The Crystal Dragon Self-Watering Planter is both beautiful and functional. Pour water into the dragon’s open mouth, and it slowly distributes moisture into the soil below through small drainage holes hidden inside the dragon’s hollow body. It prints support-free and includes a matching crystal-style catch tray to absorb any runoff.

I’ve printed this model in a variety of colors and styles, but my favorite has been using dual-color filaments for the dragon’s body. If you're using a single-color printer, don’t worry—it still looks fantastic when you mix and match tray and dragon colors. I’ve included both the painted version and pre-sliced .3mf files for your convenience.

Printing Notes:

The .3mf is sliced with 3 walls to improve durability, especially for outdoor use.

I personally printed mine with 2 walls and 3% gyroid infill—it's held up well and retains water with no issues.

This planter works great scaled down to 60%—the water flow holes still function reliably.

At full size, the planter comfortably holds a 4" plant with room to spare.

For outdoor use, I recommend keeping it in shaded areas to prolong the life of your print.

Print Settings (Recommended):

Walls: 3 (or 2 for indoor use)

Infill: 3% gyroid

Supports: None

Scale Tested: 60% to 100%

Nozzle: 0.4 mm

Layer Height: 0.2 mm

Filament Usage & Print Times:

Multi-color, 3 walls:

Dragon: 826g — 36 hours

Tray: 175g — 6 hours

Total: 1001g

Multi-color, 2 walls:

Dragon: 692g — 34 hours

Tray: 148g — 5 hours

Total: 840g

Single-color, 3 walls:

Dragon: 398g — 15 hours

Tray: 175g — 6 hours

Total: 573g

Single-color, 2 walls:

Dragon: 319g — 12.5 hours

Tray: 148g — 5 hours

Total: 467g