I don't mind the mess as much. As long as the plants are fine growing in it I'll be happyIn my experience, LFS breaks down pretty quickly and makes a mess...
Been searching through the forums for information about bog planters and the "aerobic something something." I built a bog planter with a water reservoir at the bottom. Lava rocks in the bottom, peat/perlite on top. I also drilled a small hole in the bottom and plugged it with a screw to drain monthly. I've only had it for about 2 months and drain it once a month. First time I thought I was a genius. Drained beautifully with no issues. Second time it became kinda clogged and drained slow. I also noticed the water smelled almost like sewage. The "anaerobic something something" happened and it's hard to get rid of the smell. Flushed the pot about 4-5 times and the water coming out still stinks. I loved the idea of a water reservoir bog planter but it's more maintenance than just a regular pot with holes, which is the opposite of what I wanted. I live in an apartment so it's not easy to drain smelly water. I'll have to rethink the design, drain it more often or just do the good ol' pot with drainage holes.If you do decide to go the holeless planter route, you can.there is a problem though with mineral buildup and aerobic something soemthing which basically slowly hurts your plants. To stop this you can buy a handheld water pump and mountly pump out the water from a reservoir. Or if your like me and have a small planter, you flood it and tilt if on its side to drain and repeat till you feel it's okay.