Maybe the Solution is Aqua Globes

This past weekend we redecorated the bedroom (it's awesome, by the way!) and along with new bedding and drapes, we bought some really cool plants. I've had mixed luck with plants in the past - I do great with outdoor plants, but for some reason, my indoor plant luck has been a little less than stellar. I am a classic over-waterer, and that is probably more fatal than under-watering.

So, not wanting my new plants to die, but wanting large plants in my bedroom, I decided to give these Aqua Globes that I've seen on TV a try.

Before I bought them I poked around the Internet for some opinions, and the one that really convinced me was some nursery owner who experimented on six identical plants; two were not watered, two were watered when staff felt it was appropriate, and two had the Aqua Globes inserted.


The two that were not watered were, not surprisingly, dead after two weeks. The two that were watered by nursery staff were limp. The two with the Aqua Globes were in perfect condition.

Good enough for me.

So, next step - scour the Internet for the best prices. After searching the biggest and most obvious shopping sites, I was surprised to find that the official Aqua Globe site had the cheapest prices. However, once you added in shipping ($7.95) and tax in my state (California) the price began to climb. Still cheaper than any others I found online. Then I stumbled onto the fact that they are sold at Bed, Bath & Beyond.

Bingo.

So, I trotted down to my local BB&B and there they were. A set of two for $9.99. So, even though that is a hair more than the official site price, once you exclude the cost of shipping the price becomes a couple dollars less.

I bought three sets, filled up three and put them in my new houseplants. And did I mention how cool looking they are? Well, if not - they are.

I did run into a minor snag right away. One of my plants had some really large potting material, apparently for extra-good drainage. My Aqua Globe placed into this plant pot slowly emptied all the way. I'm not worried or disappointed about that. My remedy is to re-pot the plant into denser soil. The drainage should be a non-issue because I won't be hand-watering, and I trust the Aqua Globes to do their job of dispensing only as much water as the plant needs.

My other two plants are doing what they're supposed to. A couple of air bubbles, a little water dispensed, and the globes worked like a charm.

So, the experiment is on...

More on this in two weeks.

B