---
title: "I have a question about self watering pots. I set one up for my…"
description: "I have a question about self watering pots. I set one up for my african violet but now I’m wondering if i just leave it there and make sure there is always…"
url: "https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg/McPE9dJzS9SZYrM-3273Lw"
community: "Anything about plants"
author: "𐌛★ⵍ!𐌂"
published: "2024-02-03T19:23:47.126671Z"
language: "en"
image: "https://images.getplanta.com/v2/cloudinary/global_data/communities/everythingHousePlants.jpg"
---

[Community](https://getplanta.com/community.md) / [Anything about plants](https://getplanta.com/community/lZ7uAE3pQ86jnFGxrCwLrg.md)

# I have a question about self watering pots. I set one up for my…

_Posted by 𐌛★ⵍ!𐌂 on 2024-02-03_

I have a question about self watering pots. I set one up for my african violet but now I’m wondering if i just leave it there and make sure there is always water in it or do i take it out after a while? Ive heard that the plant will just take the water it needs, but i have a string running up from the water into the pot, i just don’t wanna overwater!

## 3 comments

### Plant Father commented on 2024-02-03

unfortunately there’s no way for a plant to “take what it needs” beyond the small amount used daily. for most plants in self-watering pots, it’s helpful to leave the reservoir dry for a few days to allow the soil to dry out somewhat instead of staying moist all the time

### Sunny commented on 2024-02-03

I would not keep the string in water full time to prevent overwatering.

There are ceramic pots that are designed for African violets. These are nested pots. The inner pot is unglazed. The outer pot is glazed and holds water in it. See the picture. Water is soaked through the walls and bottom of the inner pot on watering day. Wait for the soil to become evenly moist. Then, throw out the unused water. The leaves can’t touch the pot’s rim to avoid touching water. These pots can be expensive and small.

![Attachment 1 of 1](https://images.getplanta.com/v1/resize/wefqOljjhEOiS9LRzOB1-QhxkVJiB4A5DGumXhnNrhs/M20OkJUxTP-OnlU5JIln9Q.webp?size=large)

### Kelly commented on 2025-01-03

I have this same exact question. How did you end up using yours? Any tips?

---

_Source: the Planta community (https://getplanta.com). Reading is open to everyone. To post, comment and like, get the Planta app: https://getplanta.com/download_