Blumat Classic Plant Watering Stakes - Self-Watering Insert for Indoor and Outdoor Plants - Automatic Slow Release Irrigation System for Potted Plants - Houseplant Care Device (3 Pack)

I've used these each time we leave home to travel and all of my plants have been watered appropriately, even though they're different sizes and types of plants. We've been gone weeks at a time and this really works! You have to follow the directions exactly - Water your plants first! This is important. Take the SEPARATED Blumat pieces (both the spike and top with the tubing) and immerse completely in water for 15 minutes , then, making sure the stakes are below water and filled to the top, place the plastic top on the spike underwater so it's a complete unit. Remove the unit from the water, and position it in your pot near the plant, planting the spike in the dirt. I fill a 2500 ml bowl with water and place it near my plants, submersing the tubings to the bottom of the bowl and cover the bowl with plastic wrap to prevent evaporation. It takes 3-4 weeks to empty the bowl (I have a 13 inch pot with a peace lily; a 6 inch pot with an ivy; and a 4 inch pot with an African violet). I tested this out the first time for a week before traveling so I could see how it worked. Hint: If you don't water the plants first, this won't draw water in as well and the plants could dry out while you're gone. So water first, then start the system. I played around with positioning the bowl even with the pots, versus higher or lower than the pots. I found that having the pots and bowl all on the same level worked the best. If the bowl was higher than the pots, it watered them too much, and too little if the bowl was lower than the pots. I recommend trialing this system while you're still around to see what's happening and what you need to adjust. Don't wait to the last minute to test this or give a bad review because you didn't test the system with your plants before leaving. This really works and waters each plant with exactly how much it needs. I've never lost a plant and I haven't been disappointed with the state of my plants when I come home. I do place my plants in a location with indirect sunlight when I'm gone, which keeps down evaporation and maintains a better water level in the bowl. The Blumat website gives specific directions and video information. It's a no-brainer. Great product when used right!

I was so happy to open my door to happy and healthy plants after a three week trip away from home. These stakes work great, and I'm a bit embarrassed to say that they do a better job than I do at keeping my plants consistently watered. Many of my plants looked happier than ever. These are really the best and only solution (other than hiring a service) to take care of your houseplants for extended periods of time. My outside plants didn't fair as well even though a neighbor was tending to them. As long as you leave a water source large enough you can leave home with confidence for long periods of time.NOTE: after reading some of the unhappy reviews I wanted to point out that there seems to be quite a bit of misunderstanding and user error. This system is a simple suction system that waters your plants based on the placement of the plant in relation to placement of the water source. If your plant likes to be damp then your water source should be placed even with the plant pot, if your plant likes to be more dry you will place your water source below the level of your plant pot, and if your plant wants to be very moist then your water source should be above your plant pot. I do advise that you experiment to make sure your plants will be happy with the positional relationship of plant to water source before you leave them alone or some may be over or under watered. There are instructions but they aren't in English, but there are pictures that help you understand. There is a formula to compute how much water you should provide given the duration of the watering period and the watering needs of your plant. That may sound complicated so I'll admit that I didn't use the formula and I just winged it. I got lucky, because some plants had lots of water left over, and others were on the last half inch of water. Another consideration is evaporation. If you leave your water source uncovered then the water will naturally evaporate, and also provide an environment for insects. I used cling wrap that worked very well for covering my water source while allowing the hose to work properly. Your hose must be able to reach the bottom of your water source in order to use all the water. I used pitchers, bowls, sand buckets, gallon jugs, and empty planters to be my water sources. I used any container that could hold enough water for the plant's needs, and that could be positioned properly in relation to the planter, and that allowed the hose to hit bottom. I used books, foot stools, and plant stands to help create the proper positional relationships between water source and planter. Please use the pictures in the instructions for more guidance. Good luck!

The media could not be loaded. Great product, easy to place, keep my plants alive during travels. Has great watering capacity.

Easy to set up, and now while I’m away my fingers are crossed they are keeping my plants hydrated! My sister in-law has been using these for a few years and have been working great for her, so thought I’d give them a try myself

Had a couple of geranium plants that I brought inside for the winter since they were still thriving in November. Fast forward to December/January when I was traveling and I used this to try to keep them going while I was away. Worked great. They were still hanging on and blooming when I returned after 2 months away. Geraniums can withstand significant neglect and still bounce back, so not sure what the outcome would be for more demanding plants, but, this set-up worked very well.

I bought these to keep our indoor houseplants watered while we were on a two week vacation. Not only did they do a great job of keeping my plants alive, they absolutely thrived. They work so well that I’m leaving them in and now I only have to water one central pot about every ten days. The six plants I have using these look lealthier and stronger than ever