Do self-watering pots work in the UAE?
A self-watering pot has a water reservoir under the soil and a wick or soil column that draws water up as the roots use it. You refill the reservoir instead of watering the top, and the plant takes what it needs. For a plant that wants evenly moist soil and sulks when it dries out, that is a real improvement, especially in an AC apartment where a watering is easy to forget.
UAE water is the complication. Tap water here is desalinated and mineral-treated, and in a normal pot the salts wash out of the drainage hole each time you water through. In a self-watering pot water only moves upward, so minerals collect in the top of the soil and show as a white crust and brown leaf tips. If you use one, water heavily from the top once a month until it runs into the reservoir, then empty the reservoir and refill it fresh. The salt problem is explained in whether Dubai tap water is safe for houseplants.
We do not sell self-watering pots at the moment. Our white ceramic pots, small and large, have a drainage hole and a matching saucer, which is the safer default for most houseplants in AC rooms. If the real problem is travel, choose plants that like to dry out, such as the snake plant and ZZ in our Low-Light Survivors set, and on a balcony use a drip irrigation kit on a battery timer, which waters from the top and flushes the soil every time.
Which plants should not go in a self-watering pot?
Anything built to dry out between waterings: snake plant, ZZ plant, succulents, cacti, string of hearts, elephant bush and orchids, whose roots need to dry between soaks. In a 22–24°C AC room these plants use very little water, so a reservoir keeps their roots wet for weeks, and that is how root rot starts.
Are self-watering pots a good idea on a Dubai balcony?
Rarely in summer. A reservoir in a pot in full sun heats up, and warm water sitting against the roots encourages rot. An open reservoir or fill spout that holds still water for a week can also breed mosquitoes; see whether balcony plants attract mosquitoes. For balcony plants, a drip kit and a layer of gravel on the soil do the same job more reliably.