful invention!
Just don't use moisture crystals with earthbox because the soil will become to moist and cause root rot.
Dose anyone know a way to prevent mosquito larva hatching in self watering pots? I any thing safe to add that would not hurt the plant?
I've bought some little donut looking floats that can be broken into pieces for smaller areas of water. I was using them in my bird bath and in my rainwater container. They are called MosquitoDunks. They float and work for 30 days or longer. It says that alternate wetting and drying will not reduce their effectiveness. One dunk is good for up to 100 square feet of water surface regardless of depth. Other suggested uses are bird baths, flower pots, tree holes, rain barrels and roof gutters, unused swimming pools, old auto tires and water gardens. You should be able to find them at a few garden centers or hardware stores. I got mine at walmart. If you are using them for a small area the coverage is 1-5 sq. ft surface water=1/4 of the Dunk, that should work in a self watering container, you might even be able to get away with 1/8th of one. Hope that helps.
dmac, thank you! That is exactly what I need.
You're welcome! If you can't find any let me know and I can look around up here and try to get you some.
Donna
dmac and jrenick,
Recently, I read that the mosquito dunks can also be placed into a watering can that you fill with water at night. By the next day, the dunk has disolved just a bit, and the water is then very good for your indoor plants. This does away with the indoor knats that have a tendency to develop in the soil of pots. I now use them this way, on nearly everything that I water, indoors and outdoors.
Sheral
lily13, thank you for that info! I would have never thought of using it that way but it makes perfect sense. I don't have a good comfort level using pesticides and from time to time have had the knat problem with the houseplants so this suggestion is very appreciated!
Thank you again!
Donna
Hi Cupoftea--- I used 6 - 8" Self-Watering pots, from Menards, ($4.00) last year to grow bellpeppers and indeterminite tomatoes. Unfortunately they only had a half-gallon resesevoir, which is OK early on but once fruit appears tomatoes suck up more than a gallon per day (I watered 3+ times a day). Also, had a problem with wasp/yellow jackets during the hottest months. Larger size ezgrow SW containers seem to have a max of 1.25 gallons AND ONLY ONE (1) plant per container.
SAVE YOURSELF SOME WORK and either look at the EB thread (for how to get the lowest price ($29.00 plus S&H each) on an EB or make a DIY EB for less than $15.00. You can plant 2 tomato plants in 1 EB.
Bernie