Wasted $90 on self-watering pots that just made mud

I grabbed a set of self-watering pots from a big box store last spring, thinking they'd solve my balcony watering issues. Three months in, my basil roots were rotting and the soil stayed soggy no matter what I did. Turns out the wicking system works fine indoors but fails hard in direct sun on a 7th floor balcony in Chicago. I threw them out and went back to basic terracotta with a saucer, which costs like $15. Anyone else get burned by fancy pots that sound great but ignore real balcony conditions?

2 comments

2 Comments

matthew_owens925d ago

Switching to fabric grow bags fixed the same problem for me, way better airflow and drainage.

anthony12724d agoMost Upvoted

Ugh, same here. Switched to fabric bags and never looked back.