Editorial
Front Page - Friday, August 13, 2010
What’ll they dream up next?
Aqua Globes
Misty S. Brown
Aqua Globes are lifesavers for people who lack a green thumb, just be careful with the delicate hand-blown glass since mishandling them could cause injury.
- Misty S. Brown
Valentine’s Day has come and gone for the year and flower sales have likely reached a yearly low. I am one of those kinds of girls who likes it when a man sends me flowers for the holiday, but I would rather receive a love letter or something more tangible that I can enjoy for longer than a few days.
Don’t get me wrong – flowers are beautiful and a pleasant surprise, but they take a lot of work to make them last through the end of the week, and I really hate to waste hard-earned money on something that does not last.
Knowing my aversion to flowers because of their short lifespan, my boyfriend once brought home a gorgeous braided hibiscus tree. It was perfect – full of pink flowers and green leaves. Since it was not a regular vase of flowers with the stems cut off, it would last as long as I took care of it.
But, alas, I seriously lack in the green-thumb department, so my hibiscus tree is barely hanging on after only a few months. Could it be the 100-degree temperatures that have slowly choked the roots of all their nutrients? Let’s be honest here – since I have no green thumb, I am awful about remembering to water my plants and that’s likely the sole cause of its slow demise. Luckily, Aqua Globes are in existence, and they have been a lifesaver for my poor plants.
What it is
Aqua Globes are individually hand-blown glass water reservoirs that water your plants for you.
How it works
Once the globe is filled with water, it is inserted into the soil at the base of the plant. The plant will absorb water from the globe as needed. When the soil dries, it releases oxygen bubbles into the globe, which then releases the water the plant needs. In some plants, the globes will last up to two weeks before they need to be refilled.
Pros and cons
The Aqua Globes are beautiful and no two globes are alike. Most of the ones I have seen come in predominantly green and blue colors. They are decorative and really don’t detract from the beauty of your plants.
For larger plants, more than one Aqua Globe might be needed, so if you have several plants, you might need twice as many Aqua Globes.
Since they are glass, there is the chance that they can be broken if mishandled. This warning reminds me of a video I watched in a chemistry glass where a person stabbed himself through the middle of the hand while trying to insert a glass rod into a rubber stopper. You just have to be careful when handling these.
The long, narrow stem on the globe makes it a little difficult to fill it with water. You have to have a slow, precise stream, otherwise it will not fill properly and you will make a big mess.
The stem of the globe cannot just be pushed into the soil because it will become clogged with dirt. It is necessary to use a small stick or tool to make a hole in the soil before inserting the stem. But if the hole is too big or not deep enough, the globe can tip over and break.
Since you do not have to water your plants every day, it might be easy to forget to refill the globes when they are empty. The good thing about these globes is that you can clearly see the water level and do not have to remove the globe completely to check how much water is still available.
These are the perfect solution for people like myself who have no green thumbs. They would also come in handy for families that like to travel often and don’t want to pay someone to housesit.
Where to buy
I lucked out with my Aqua Globe purchase when I found them on a discount website and bought them well below the price I have seen them in stores. Since I am not sure if the sale is still ongoing, I won’t direct you to the website, but you can find them at Target for $9.99 and on Amazon.com for $4.66. They also have sets of mini-globes available for about the same price.
Submissions
Send your gadget ideas and comments to misty@dailydata.com.
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