First, some backstory: my guy watches television when he can't sleep, but when he falls asleep before shutting off the TV I usually wake up to the sound of infomercials at 3 am. Which annoys me to no end, but it's one of those compromise things you do in a relationship (in return, he never makes a peep about me leaving books I'm reading on virtually every flat surface in the house.)
Tonight I was trying to think of some way to save my sweet potato vine without disturbing Sweetie, and one of those obnoxiously advertised products popped in my head. I told my guy about the idea, and he thought it might work, so we drove over to the mall and picked up these from the As Seen on TV store:
First I think I'll test one on the other (unoccupied) sweet potato vine to see just how damp it makes the soil in the pot. Has anyone out there ever used these things, and if so how have they worked for you? Let me know in comments.
My mom used one on her Christmas cactus, and she loves it.
ReplyDeleteMy late grandmother had a set of those; they seemed to work okay for her, but when I was taking care of her plants I kept forgetting to refill them until the plants started to wilt.
ReplyDeleteAnother annoying thing was how easily the stems would get clogged. All it took was a clod of dirt and refilling would slow to an even slower trickle than normal, or even stop completely. It was fixable (with a thin skewer), but annoying.
Sounds like a plan. I hope they work for you and mama bird. =o)
ReplyDeleteSeveral of my coworkers use them in their plants in the office. Haven't heard any complaints.
ReplyDeleteI've never used the watering bulbs, so I can't comment on those. However, I am of the "fall asleep with the TV on" persuasion. Most TVs have a "sleep" timer that you can set for up to 2 hours or so, that turns off the TV automatically. I use it every night, so once I do get to sleep, the TV doesn't wake me up again later. Maybe your TV has one?
ReplyDeleteWhat an awesome idea, and worth a try.
ReplyDeleteI have them and use them inside and out. They do clog with dirt, but that's what keeps all the water from running out at once. I picked up a meat injector kit at the grocery store (for injecting BBQ sauce, etc into meat) and the needle is long enough to get through the dirt most of the time. The only gripe I have with them is that sometimes the stems are too narrow and they're darn near impossible to completely fill. I have one with a stem opening about 1/2" wide, and I've never gotten it completely full, even submerging it in a rain barrel. It can't let the water in and the air out at the same time. Of course, that's the one that won't break.
ReplyDeleteI'll let you in on a secret that I didn't find out until I had about 4 sets of the globes: Beer/soda bottles work just as well, and the openings are bigger. I use glass bottles because I'm growing herbs and food, but for house plants plastic would probably be all right. The Aqua Globes are great, but I'm not replacing them as they break.
Hmm, no I've never used those before. Good luck!
ReplyDelete~TRA
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When I was 10, a hummingbird built her nest on a branch that overhung our Porch, just inches from where the door opened, so that we had to be very carefull when we went in and out the door. She was very trusting of us, and never flew away no matter how close we got to her. She laid 2 eggs, but only 1 hatched. The Following spring, There was another Hummingbird nest in that branch, but not quite as close to the door. sadly the neighbour's cat got the poor thing before the eggs hatched.
ReplyDeleteThat TV thing and waking up to infomercials? I know that all too well. Dh does that and it drives me BATTY.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love your nesting stories. I have a swallow nesting on top of my porch floodlights and I'm always screaming at everyone to turn the darned lights off so we don't burn her out.
Your nesting stories are always a bright spot. :)
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