Passive Watering Planter

thingiverse

I'm still printing this right now and won't be able to fix any potential design flaws until 7/20/19, print at your own risk until then. One time I tried making an automated plant watering system at home, but it inevitably flooded my room, so I set about designing a passive watering system that would have no risk of flooding. The result is based on two principles: The Wick: Acts as the medium for water using capillary action to slowly transfer it up to the reservoir. I used a wick cord. The Polymer Crystals: Absorb water and slowly expand, acting as an external vacuole for plants. You can learn more about this at Socochem.com or Amazon. Assembly: After getting your wick and crystals and printing the enclosure, start assembly by cutting four 4-inch long strands of wick core and pushing them into the holes in the planter. Use a small toothpick to push the wicks in. Pull each strand so that three-quarters is inside the planter while one-quarter remains at the bottom. Then pour a thin layer of polymers down, just barely covering the bottom because they can expand significantly. You have two options: either pour some soil on top with the knowledge that plant roots will eventually reach the polymers or mix extra polymers into your soil to allow easier growth in new plants.