Fail: the dry reality of Aqua Globes

Seems I'm the only one in my house that can be bothered to take care of fish and plants. Too bad for them.

The fish survived the two trips I took last month, but two of my plants died, the two that require more frequent watering out of the dozens in my house.

One of the deceased was an avocado plant from a seed I potted at the time Tessa was born, 9 years ago. I am actually quite sad about its demise.

I should screen my plant-sitters better. In this case, I chose AquaBulbs (no link). I'd asked for a set for Christmas so that I could keep plants alive during the times I go away. And because the science behind the concept made sense to me:

"How do AquaGlobe plant watering systems work? As the soil becomes dry, oxygen is released into the plant watering ball and causes the exact amount of water to be released! Your plants will never be thirsty or over-watered again!"

Exclamationpointssell!.com

The globes are pretty. They seem sturdy, not too fragile. You'd hate to have one break in your hand. But here are the problems:

• They take a LONG time to fill. The entry hole is smaller than 1/8" so you must barely trickle the water.
• Once you put a globe in the soil with the tip down, it is very top heavy. If you don't have the angle just right, it will flip itself out and onto the floor. If you have carpet, you now have a dirty mess to vacuum, and if you have a hard floor, you now have glass to vacuum.
• And finally, THEY DON'T WORK. Said teeny entry hole is also a teeny exit hole. When plugged with a speck of dirt as you push it in, no water will then drip out.

I regret the dearly departed plants more than I regret the $22 my gift-giver spent ($15 on the product and $8 on shipping/handling. Perhaps that ratio is a clue to how many returns are processed, and how the company REALLY makes its money).

Thumbs down. RIP, avocado.