Wasted $45 on a self watering planter that just rotted my herbs

Bought one of those fancy self watering pots from Amazon back in March thinking it would be perfect for my balcony since I travel for work sometimes. Big mistake. The reservoir kept the soil way too wet and my basil and thyme both got root rot within 3 weeks. Lost like 6 plants total. The design looks great but the wicking system just doesnt work for herbs that like drier soil. Anyone else have luck with these things or should I just stick to regular pots with a tray? Im thinking about trying a terracotta spike thing instead but not sure if those are any better.

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anna_craig18d ago

Try treating the reservoir as a tool instead of a set schedule, since most of these pots fail because people keep them topped off all the time. Herbs like basil and thyme actually do fine in self watering setups if you let the reservoir run dry for a day or two between fills and use a gritty mix with extra perlite, in my experience. The pot is not the problem, the constant moisture is, so maybe give it one more shot before writing it off.

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