Self Watering Planter Insert Terracotta Watering Spikes Premium Plant Watering Devices Irrigation Dripper Self Watering Spikes Automatic Plant Accessories 4 Packs (Small Cone)

I ordered the Tuzinano Self Watering Planter Insert Terracotta Watering Spikes Premium Plant Watering Devices Irrigation Dripper Self Watering Spikes Automatic Plant Accessories 4 Packs (Wave).I ordered these, along with some different designs, to see how well they would do to automatically water my plants (vegetable, flower). There were no instructions in the box they came but I knew how they were supposed to work (revisited the product page to confirm). Do, I soaked it in water for ten minutes and then filled it with water. Since my goal was to see if it really worked, rather than put it in dirt in a planter, I wrapped the base with a few layers of paper towel. It took a little while, but eventually the paper towel started to moisten. I'm looking forward to seeing how long one fillup lasts (it only holds 2 ounces) with something like potted tomato plants. I did not have an empty bottle to fill and invert into the Spikes which, obviously, will extend the time between refills considerably.Overall, 5 stars from me for now. I'll update after I've done all my testing and used them for a few weeks.

These are great for keeping some of my more temperamental house plants happily watered. They have been especially useful when traveling, I just water well before leaving then use these to keep things hydrated while I’m gone. The white glazed terracotta is a nice neutral addition to my plants.I did deduct one star for breakability, as they aren’t the sturdiest. The terracotta is quite thin. They did arrive packaged well. If you are using outside in a northern climate be sure to bring inside for winter, as they will likely crack if frozen with water inside. I’m just using for house plants so no freezing concerns for me.I would happily order again!

I like adding these to my pots that need a bit of a slow-trickle water. Some days I don't make it around to each of them, but these can help buy me some time and keep fungus gnats down a bit too (less moist dirt exposed).

I have a lot of houseplants & two of my larger ones need to be watered more frequently in the winter when the air is drier. I thought these would be a good solution. I watered both plants really well, stuck one of these in the middle of each pot, filled it, and checked 2 days later. The water was down only ~1/2 inch, the soil right up next to it was damp, but the roots were dry. I checked daily again for the next couple days. No real change. I watered the plants, filled these up, and checked daily again and had the same experience. I was expecting these to keep a larger area of soil moist (I know, I hate that word too) but they just didn't work for me.

These little clay watering spikes do a nice job of keeping your plants watered if you need to leave for a few days. I use them in my larger pots to keep the plants happy in case I slip up and don't water right away. They make it super easy to water your plants. Just fill them up and the plants drink as they need. My only problem with them was with fungus gnats. I had a little problem with fungus gnats in coco coir (a common problem with this medium) and their larvae adore these clay spikes. A simple solution is to use diluted peroxide in the water and it kills the larvae. I got the infestation under control and their attraction to the spikes made them easy to remove and target with the peroxide.

A mini Olla!Overall, I think these are adorable and a better design than some of the other terracotta watering stake/inserts I have seen. These would make a lovely gift to the plant lover in your life.(I do not know why all of these style of waters are priced so high, considering its just molded clay. These have a tiny bit of glaze but I guess they are specialty items and so 'justify' the price. This set is priced in the same range as similar types.)ABOUT: Terracotta is porous, so the water inside will seep out slowly, helping maintain the moisture in the soil.These are super cute, with the stripe of paint on the top and a cute cork stopper.These do help when watering to slow down the release of water. Sometimes, if your soil is quite dry and you water, the water just runs straight through without really being absorbed. These are much prettier than using a plastic container with holes poked in it.I’m not going to try with a wine bottle in another one, but maybe in the chipped one. I will still use it as they are cute and do help a bit. My plants are very large, and so go through a lot of water.RECOMMEND: that you give your plant a good water first, and then add some sort of mulch on top of the soil. I use pine cones I pick up on my walks with my dogs. They are free and look nice. Plus, when you water, they help break up the water stream so it doesn’t dig a hole in the soil.To bury them, dig a whole bigger than you think you will need, deep enough to bury it up to the glaze. The more terracotta exposed, the more water that can evaporate out that way as oppose to going into the soil. Then back fill, packing lightly around it to ensure no empty voids. Using the cork will also help reduce evaporation.Also, these are easiest to ‘install’ when potting up a plant, as opposed to an established plant. You can still do that later, as I did, but if you are going to get these and also want to pot up some plants, I would wait until you have them.After that initial watering, this reservoir should help top off the moisture in the soil. It is not going to saturate the entire area of the soil, but sometimes plants roots will grow towards the ‘olla’ to seek out the water.SCALE/FERTILIZER: Terracotta can build up minerals, which impact it’s permeability. This is that pretty white patina you see on old pots. Hard water will experience this more. Rinsing or soaking in vinegar can help clear it out so you can use it again. It takes a while for build up to occur, however. I wouldn’t recommend using fertilizers in here for the same reason. Perhaps something like strained compost/worm tea? Just something to consider.TESTING: Two of mine after a couple of weeks had grown mildew? white stuff, around the top. My home is very humid, and there other two *have not* had this at all. I imagine it is more of an unusual occurrence.I did want to test adding a wine bottle up turn to act as an extended resivrior. **Don’t do this.** The rim of one the one I tested broke. (Okay, full disclosure, it was a sherry bottle, which has a little rim or lip on it wine bottles don’t so maybe that was it, plus I likely did not pull the bottle straight out, but at a slight angle. So I am thinking it was more likely MY fault, as opposed to a quality control issue. I should be able to repair it with some sort of caulk or epoxy or something. Even superglue would likely work.)The version of these that are like stakes (the “Wave” ones ) seem to have thicker walls and a beefier rim, and so are designed for the wine bottles. I think my issue was the rim of the bottle, and that these (“Bowling”) walls are thinner.OTHER USES?: You could leave the cork off and stick some cuttings in there to propagate. It could be cute to have the big plant and then little baby cuttings right next to it in the same pot. Or, use it as a little vase in a pot. So in a pot with say a a predominately green and non flowering plant, you could put some cut flowers. Kids like to pick flowers, and this could be their little vase that they can’t knock over, and could add flowers whenever they wanted too. I think that would be really cute.I wouldn’t use these as pleco caves in an aquarium, as I think the guys would be able to get in and they have trouble wriggling out. For nano fish, or shrimp, these would be fine as caves. Rinse well first.

so far, so good. I had been using those clear globes with the long tubes that stick into the dirt, but they always get clogged with soil and would sometimes pierce through roots. when I found these I was excited to try them. they seem to work well and let water seep out gradually through the terracotta. I like that they come in a multi-pack