My new plant! Long may she live

Help To Keep Indoor Plants Alive

Plantpal sell a range of products which self water plants. As long as I remember once every week or so to top up the reservoirs then they will keep the plants moist the rest of the time. It’s the perfect concept for me.

I was sent a set of 3 Plantpal Watering Globes for indoor plants in plastic, they also sell beautiful glass globes. There is a wick (that needs to be moistened before going into the soil) attached to a globe via a funnel shape. The wick or tip stops the funnel getting clogged up with soil and ensures water is distributed. You put it in your plant pot and it should keep the soil moist. As the plants I had indoors weren’t suitable (because I’ve intentionally chosen ones which like dry conditions) I have been testing it out with an outdoor plant inside. It seems to be working well so far, so I have taken the plunge and bought myself a pot plant! The real test will be to see how it survives my holiday so I'll update this post at the end of August to let you know how the plant got on. 

The indoor Plantpal watering globes work best in a plant pot that is deep enough to support them properly. The large globes I was sent hold 380ml of water and really need the soil to be at least 15 cms deep.  Plantpal recommended they are used in 15 to 23 cm pots. There are smaller globes available in both plastic and glass for smaller pots.

The Plantpal Watering Globe can keep a plant watered for up to 2 weeks, but how often it needs to be refilled will vary in practice depending on the the size of plant, the time of year and the temperature of the house. You can even add plant food to the water in the globe to support the plants when they are flowering or growing.

Keeping Outdoor Plants Watered in Hot Weather

I was also sent a Plantpal Watering System which can be used in pots indoors or outdoors. For those of you with green fingers watering plants daily in the summer months might not be a problem, but I barely manage to remember to give myself enough to drink some days so I need a little help to remember those out of sight in the garden. The Plantpal Watering System comes in 2 sizes with a 1400ml reservoir for medium pots (25 to 35 cm tall) and a 2400ml reservoir for large ones (30 to 40cm tall). You put it in the plant pot, then add the plant and soil. It is mostly buried so only a sensor and the lid for refilling is visible. Depending on the size of the pot it takes up quite a lot of space, but it’s perfect for when you are about to transfer a plant from a small pot into a bigger one. 

My plant has been managing well in the warm weather we are having and it has been easy to just top up the container when I remember without the worry that it is going to struggle if I don’t go out there for a few days. Now I just need to find a way to stop my 3 year old from pulling all the flowers off the fuchsia (apparently she didn’t like them!).

The Watering System is not recommended for use outside in the winter, I assume because of the risk of freezing, so it will need taking out of the pot in the Autumn. When planting back outside it needs a new wick and it’s recommended the wicks are replaced every 6 months whether used inside or out. You can buy packs of them to ensure your Plantpal keeps working for years to come. 

I have a giveaway to win a selection of Plantpal self-watering planters so you can test out yourself to see if, like me, you can finally keep some pretty plants alive. Enter via the Gleam Widget below before the end of 23rd August. I am hosting the widget, but it is administrated by Review Directory and they will contact the winner.

The Plantpal products are worth trying if you need a little help looking after your plants and they would make a great gift for anyone that loves plants. I always feel guilty if someone gives me a plant and I kill it off, so these would be great to give alongside a new plant. While they would be great to look after plants while you are away I have a feeling I will be using mine all year round to finally keep some plants alive in the house.