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 Packs)

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!

Wow! These worked like a charm while I was gone for almost 1.5 months!!!!!! I used either the small or larger ones in my plants (depending on plant size/planter) and 5 gallon buckets (covered with saran wrap) and when I came home, I still had plenty of water and my plants were thriving. Make sure to follow directions --- soak the clay piece in water, fill completely, weight the bottom of the tube in the water to keep in the water.....HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

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

The watering device works as stated. The blumat kept my plants watered while I was gone for a month.

They work ! They're a great price. I haven't noticed any leakage . The color blends in nice

Every positive review is true! I bought these the day before I left for a month and was very stressed as I had just trimmed and transplanted my monstera and have a few other small plants as well. Based on the reviews here, I took them and soaked for 1hr, then closed the caps underwater (making sure they were completely full of water). I watered all my plants, then put them in and watered a bit on top of the stakes themselves to really keep them moist. I placed the water jugs level or 3” lower (for the monstera). I also pulled a fair bit on the tubes to get them to be as long as possible without curling up and so if I had more time I would probably recommend untying them in advance and letting them hang down. However, all was well and they worked perfectly!!!! I used 2 gallon containers for my monstera (and 2 stakes, one in each), and 1 gallon for my three other plants and it was the right amount for 4 weeks.My plants are so healthy, multiple new leaves on my pathos, new buds and a leaf on my monstera, and even the monstera cutting I tried to propagate rooted! I will be setting them up again and will just let them water themselves from now on!

The only reason I gave more than 1 star was that I realized much later that I did not set these up correctly. The only instructions provided were a set of 5 vague pictures on the package with no captions or explanation. I only just now found the detailed flow rate instructions in the hidden Amazon product description online, and realized maybe I shouldn't just throw them all away after my failed attempt.I filled the cone piece with water, closed the cap, placed it into the soil, and placed the other end of the tube into a basin of water positioned higher than the level of the plant pot, for each of 6 indoor plants. The next morning, it appeared the water had continuously run through the pots until it seeped out of the bottoms, overloading the drip trays and soaking into my windowsills and carpeting below. I immediately removed everything, cleaned up the mess, and set up the system again using pieces of string instead of these things (one end of the string about an inch deep into the pot, the other end in the basin of water positioned higher than the pot). When I got back from vacation a week later, almost all of my plants were perfectly healthy with just the strings watering them. One of my plants might have benefited from additional water that might have been provided if I had installed the cone things correctly. So for the most part, cheap string works, but I might give these cone things another try for my larger/thirstier plant.Also, one of the cone pieces arrived broken. In a time crunch, I just glued it back together instead of doing a return/replacement. The packaging is a thin cardboard box with an open "window" to view the product inside, and this was delivered inside a bubble envelope, so it was likely crushed during transit.