Plant that you never need to water – Pikaplant Jar

Amsterdam-based design label Pikaplant has long been on a mission to deliver the abundant benefits of plants to those without a green thumb. They previously designed a steel shelf topped with a glass resevoir for low-maintenence plant keeping. Now, their new project—’pikaplant jar’—mimics nature to create a stand-alone plant that you never need to water.

Modeled after natural water systems, this tabletop plant consists of a specially selected blooming plant hermetically sealed inside a glass jar. The self-sustaining biotope recycles water and nutrients from the humid air so that the owner never needs to worry about watering the plant. Inspired by nature’s ability to make people healthier, happier, and more creative, the Pikaplant was designed with the aim of making gardening more accessible to everyone.

Pikaplant jar is the solution for those who lack the talent or time needed to care for plants. In the outside world, greenery survives naturally—it adapts to its surroundings and has an amazing resilience to change. Pikaplant’s projects copy natural cycles to create plants that care for themselves.

Each jar recreates a natural cycle of evaporation and precipitation in a tiny microenvironment, continuously recycling the air and water inside. The jars are influenced by the misty mountains of ethiopia’s southwestern highlands, aiming to mimic the humid biotopes that occur naturally there. One of the original prototypes has been growing happily in its container for over 30 months.

Monitored automatically by a wet-dry cycle, the process is controlled by a single-valve system. “This analogue system integrates a humidity sensor and actuator – when a shelf contains a certain amount of water, it blocks the water flow,” said designer Daniel Sutjahjo, who cofounded Pikaplant with Joost van Uden.

“When your plants have absorbed all of the water and the shelf has been dry for a few days, the valve opens and water flows down into the shelf again,” he added.

The jars currently come with a Coffee Arabica, but the designers are currently experimenting with other plants in hopes of extending the range by the end of this year.