I seen some in Home Depot! I havent gotten any myself and probably won’t. Sounds like an ok idea, but I never keep anything in its original container and soil for too long. it anything, you can make your own self watering bottles for your plants!

That's been the way I rolled for decades too, always repotting new plants within a few days, and often before even going in the house on my way home from buying them. Even though these are tiny pots, I don't have to worry about these getting too dry during the week if I'm only going to water plants on weekends. And because they are tiny, AND I don't need to reach them often, they've ended up very near windows in the "good light" where there was not room for more big pots.

I kind of feel like I did make my own container, cutting the top off of a water bottle. Of course, it's not high on the aesthetic scale. I may or may not get bored enough to do something about that, and my usual style is function over form.

Matching pots to potential reservoirs is what is holding me back from my own putting wicks in other pots even though I did buy some mason line. The first candidates will be a few pretty but hole-less cache pots. Those will not be fugly like this severed plastic bottle. ;)

I saw them too, at a Lowes. I picked up a plant and water dripped on me, and thought what the heck? Usually plants are bone dry. Then discovered the wick and the self watering trays with water. I did not buy any as nothing was that tempting. It's an interesting idea overall, and wouldn't mind watering less, but see it's for plants that like a good amount of water and not for ones that should dry out between waterings.

I think it is a good thing for the retailer, as it is probably more reliable for them to prevent over/under watering

Long term, I wonder about sanitation, bacteria mostly.

I have been wanting to try wicking for Rex begonias - I feel like they would not like the constant moisture, tho.

What other plants would do poorly with a wick?

Try a thrift store for reservoirs. I find pots but also coffee mugs and other dishware.

long term hydro is not a problem - you just need to add 1-2tsp of 3% peroxide to a qt of water to suppress growth of bacteria. plenty of African violet growers use wicking (lots of info too).

in my 2.5gal jugs that I use over winter for large plants water is fine after 4mo :). but I add copper (a few pennies) too to suppress bacteria/algae AND i shield them from sun. otherwise you need to use chemicals for algae.

yes, rex begonias are not suitable. but besides I can't name anything really.

though for short-term 2-3 wk period when temps are over 70F even my rexes go on wicks for summer trips. but! they have to be grown in 1:1 soilless/perlite mix and quite shallow. otherwise they will rot, of course.

they are very similar to African viloets: you can't wick AV's in original store-bought mix. since it's impossible to bare-root rexes/rhizos without damaging the plant I grow them from rooted leaves in 1:1 mix from the start.

I leave succulents on top wicks though and in clay pots - and the are in very drainable mix, of course. so even succulents are wickable.

Do you think Elephant ears are wickable? I am fairly new to this plant mom life.

yes, but you need to keep them in very small pots relative to their size (downsize by 2 pot sizes, if you bring them from outdoors).

and we're talking growing warm season in partial sun indoors and out. at 80f-85F they'll take a lot of water.

winter is different IF you can't provide sunny warm position (above 70F :), but 75F is better). at 65F they go dormant and won't take any water or hardly any at all - then it's necessary to keep them almost dry, but not quite, just barely any water and best light you can manage. no wicks , of course. and they will drop most leaves (so you'd know and accept ;().