A self-watering tile that mimics the way plants grow in the rainforest – allowing you to grow like nature.
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Our vision was to reimagine the centuries old planter. The idea was simple, yet the task was complex. Bound together with a passion for natural material, plants, and ecological products – we combined our knowledge and experience to create a user-friendly product and an optimal solution for plants to thrive indoors.
The tile is a vessel that acts as a water bank. The water is held in the vessel and is slowly diffused through the material to the cells on the surface for the plant to drink.
Self-Watering
The structure of the material is solid, yet porous. Water is slowly diffused through it, and is held by the cells giving the plant time to drink and allowing you to water less often.
The main reason plants die is due to improper watering. Underwatering starves the plant, while overwatering can suffocate it by blocking the roots’ access to air. The tile addresses this by slowly diffusing water to the plant on the exterior surface allowing the plant roots to absorb moisture and air at their own pace.
No mess
It needed to be simple, clean, low-maintenance and hydroponic – without the use of any soil or dirt. Combining the idea of hydroponics and the concept of porous material was the key.
We created our proprietary ceramic material that was just the right amount of porosity and hygroscopic tendencies to allow water to diffuse through the material and allow the plant to grow on the surface of the material.
Designing for Plants. We wanted to design a piece that was aesthetically beautiful but it also needed to serve a function; it needed to be a good home for plants. For this we needed to produce a complex shape for the surface of the tile to meet the needs of the plants.
It needed to:
· Hold seeds on the surface while they sprout.
· Hold water for plant roots to drink.
· Provide a shape and texture that would allow plant roots to grip the surface.
We used parametric design to create the shape we envisioned, and created several prototypes to test with seeds and plants. After testing we looked for ways to improve the product and refined the algorithm and design to get to the optimal solution for plants to thrive.
Each tile requires a base—choose a wall or table base for individual placement. For a vertical stack of two tiles, only one wall base is needed. For horizontal or complex arrangements, each tile requires its own base.
See the accompanying GIF to visualize different configurations and determine the number of bases you’ll need to bring your vision to life.
The tile has a very visible timeline as you can see the proces of plant growth on the surface – from seeds sprouting to roots grasping and growing looking for water, leaves extending towards the light, and flowers blooming.
The tile comes with a physical guide booklet and access to our online video guides, giving you everything you need to help your plant thrive. Whether you’re just starting or have a green thumb, our step-by-step instructions will guide you to success, ensuring your plant flourishes.
The tile comes with a thin stainless steel mesh cover which allows water to pass but prevents anything to enter.
At tevaplanter, we took a step back to embrace the gentle pace of nature, embarking on a journey to redefine plant care for the modern home. Our mission is to merge the simplicity of natural growth with the elegance of design, crafting a living product that brings the untouched beauty of rainforests into your space.
In 2020, we launched tevaplanter, and with your support, we brought our first vision to life. We’ve produced and shipped over 100,000 planters, manufactured across three production facilities around the world.
This year, we are excited to take our design vision a step further with the introduction of the tile. We’ve dedicated extensive time and thought into their design, development, and production to ensure they embody the highest quality and bring our vision to you.
