This lovely pot uses an ancient technique to keep houseplants alive

Now, the MoMA Design Store is selling a self-watering pot that’s as lovely as it is useful: Composed of a simple terra cotta pot that sits inside a water-filled glass cylinder, the pot keeps the plant’s dirt damp as water seeps naturally through the terra cotta–taking advantage of the natural properties of the clay material.

This works through a phenomenon called capillary attraction, where water is able to make its way through very small spaces. It’s an irrigation technique that likely originated in China thousands of years ago, where farmers buried clay terra cotta pots filled with water. The water would slowly seep out into the surrounding soil, effectively irrigating the plants around it.

The MoMA pots were originally designed in 2008 by the designer Nils Plöjel and are sold online via the Stockholm-based company Wet Pot Systems–but this is the first time they’ve been available in retail stores in the United States.