Yes, you plant directly into self-watering pots right into the soil above the reservoir. No extra liner or inner pot is needed for most models. Fill the pot with mix, set your plant at the right depth, and let the wick do the rest.
Your self watering pot setup starts before any soil goes in. Check that the wick touches the reservoir floor on one end and will reach into the soil on the other. Some models use a fabric strip. Others have a column built into the platform. That link between water and soil is what makes the whole system run. Without good wick contact, your plant will not get water from below.
I planted a nursery basil into a self-watering pot last spring. The trick that made the biggest difference was wetting the potting mix first. I poured dry mix into a bucket, added water, and stirred until it felt like a wrung-out sponge. Then I filled the planter halfway, set the root ball on top, and packed moist mix around it. Planting in self watering containers with dry soil is the top mistake I see people make. Dry mix pushes water away instead of soaking it up.
Pre-wetting matters for a clear reason. Capillary action needs a chain of water through tiny pore spaces in the soil. Dry mix breaks that chain because air gaps block the flow. When you start with moist medium, the link between reservoir and roots works from day one. Skip this step and your plant could sit above a full tank for days without getting a single drop.
The University of Maryland Extension says to use about 4 gallons of moist mix for a 5-gallon pot. This leaves room at the top for watering and mulch. Water from the top for the first 5 to 7 days after planting. This helps the soil settle around roots. It also builds the capillary path before you rely on the tank alone.
Do not pack your soil down tight when you fill the pot. Hard soil has fewer air pockets, which chokes the roots and slows wicking. Press gently around the root ball with your fingertips. You want the mix firm enough to hold the plant but soft enough that a finger pushed into the surface meets easy give, not a hard wall.
My wife made this packing mistake with her first self-watering pot. She pressed the soil down hard with her palm and the tomato inside stayed small for weeks. We loosened the top few inches and the plant took off within days. A light touch at planting time goes a long way.
After the first week, switch to filling the reservoir through the fill tube. Check the soil surface for the next few days to confirm water is moving up. If the top inch stays dry after 48 hours with a full tank, the wick may not be touching the soil well. Pull the plant, fix the wick, and replant with fresh moist mix. Getting the setup right the first time saves you from fixing a struggling plant later on.
Read the full article: Self Watering Planters: The Complete Guide
