Hi everyone! So I’ve done potted flowers on my front porch and patio for years and always had tons of success with large, healthy flowers. But I’ve also always used inexpensive planters with a drain hole in the bottom - I water liberally, let the excess drain out, and voila. This year, I bought the Mayne “self-watering” planters and have had issues. I bought them for their look, not the self-watering function, but I’m wondering if these planters are actually an issue. They claim to have a water basin in the bottom, so excess water is held and then continues to water the plants. My experience? The flowers barely grow. I’m wondering if the constant dampness is actually counterproductive. If that’s the issue, I’ll drill holes in the bottom and have them function like regular pots/planters, but because these were expensive, I don’t want to take a drill to them until I’ve confirmed that’s the issue. Here’s a link to the planters:
https://www.bedbathandbeyond.com/store/product/mayne-fairfield-28-5-inch-x-16-inch-tall-patio-planter-in-black/1018259559?skuId=18259559&gclsrc=aw.ds&&mrkgcl=609&mrkgadid=3296979585&rkg_id=0&enginename=google&mcid=PS_googlepla_nonbrand_homedecor_online&product_id=18259559&adtype=pla&product_channel=online&adpos=1o20&creative=224230473969&device=m&matchtype=&network=g&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpavpBRDQARIsAPfTwiwz444yZPCyAc-Ob8Seuvlo4nlw5PyCKcqZIDG5ZVOjWM5TAQAb7BkaAjf1EALw_wcB

And here’s the flowers in the planters in question (they’re fine, just not thriving) and the below photo is the same types of flowers on my back patio. Generally, conditions are the same and I’ve watered them on the same cadence. What’s the deal with these “self watering” planters? Are they just nonsense? If I rock the planters, I can hear probably a gallon of water sloshing around in the bottom of each!