Self-Watering Pot With Water Level Indicator (With a Food Can)

"Hello to all the green DIY and sustainable creativity enthusiasts! Have you ever had a tomato can that you were about to toss, but your creative side insisted it could become something more? Well, guess what? I did it! Allow me to introduce you to my latest DIY adventure: the 'Self-Watering Planter 2.0'! Using my trusty 3D printer and a tomato can destined for recycling, I've transformed these elements into a clever solution to keep my plants consistently happy and well-watered. In this instructable, I'll guide you step by step through turning a simple can into a self-watering masterpiece. So, come along with me and discover how recycling and technology come together to create green magic in your very own garden or window!

Only 4 things:

1. Autodesk Tinkercad
2. A 3d Printer
3. A Tomato Can For Recycling
4. A piece of Styrofoam, Porexpan,expanded polystyrene or whatever it's called in your country.

• Generate 2 cylinders. 1 orange X:93mm, Y:93mm, Z:90mm
• and 1 trans X:91mm, Y:91mm, Z:100mm
• Center the cylinders, take the transparent cylinders and move 3 mm in Z
• Group and make a copy.
• Ungroup de copy, center and group.
• We reserve these forms for later.

• Generate 2 curved roof shapes
• move 90 degrees
• Yellow Curved Roof:X:64mm Y:23mm Z:90mm
• Trans Curved Roof:X:62mm Y:21mm Z:124mm
• Center the Curved Roofs and get up 40mm on Z the Yellow
• Group

• Generate 2 cylinders. 1 orange X:20mm, Y:20mm, Z:90mm
• and 1 trans X:18mm, Y:1mm, Z:120mm
• Center the cylinder and get up 40mm on Z the orange
• Group
• To create the buoy, we will use an orange cylinder of 18mm in both X and Y dimensions. Additionally, we will make a transparent cylinder of 17mm in both X and Y dimensions. In the Z dimension, we'll set it to 20mm, and we'll lower the transparent cylinder by 2mm to create space for this cylinder.

• For the stick, we will follow a similar process. We'll use a cylinder with a diameter of 6mm in both the X and Y dimensions. For the transparent part, we'll use a cylinder with a diameter of 5mm. Just like before, we'll adjust the Z dimension, but this time we'll set it to 90mm.

• Now, we will take a hollow sphere with dimensions of 10mm x 10mm x 10mm and place it at the top.
• Place the piece of styrofoam in this gap.

Do you remember the orange shape from the beginning? We will select the orange shape and punch holes in it. I'm going to use squares for this.

• Starting with a 5mm by 5mm square, we will make copies of it and space them 10mm apart. While doing so, we will take care to leave the necessary space to place the shape for the water level and the opening through which we will fill the water.
• After they are aligned, we will assemble this sort of matrix and center it on the orange shape to join them and make the cut.
• And we will raise it 30mm
• Create a square of X: 26mm, Y: 17mm, and Z: 48mm. Just like before, copy, center, and raise by 2mm to make the cut.
• Use the matrix we made earlier to create holes in this piece. This part is very important, as it will be filled with soil, allowing the plant to access water at all times.

• Now we will take the green shape, give it a height of 120mm, with two transparent curved roof shapes measuring 45mm in width and 30mm in height. We will form a plus sign, center it, and cut it.

• First, we will take the shape to pour the water, center it, and then separate it from the transparent piece to join everything again, creating the cut in the base. We will do the same with the shape to see the water level.
• We separate the previous shapes and combine everything into a single form.We will now create a square with the following measurements: X: 20mm, Y: 30mm, and Z: 33mm. We will copy it, move the copy 2mm upwards, and then hollow out the piece. Using the same matrix as before, we will create holes in this piece and join it to our main piece.
• And that would be it, a10 percent infill would be sufficient.
• You can also take the opportunity to decorate the can. The kids will love it!!! And the not-so-kids will too.

• We can print it on a Friday night, and on Saturday morning, we can plant the chosen plant.
• Choose a plant you like, and of course, one that fits. Transplant it, fill it with water until the water level is at the top, and forget about watering it again for a long time.
• Moreover, it can be a great Saturday plan to do with the kids.You can also take the opportunity to decorate the can. The kids will love it!!! And the not-so-kids will too.
• Keep in mind that it has a very small base for printing. Remember to set up your slicer to generate a brim so that it has strength during printing and doesn't get damaged.
• And that would be it, only printing would remain. A 10 percent infill would be sufficient.

• Well, that's all, folks!!! I'm leaving you the STL file so you can give it a try. It would be great if you shared your experiences while working on this project. I hope you have a good time