Self-Watering Planter

myminifactory

This is a two-part self-watering planter made from two pieces, each 50 mm tall and 100 mm wide. Together, they form a solid 100 mm cube. The bottom part holds water, while the top piece uses cotton strings to draw water from the bottom into the soil above. The goal of this project is to teach students about how plants grow. I designed this using Autodesk Fusion 360 software. I began by designing the bottom piece first, drawing a 100 mm square and extruding it 50 mm tall. Then, I shelled it 5 mm inwards. Next, I created a sketch at the top and extruded it to form a rim. I then added a new component and made a 50 mm tall square on top of the previous piece. I next extruded a square inside this piece and used a circular pattern sketch to create holes. Finally, I employed a voronoi sketch generator plugin to create the voronoi patterning on the bottom piece. The Self-Watering Voronoi Planter project aims to introduce students to botany and hydroponics, teaching them about capillary action in the process. This project is suitable for elementary and middle school students in science or biology classes, but anyone can participate without prior knowledge or skills required. Lesson: After printing the self-watering planter, demonstrate how it works by tying cotton strings to the holes in the top piece, ensuring they reach the bottom of the planter. Wet the strings and fill the bottom part halfway with water. Fill the top part with soil, plant seeds, and water the soil. The capillary action in the string will replenish the soil with water. Place the planters by a window sill and let the seeds grow while teaching students about germination and photosynthesis. Choose the type of plant seeds to use and remember to check the water levels every few days. Duration: This lab's duration is as long as it takes for the seeds to germinate and grow, plus the time it takes to print the planter. It will take a few weeks but does not require much work. Grading students is up to the instructor. I recommend grading them on the health of their plant plus a quiz on what they were taught.