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How To Use Plant Watering Globes?

Watering globes are a great solution for those plants that like to kept moist, or for those of us who are not good at remembering to get the watering can out! Working out how to use plant watering globes is also really useful for when we go on holiday, or for long periods of hot weather when plants need constant irrigating.

How To Use Plant Watering Globes

how to use plant watering globes

Plant watering globes are an innovative way of watering your plants, with you not having to make too much effort!

  1. Always handle your watering globe with care. They are made from glass, and are delicate, so be careful when using them.
  2. Give your chosen plant a good watering before you insert your globe – this will stop the water from instantly pouring out into dry soil!
  3. Rinse out the globe with clean water to remove any dust that may be inside it – do this by filling it 3/4 full, swishing it around and emptying the water.
  4. Make a hole in your plant’s soil, using a thin stick that is about the diameter and length of the globe’s stem.
  5. Fill the globe 3/4 full of filtered water, then flip it over quickly and insert the stem into the soil.
  6. Keep an eye on your globe for the first few days, especially if you have not used one before – you will need to be aware of how quickly it empties.
  7. Refill the globe when empty, and start all over again!
  8. Your globe will need a little maintenance; if it grows algae or gets cloudy, it will need a little gentle cleaning.
  9. You can clean the stem with a pipe cleaner, and the globe can be rinsed out with dish washing soap, baking soda or lemon juice.

Let’s go now in detail through everything you need to know about watering globes.

How Do You Put A Watering Globe In?

You may think that because a watering globe’s stem is long and thin, it should easily slide into the soil.

Stop! Don’t simply push the stem into the soil – this can not only damage the water globe, but can mean that you then have to repot your plant and change the soil.

Although the long stem looks like the perfect thing to just pop into the soil, they are quite delicate and they are made of glass, so can easily shatter and break.

If you break off the end of your watering globe it will become completely useless for its intended purpose.

Also, if it breaks off in the soil you will have to repot the whole plant in fresh soil to make sure that no small shards of glass are going to damage the roots.

The best way to insert your watering globe is to make a hole in the soil before you insert it, using something long and thin around the same diameter and length as you watering globe’s stem.

The soil should be wet before you insert the end of the globe, to prevent accidental breakages.

Fill it up, then turn it over quickly and insert it into the hole in the soil before the water drains away.

This video takes you through how to correctly insert your watering globes, along with a couple of helpful tips:

Are Watering Globes Good For Plants?

It turns out that these nifty little gadgets are not only good for saving you time and effort, they are also good for your plants!

Because the water is only released when the surrounding soil is dry, there is no danger of accidentally overwatering your plants.

Overwatering is dreadful for the health of your plant, and can encourage invasions of pests, or even cause disease.

When water is only released when the plants need it, you are allowing your plants to only take what they need to survive, mimicking more natural conditions.

This removes the possibility of causing your plants inadvertent damage with excessive watering – you just have to remember to fill up your globes regularly!

How Do Plant Self Watering Globes Work?

You may have seen these pretty glass globes around and thought they were just decorative – but they also have a very definite purpose!

Self watering globes are an interesting and innovative way to water your plants – and they release water just when it is needed!

They have a long thin neck, with a hollow globe at one end of it. The idea is that you fill the globe around 3/4, then let gravity and osmosis do the rest!

The water will trickle out slowly from the thin neck, but only when the surrounding soil is dry.

This is because a vacuum is created in the neck of the globe, which stops the water from all pouring out at once.

Then, when the soil becomes dry, air is released back into the globe, and the water can start to trickle again.

You can find a variety of different sized watering globes, ideal for different types of plants and different sized pots.

The amount of time between filling them will vary on the size of your plant and the size of the globe, but generally you shouldn’t have to worry about your plants for a couple of weeks.

What Plants Do Well With A Watering Globe?

What Plants Do Well With A Watering Globe

In short, most of them! Plants that can take the water that they need, rather than just having to absorb it, tend to do much better.

The one exception to this rule is plants that like their soil to be on the drier side – cactuses and succulents may not do so well with a watering globe.

Because the water is released when the soil is dry, watering globes may not be the best solution for these desert dwellers.

Another set of plants that may not like a watering globe is those that keep their roots close to the surface of the soil.

Watering globes encourage the roots to sink down in search of water, so the top dwellers won’t like them as much.

However, most plants absolutely love this watering method, and will happily thrive when allowed to just drink the amount they need.

Watering globes are easy to use, convenient, and widely available from gardening stores. They can take a lot of the stress out of your plant watering regime!

Once you have figured out how to use plant watering globes, chances are you won’t go back to your traditional watering methods!

2 thoughts on “How To Use Plant Watering Globes?”

    • You’re in luck! Yes, you can buy watering globes in a variety of material – glass is generally the prettiest, but the plastic ones are much more practical for those of us who drop things for a pastime.

      Reply

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