# Made a Self Watering Pot



## Cklinger (Jul 14, 2022)

Created this decorative pot the other day, only have to trim and glaze it! Water will fill the outer rim and the inner pot will be unglazed so water can seep through


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## eds (Jul 14, 2022)

Interesting idea. What orchid are you thinking of trying in it?


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## NYEric (Jul 14, 2022)

How much water seeps thru?


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## Cklinger (Jul 14, 2022)

eds said:


> Interesting idea. What orchid are you thinking of trying in it?


I was thinking trying either a Trisetella or Lepanthes in it, something that needs to stay consistently damp and will stay small since the whole piece is around the size of my palm.



NYEric said:


> How much water seeps thru?


I'm not sure yet, I'll have to wait until it has been fired and glazed. Hopefully it'll seep through enough to just keep the inner pot damp. I could always make another and make the inner pot thinner to let it seep through quicker if needed, but if all works out well then I'll probably be making a handful of these!


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## abax (Jul 14, 2022)

Very clever! I hope it works as you envisioned it. The pot looks interesting and
I'd love to have one. I admire good potters.


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## Ray (Jul 15, 2022)

Let me make a couple of comments from the perspective of my Ceramic Engineering degrees:

First and foremost, Kudos! Throwing pottery is not the easiest thing in the world to master.

There are four things that can effect the”weepability” - the clay used, the wall thickness, the firing, and the glazing.

I know it adds a new level of difficulty, but if you fire it unglazed, you can get an assessment of the first three’s combined impact, and if you can really baby it on a refire, using a lower melting glaze, you can use that to partially obscure the surface to reduce it a bit.


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## TyroneGenade (Jul 15, 2022)

This would be perfect for Disa longicornu (IOSPE PHOTOS) and rosea (Disa rosea by Rogier van Vugt it is hard to tell but the flowers sparkle in the light) and other rock-face loving Disa that grow in seeps. I wish I had had such a pot when I tried to grow these back in South Africa.


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## Just1more (Jul 15, 2022)

youllhave to post a pic when it’s finished and is giving an orchid plant a really special living/growing/blooming pot! I love it


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## Cklinger (Jul 15, 2022)

abax said:


> I'd love to have one.


I'll keep that in mind! I'll most likely be trimming and glazing today, but I've written down some more ideas for when I make more next week.


Ray said:


> There are four things that can effect the”weepability” - the clay used, the wall thickness, the firing, and the glazing.
> 
> I know it adds a new level of difficulty, but if you fire it unglazed, you can get an assessment of the first three’s combined impact, and if you can really baby it on a refire, using a lower melting glaze, you can use that to partially obscure the surface to reduce it a bit.


Thank's for the tip! I'll be talking with someone about it today and see what kind of clays would be best to use for the ones I'll be making next week and use this one as a tester to see how well it seeps on its own as well as refiring with a lower melting glaze.


TyroneGenade said:


> This would be perfect for Disa longicornu


I haven't heard of Disa's before, but they sure are beautiful! I may be on the hunt for one now


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## abax (Jul 15, 2022)

Cklinger, I think you have a market for your pots right here on ST!!!


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## TyroneGenade (Jul 15, 2022)

Cklinger said:


> I haven't heard of Disa's before, but they sure are beautiful! I may be on the hunt for one now



Eric Harley, of the Cape Orchid Society, used to grow the "seep" Disa in moss up against a slate roof tile which he had modified to have a trough of water at the top that would slowly seep water down the tile for the Disa. These Disa were very difficult to grow as they needed to be in constant contact with water but not really be submerged. The reverse of your pot (with a water reservoir on the inside) would be even better for such species that need damp but not wet feet. I recall a European article where a grower used old clay pipes, sealed the bottom, filled the pipe with water and would then mount the plants (Tristella etc) on the outside in moss. Pots with a central reservoir and pockets on the outside in which to plant small species might sell well among people trying to grow these species that want sun, cool temps and damp feet. The evaporation of the water on the clay would cool the plants very nicely.


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## Cearbhael (Jul 15, 2022)

Cklinger said:


> I was thinking trying either a Trisetella or Lepanthes in it, something that needs to stay consistently damp and will stay small since the whole piece is around the size of my palm.
> 
> 
> I'm not sure yet, I'll have to wait until it has been fired and glazed. Hopefully it'll seep through enough to just keep the inner pot damp. I could always make another and make the inner pot thinner to let it seep through quicker if needed, but if all works out well then I'll probably be making a handful of these!


Rather than making it thinner, how about some small holes near the bottom of the inner pot so it can wick the water up??


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## Cklinger (Jul 15, 2022)

TyroneGenade said:


> The reverse of your pot (with a water reservoir on the inside) would be even better for such species that need damp but not wet feet.


I agree, and when it comes to the clay pipes I actually have something like this except it has a brand name when I should've made it myself back before I bought one. This is what I have, although I have a tough time with it since it seems to seep at a relatively quick rate and then I have to take it out of its enclosure. It works really well though! It currently sits in storage with nothing on it, so hopefully I'll be able to get back to it and start mounting things on. This pot is more for decoration and to see if it'll seep into the middle pot, but I now want to make a much wider version so I can put water in the center and keep everything on the outside wet! Hopefully it'd work well for Bulbophyllums since I've been bolstering my Bulbophyllum collection.


Cearbhael said:


> Rather than making it thinner, how about some small holes near the bottom of the inner pot so it can wick the water up??


I can definitely do that! I really appreciate all these ideas since it gives me a lot to try out in my following sessions!


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## Ray (Jul 16, 2022)

Making holes near the bottom will cause the water depth in the outer part and inner part to equalize. If that’s your goal, make a single wall pot with a hole on the side an inch or so up from the bottom - or just use a plastic deli container - making it a standard pot for semi-hydroponic culture.


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## Cklinger (Jul 16, 2022)

Ray said:


> Making holes near the bottom will cause the water depth in the outer part and inner part to equalize.



You’re right, I hadn’t thought of that in the moment and I want to have the water seep through, so I probably won’t do that. I’ve made a couple more designs with different clay the other day so that I can see how porous it is, along with what thickness will work best


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## cnycharles (Aug 3, 2022)

Nice.


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## NYEric (Aug 4, 2022)

Cklinger said:


> I haven't heard of Disa's before, but they sure are beautiful! I may be on the hunt for one now


Those species are probably not available, if you want when I order some more common hybrids to try again, let me know.


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## Cklinger (Aug 5, 2022)

NYEric said:


> Those species are probably not available, if you want when I order some more common hybrids to try again, let me know.


I'll PM you!


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