‘I tried a self watering plant pot – this is my honest review’

We earn a commission for products purchased through some links in this article.

The POTR plant pot has the Chelsea Flower Show seal of approval, too

If you’re anything like me, as soon as you’ve planned a holiday you start worrying about how to keep your plants alive, especially as I don't know my neighbours well enough to ask them to take on their care. So, when I saw a self-watering plant pot at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show, my interest was piqued.

Then, two things happened. Firstly, POTR’s design was declared Chelsea's sustainable product of the year. Secondly, I went away for a weekend only to come back to a thoroughly yellow, thoroughly dehydrated plant. I knew I had to try it.

Luckily, I had a two-week holiday on the horizon, giving me the perfect opportunity to see if it was the plant protector I’d been looking for.

Before I dive into my review, some background. Instead of going to one place for my break, I’d planned two different weeks away with a stopover back at home in between. This meant I was able to check up on my plants midway through, but I was strict and didn’t water the two carefully selected specimens.

My holiday also coincided with this year’s first heatwave, adding some extra jeopardy to my experiment.

So, did the plants survive? Here’s my honest review of the Self-Watering POTR Pot.

POTR’s self-watering pots have a unique origami design – but it’s not just for show. It’s all part of their more sustainable approach. Because the pots fold into place, they are shipped flat, reducing their carbon footprint as more can be transported.

Plus, they are made using waste plastic sourced within the UK and EU (they’re made in the UK too), and the pot can be recycled again at the end of its life.

The letterbox-friendly design makes them less fragile in the post and a perfect gift, but only if it’s easy to put them together…

I've never been someone who’s mastered an origami crane. Even my paper airplanes are bad. But generally, I found the pots quick to assemble – and I say this as someone who left the construction until 10 o’clock the night before I went away.

It was fiddly, and I’d recommend scanning the QR code on the packaging to watch the instruction video first, as I found this much clearer than the on-pack diagrams. But once I knew where the pot slotted together, and the right direction to thread the cord from, the pots quickly transformed.

Once the outer shell is set up, it’s easy sorting out the rest. First up, you pop in the small stand, which elevates the nursery pot so your precious plant baby isn’t sat in water with its roots rotting while you’re away. Then you pour water in up to the top of the transparent fill window.

Now it’s time for the clever bit. A wick – essentially a piece of cord – runs from the bottom of the pot where the water is, then through the edge of the pot and into the soil. The plant can then draw up water as and when it needs it.

You soak the wick before you add the pot in so it’s fully drenched, then you put the plant in the pot and you’re pretty much ready to go. I found that gently rotating a pencil or pen into the soil to make a bit of a hole for the cable handy, as you need to get it a couple of centimetres deep. Again, I found POTR’s instructional video very helpful in guiding me through this.

Time to bid my plants farewell.

For this experiment, I nominated two communicative plants that make it obvious when they’re thirsty – a satin pothos, whose leaves curl and then turn yellow, and a calathea zebrina whose leaves go droopy.

Of course, the first thing I did when I waltzed back through my front door after a week in the Tuscan sun was to check on my plants. And I was impressed. Both looked healthy and well-watered.

I noticed that the wick felt dry to the touch, so I decided to drench it again before heading off again for another week away. I also topped up the water levels at the bottom of the pot. But otherwise, I put aside my helicopter plant parenting instincts and decided to trust the process, departing without watering them.

I was inspired too; with a heatwave forecast, I decided to create DIY POTRs on my balcony in the hope that I wouldn’t come back to dead seedlings. So far, so verdant.

When we got back another week later, once again, unpacking had to wait until my precious plants had their check-up. And I was thrilled with my pothos. The leaves were just as they should be – flat with no yellowing in sight.

The same wasn’t quite true of my thirsty Zebrina, which was looking rather droopy. I probably water this more than most of my other plants, so in some ways this wasn’t surprising.

A quick drink revitalised it in no time, but I’m also not sure the POTR was to blame. This is because the nursery pot was a smidge too big to fit in comfortably. I squeezed it in for the purpose of the test, but for another holiday, I would pick a bigger planter so that it can sit properly inside it and have adequate water at the base. Poor plant parenting on my part then, rather than a product flaw.

And because I know you want to hear how my balcony did… Well, it turned out that the heatwave was short-lived, so I needn’t have worried too much. But everything was still blooming, suggesting that my somewhat slapdash set-up certainly helped. As my budget sadly won’t stretch to a POTR for every plant in my collection, it’s a trick I'll try again.

I’d count this experiment a resounding success. I’m not sure the vibrant orange pot I tried quite fits in with my year-round decor, but for leaving precious plants when I'm away, I haven't come across anything better.

Yes, one of my plants needed a long drink when I got home, but I do think a larger size pot would have helped. And it bounced back quickly, so it wasn’t parched beyond rescuing.

I’ll definitely use the self watering planters again and I like the flat-pack design, which makes it easily giftable.

Hannah is our homes editor, specialising in reviewing the latest kitchen appliances, cleaning products, mattresses and bedding, and crafting equipment. Hannah has written about hundreds of products, from air fryers to smoothie makers to pillows, and is committed to finding the most reliable and best value for money buys.

Hannah is also interested in sustainability in the home and has completed a course with the University of the Arts London in sustainable textiles, so she can help cut through the noise on what’s green and what’s not. Hannah has an MA in Magazine Journalism and has previously worked as a freelance lifestyle and women’s sports journalist, working for Stylist, Sky Sports and more.

Hannah has also previously worked in a florist and can normally be found caring for her house plants or sewing something new for her home or wardrobe.

Best sunrise alarm clocks to shop in 2024

Best electric cleaning brushes

The best coverless duvets, according to the GHI

Best standing desks, tried and tested by the GHI

The best budget uni essentials

The best Henry vacuum cleaners

The best carry-on backpacks to buy now

Eight Sleep Pod 4 cooling mattress topper review

‘I swapped my hob and oven for an air fryer’

The best garden sofas, according to our editors

The best Dyson products worth investing in

The GHI put an under-desk treadmill to the test