Noon Shadow Wave Self-Watering Planter | Wabi-Sabi

Noon Shadow Wave Planter | Wabi-Sabi Pot A self-watering planter shaped by the hour of the day. ☀️ The Story Behind the Name This planter was designed around light as much as form. Its waves run horizontally around the body, so they only come alive when light falls from above. Around noon, with the sun high overhead, every ridge casts a thin shadow onto the band below it, and the whole surface turns into soft, moving lines of light and shade. Light the same pot from the side and the pattern almost disappears into a calm, quiet surface.   That is why it is called Noon Shadow. Its companion, the Dusk Shadow Wave Planter (releasing next week), works the opposite way: its waves flow vertically and wake up when the light comes low from the side, like the last sun of the evening. Together they follow a day's light, one pot for the high sun and one for the low. Neither pattern is a straight, perfect line. The waves drift, swell and fade like sand shaped by wind. It is a small wabi-sabi idea: the pot is never quite the same twice, and it changes with the window, the season and the time you happen to look at it.   📦 What's Included Noon Shadow outer pot in Small and Large Self-watering reservoir tray for each size, with 5 open legs that hold it above the water and a centre wick bar Inner grow insert for each size, with a perforated floor, two built-in fill channels and centring ribs Every part is designed to print without supports. 📐 Sizes Small → Ø 162 × 150 mm. Soil ≈ 1.1 L, reservoir ≈ 140 ml. Ideal for herbs, small foliage and cuttings. Large → Ø 253 × 250 mm. Soil ≈ 5.5 L, reservoir ≈ 450 ml. Suited to mid-size foliage and statement plants. A full reservoir typically lasts about 2 to 9 days on the Large and 2 to 7 days on the Small, depending on the plant, light, season and how many wicks you use. 💧 How the Self-Watering System Works Water sits in the reservoir under the tray. The soil never touches it directly. A synthetic wick cord does all the work: one end hangs in the water, the other end runs up into the soil, and capillary action pulls water up the cord into the root zone as the plant needs it. The open, slotted legs keep the tray and insert lifted above the water and let air and water move freely underneath. The insert's two fill channels let you pour water straight into the reservoir without wetting the soil from above. 🧵 Choosing the Wick Use a synthetic wick cord about 3 mm thick, in nylon, polyester or acrylic. Cotton rots in damp soil within a few months and stops wicking, while synthetic cord lasts for years. Self-watering wick cord sold for planters is ideal. You can thread wick through two kinds of opening: The centre slot: loop the cord around the wick bar in the middle of the tray and bring it up through the slot in the insert floor. This is your main wick. The drainage hole rows: the tray and the insert both have rows of 3 holes, and you can run extra wicks through these when the holes line up. More wicks means faster watering, which helps thirsty plants or the Large pot in summer. 🔗 Align and Tie the Tray and Insert First The tray and the insert must sit exactly on top of each other, with their holes lined up. If you lower the insert into the pot on its own, it can easily end up rotated or slightly crooked. The holes then no longer overlap, much of the insert floor ends up blocked by the solid parts of the tray, and the wicks can't pass through.   To avoid this, put them together outside the pot: Set the insert on the tray and turn it until the rows of 3 holes in both parts line up, and the two fill channels sit over the large notches in the tray rim. Tie them together with a few short pieces of string or cord through matching hole pairs, so they can't shift. Lower them into the pot as one unit. 🌱 Setup and Watering Cut your wick cords to length: long enough to reach the bottom of the reservoir and to run 5 to 10 cm up into the soil. Thread the main wick around the tray's wick bar and up through the insert's centre slot. Add extra wicks through the rows of 3 holes if you want more water flow. Align and tie the tray and insert as described above, then lower them into the outer pot together. Spread the upper ends of the wicks out into the bottom layer of soil as you fill, so they sit in the root zone. Plant, then water from the top once to settle the soil and wet the wicks so they start drawing water. From then on, pour water into either fill channel. It runs straight down into the reservoir. 🪴 Good to Know Use a fine, peat or coir-based potting mix with no more than about 30% perlite. Chunky bark or aroid mixes don't take water from the wick well. Don't overfill. Pour about 400 ml into the Large or 120 ml into the Small, and stop there. If water rises above the tray, the soil will sit wet. To check the level, slide a wooden skewer down a fill channel like a dipstick. Let the reservoir run dry for a day or two now and then, so the roots get some air. The outer pot holds the reservoir water, so print it watertight. ✨ Perfect For Japandi and wabi-sabi interiors Sunlit shelves, skylights and spots with strong overhead light Plant lovers who forget to water Herbs and foliage that prefer evenly moist soil 🎨 Filament Recommendations Recommended: 👉 Bambu PLA Matte The matte surface catches the ridge shadows cleanly and hides layer lines. Bone White and Desert Tan show off the overhead shadow play best, while deeper earth tones like clay and terracotta give a warmer, heavier look.   💼 Commercial Subscribers Need a custom size, a different reservoir depth or a specific setup for a commercial planting project? If you are an active commercial subscriber, reach out and I can adapt the model to your needs. Thank you for respecting creator rights and supporting original design work 🤍