Self-Watering Planter

Made by Shapekit. 3D viewer, colour preview and more free models: https://shapekit.cc/self-watering-planter.html

A fluted planter for a houseplant from a 12 cm nursery pot, with a hidden 0.6 litre water reservoir underneath. Pour water into the funnel at the back; the soil in the slotted basket draws it up to the roots, and a yellow float shows how much is left. No wick cord, no screws, and every part prints without supports.

• 6 printed parts

• 17 × 17 × 17 cm assembled (L × W × H)

• ≈ 0.6 kg filament in total

• 163 mm build height needed for the reservoir; every part fits a 170 × 170 mm bed

Parts

Reservoir: The outer pot and water tank: 30 flutes outside, a smooth closed cup inside with the fill tube at the back. Holds 0.6 litre up to the full mark.

• Size: 169 × 168 × 163 mm

• Print: Upright, no supports. 4 walls and 5 top and bottom layers keep it watertight.

• Filament: ≈ 348 g

Inner pot: Holds 1.8 litres of soil: 145 to 152 mm across and 118 mm deep, so a 12 cm root ball fits with room to spare. Its flat floor stays 6 mm above the water, with drainage slots and a hole for the basket; a channel at the back slides over the fill tube.

• Size: 164 × 163 × 120 mm

• Print: Upright, floor on the bed. No supports: the bevel under the rim is 45°.

• Filament: ≈ 203 g

Wicking basket: A slotted cup that hangs through the floor of the inner pot and stands in the water. Packed with soil, it is the wick.

• Size: 46 × 42 × 42 mm

• Print: Upside down, flange on the bed. No supports: the tip is a 45° cone.

• Filament: ≈ 9 g

Fill cap: A funnel that plugs into the fill tube. Water pours through five windows; the rod slides up through the middle.

• Size: 30 × 30 × 14 mm

• Print: Upside down (top on the bed), no supports.

• Filament: ≈ 2 g

Float: A sealed float with a closed air pocket inside. It rides up and down in the fill tube.

• Size: 47 × 20 × 20 mm

• Print: Standing up, no supports. Keep the infill setting as it is: the air pocket is modelled in.

• Filament: ≈ 4 g

Indicator rod: Presses into the float and shows the level at the cap. Two grooves mark half full and full.

• Size: 124 × 5 × 2 mm

• Print: Flat on the bed, grooves up.

• Filament: ≈ 2 g

What else you need

• Nothing to buy: no screws, no glue and no wick cord. The soil in the slotted basket does the wicking.

• Potting soil and a plant from a nursery pot of up to 12 cm (about 12 cm across and 10.5 cm tall).

• Optional: a thin coat of waterproof sealant inside the reservoir, if your printer doesn't print watertight walls.

Print settings

• 0.20 mm layer height

• 4 walls and 5 top and bottom layers for a watertight reservoir

• 15% gyroid infill

• PETG best with water; PLA works indoors

For a 0.4 mm nozzle. Filament amounts are estimates for these settings.

How to build it

1. Print and test: Print the reservoir with 4 walls and 5 top and bottom layers. Fill it with water and leave it on a paper towel for a day: if it weeps, coat the inside with a thin layer of sealant.

2. Build the float: Press the flat rod into the slot on top of the float, round end up and the grooves facing you. It is a press fit: no glue needed. Float it in a glass of water: if it slowly fills and sinks, print it again a little hotter.

3. Put it together: Lower the inner pot into the reservoir with the channel at the back over the fill tube; its bevel settles on the rim and centres it. Drop the float into the fill tube, rod up, and press the cap into the tube with the rod through its middle.

4. Plant: Push the basket through the hole in the floor from inside and pack it firmly with potting soil. Add a layer of soil, set the root ball in a little forward of the centre, fill round it and water from the top the first time, so the soil is wet all the way down.

5. Fill the reservoir: Pour water into the cap's funnel until the second groove on the rod is level with the top of the cap. That is full: about 0.6 litre. Don't fill past it, or the soil will stand in the water.

6. Refill: When the rod has sunk back flush with the cap, the reservoir is almost empty. Most plants need a refill every one to three weeks.

PLA softens at about 55 °C: keep a PLA planter out of strong sun behind glass, or print it in PETG. Printed parts are not food safe, so don't use the reservoir for drinking water.

More

3D viewer, colour preview and the full guide: https://shapekit.cc/self-watering-planter.html

Licence: CC BY-NC 4.0. Print it, remix it and share it with credit to Shapekit. Please don't sell the files or the prints.

Want your own photo on a lamp shade, lithophane, phone case or wall clock? Make one for free in your browser at https://shapekit.cc.