I haven't tried these, but I'm intrigued by them. My family will be away from home for a couple of weeks in July (vacation), and if I can avoid having someone come over to my house to water plants for me, that'd be great! I am always leery of buying anything from a tv commercial (my son saw the commercial and told me about these Aqua Globes.). Has anyone used them, and if so, how effective are the claims that these glass globes will water for up to two weeks?
Hi Lady_Zoe, I haven't tried them but have seen the comercial on tv. they look neet, I was wondering the same thing. Like you, if they work good, then I want to get a few for my plants...
Like you guy's. I am always a bit wary off all the stuff for sale on the TV, but I cant really talk about those bulblets to hold enough water for two weeks, but then what size of plants are you talking about, and what time of year, if July, I know my plants take a good few watering's every few days at that time of year even in shade, they are growing at a fast rate by then and water, light and food is what they do require lots of by then, so take a look in the garden store for tried and tested methods of irigation for absent plant watering systems, there are lots of good quality, not expensive things on the market that do the job in your absence but are not particularly attractive all year round indoors in your living room, but I have used a system like a large bag hung up and a few nozzles are set into the pots and the drip feeder lets in enough water for about a week and you can also add plant food to this, but I was only away for about two days in the height of summer, so it was fine for that time, more than a week, I would pay someone to care for my plants rather than let a coloured bubble be in charge, but naturally, I'd love to learn the outcome before I ever condemn something a gimmick. good luck. Weenel.
I actually tried these. We were able to get 4 for $13.99 with free shipping, so I figured it was worth a shot.
I tried 3 of them on outdoor hanging baskets that were in a morning sun only spot and 1 in a small outdoor container.
Here's my experiences with these:
1. They can be somewhat tricky to fill with water, so it can take a bit to get them to fill properly. Even then, you'll get spillage.
2. The commercial shows that you can just shove these into your potted plants, but that's not the case. You have to make a hole with a pencil or similar object and then put the aqua globe into the soil. If you don't follow this instruction, you risk shattering the aqua globe, which is made of glass (shattered glass is not fun to deal with).
3. I had problems on a regular basis where soil would end stuck on the bottom inch or so of the aqua globe stem. To refill the globe, you have to somehow dig that soil out. I managed to get two small tree branches stuck in one of my globes when I tried to clean the soil out. Even following the instructions about making a hole prior to insertion did not remedy this problem.
4. They sometimes work and they sometimes don't work. I could never figure out what was exactly wrong when the globes would not properly hydrate my plants. It wasn't the "soil stuck in the stem" because sometimes it would work properly with stuck soil and sometimes it wouldn't. It wasn't the way I was filling them with water, because I fill them exactly the same way every time. I thought it was the way I stuck them in (straight up and down vs. slightly tilted), but as before, sometimes they'd work in a specific position and sometimes they wouldn't.
So, I don't recommend these unless you just want something decorative to stick in your potted plants. Even when they did work properly, the water only lasts a day or so when temps are about 75 - 80 degrees. With temps below that, the water only lasts maybe 2-3 days (we had temps in the 60s, which would be below room temp, IMO, for quite awhile and the water never lasted even close to the 2 weeks they promise). I don't think using them indoors versus outdoors would change the success rate either.
Hmmm, sorry to hear they don't work as well as advertised.
I was thinking of putting them into my outdoor planting of Siberian Iris, as they're not staying as moist as they prefer. But I wanted to see if anyone else had tried them in the ground. Of course here in zone 6 I'd have to bring them in before a freeze. I was also afraid the stems would go too deep to do any good.
Perhaps for my irises I would be better planting in a sawed-off bucket to keep the water from draining away.
Interesting, a nursery in these parts is reselling them for $8.99 apiece!!
Lee Valley has a couple of other options:
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=1&p=54307&cat=2,2280&ap=2
I have never used these but I use something that I've made myself. I get a small plastic drinking water bottle, fill it up and flip it over (put my palm on it,so not to spill the water)put it in my desired plant(s) and make sure the mouth part is in the soil pretty good and that's it. You might see a little bit of dirt bubble up in the bottle when you first put it in that's fine as long as it's not a whole lot of dirt. You will see the air bubbles float to the top. I suggest watering your plant first that way it doesn't take from the bottle right away, unless you just want to see if it works then you'll see the bubbles go up immediately.
My friend has some of these. She said that as long as you water your plant really well first, they work just fine. If you don't water well first, you lose most of the water from the globe in the first day. She didn't say how long they last but I suppose that would depend on what type of plant it is, the humidity in your room (wood stove versus whatever), how big the plant/pot is, as well as what type of soil mixture one is using.
Thank you all for sharing your epxperiences. I, too had debated on buying them. This helps!
I have these and do use them. On aroids in particular because they need to stay moist. No, they don't last two weeks. 3-4 days tops on well watered plants. If you turn down the water to a small stream they are easier to fill. I saw an ad in a catalog that might be of interest. It was for a cap you put on a 2 litre bottle and stick it in your plant, that would last much longer. It would only work for large stable plants though. Found it.
http://www.harrietcarter.com/index.cfm/fuseaction/product.detail/categoryID/415894D3-F372-46DB-9AFC-4EF4F6B81F54/productID/14BE2C93-2147-4666-B319-D0001E0868D5
Socal_Girl -
I like your idea - I dont' have to buy anything either to do this.
Thanks for the idea!
I also tried these, and was not impressed. I had trouble getting them into the pot no matter what I did, there was dirt in the stem. Look pretty definitely, would I buy more or suggest them absolutely not. Water seems to run right out. I have just found that a routine of paying attention to my plants works best for me.
Well the other day a friend of my husbands was over and he was drinking from a green bottle.. of course when he finished, I told him I was gonna use it for something he said fine..lol Just like many of you I had been wanting the globes, so I filled the green bottle with water and shoved it down into my pot.. of course my plant was'nt bone dry so the water in the bottle lasted for pleny of time and I kept checking the soil to make sure it wasnt drying out.. ..
So try just a regular glass coke, beer, rootbeer bottle and see if that works for you.. Test it ahead of time before trip, so you can get an idea of how long its gonna last. Shoot you could even stick a couple of bottle in one pot.. ALso since they are bottles they are not made of thin glass so no worry about them breaking there...
Getting dirt etc out of the Aqua Globs.
I turn the water to a very small flow, put a large (Malt) straw in the fill tube and just keep filling until all the dirt is washed out. You might have to shake it up a time or 2 but that's how I clean mine out.
barb
Peace Lily... My white flowers are turning green. PLEASE HELP!!!!
I have heard some good things about these aqua globes. My SIL has some large houseplants, palms etc, and not much of a green thumb. They were all doing badly, then she got the globes, and last time I was there I remarked how great the plants look, and she pointed the globes out to me and said they were the reason.
I grow plants that like to be on the dry side, hoyas etc, and have not tried them, as I like to water myself - but I would definitely like to get a few for my bigger plants. I wonder if they come in different sizes?
My mother bought me globes because I was going to be out of town for a month. They do not work like advertised so mine just sit empty in the pot.
hey folks I just thought I could add a little something to this for the people who are still unsure..
Instead of buying these thru the TV commercial with the S&H and all, just go to your local Walgreens and buy them. Hold on to your receipt. If you don't like them a month later then go and get a full refund (thats policy). That being said, I have worked at 5 different Walgreen stores in San Antonio and at every store we would take refunds like this well over 30 days going from 6 months onto a year. You really have no reason to not try it for yourself - risk free.... Youd be suprised at the amount of Aqua Globes, Topsy Turveys, and Patch Perfects (ShamWow, PediPaws, Pedegg, Etc) we have sold to regular customers who still tell me they love them. Also, I have not tried any of these products myself (exept Pedegg)... I'm just saying go try it and if you don't like it then return it no problems....
I can find all the stuff that is advertised on tv , such as the aquaglobes in local rite aid !
PLEASE DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. THEY DO NOT WORK. THEY PLUG UP WITH SOIL, THEY ARE HORRIBLE TO FILL, FILLED MY GALLON JUG FROM THE RUN OFF AND THE BULB WAS STILL NOT FILLED.
yes i have used the aqua globes, i really liked them the first time i used them, but again after the 2nd and 3rd time they were a waste of money to be honest with you, the soil got caught in the tube, and also all the water goes in the first day, i thought maybe the plant was just thirsty but time and time again it doesnt release it when the plant needs it, it just drains the first 5 min you put it in there, i dont recommend.
I'm surprised there are so many people who've had problems with this product. I haven't had issues with it but then again, I found this at the 5 Below for $5, so it wasn't like I invested a lot of money in it. Perhaps my mindset of "Oh well, only costs $5"... makes me a bit more laidback about it.
I think these are better suited for indoor plants where humidity is far more stable than outdoor plants (some people mentioned outdoor potted plants or straight to ground... it'd be easier to use an old 2-liter bottle for those since it holds more water). The Aqua globes don't last two weeks for me. Even though I have both globes feeding the same plant, it lasts a little more than a week. On the plus side, it does a good job keeping my plant watered. I haven't had to remove yellowed or browned leaves like I did in the past and it has grown quite a bit in the last few weeks (I've been using the water globes for nearly two months now). Lots of foliage and it's all green and very healthy.
I'd recommend it but be wary so you don't completely neglect your plants. It's definitely not something you pick up five minutes before a vacation because you have to figure out if your plant works well with it and how many you would need to keep it watered for a lengthy time (I'm almost tempted to buy one more but at some point there'd be more aqua globe than plant! I wish they came in different sizes). I'm guessing each globe holds about a cup of water. If your plants need more than that, then you'd need to refill it much more often.
I use 2 litre bottles and my kids decorated them for me
My recommendationis to have as many self-watering planters as possible. I never thought they would work, but I've NEVER had problems with self-watering planters. In fact, the plants which have these planters are doing the best! It seeems for me that you don't have to fill it again till abut 2 weeks so that gives you some time. Hope that helps.
I have a lot of self-waterers too but some of plants (like my 9' tall ficus) don't fit in those types of planters any more so I have to use the bottles...if not I'd be walking around with water everyday....especially for the passies, jasmine, and EE's
I have a suggestion for the soil clogging up in the bottom. Coffee filters. Try usings a small piece of coffee filter fixed to the bottom with a rubberband. Will keep the soil out. Also... coffee filters work great to cover the holes on the bottom of pots. Keeps soil in, lets water drain out. Seems like they would work for this too, but in reverse Just a thought ;D
oooh good idea jewlybug
jewlybug,
What a great idea.. I will try it. I have lots of Aqua Globes, that I have stopped using because of this problem. I believe you may have found the fix.. Good Job!
If you don't want to buy the globes, you can always place a wick (cotton string) in your soil that draped down into a water reservoir. For smaller plants, this would work really well. For bigger plants, you would need a few strings threaded in there :). For 2 weeks this would be alright, even on a plant that needs to dry out a bit, and plants like african violets that like to stay moist, it can be a permanent watering solution.
