by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
While it is being claimed by EcoCharlie that the AQUADRIP watering spike can be used to trickle water plants and even houseplants during one's vacation this is rather misleading. Originally I accepted this is as gospel but my own tests have shown entire different results.
Unlike the watering devices that use terracotta which really slowly release the water to the plant the Aqua Spike does not do the same.
It will deliver, that is true, the water directly, for instance to individual plants and their roots and do his slowly over a period of a couple of hours, when the adjustment is turned real low, it will not stop watering when soil saturated, as the terracotta devices do. So, back to the drawing board on that one, methinks.
Using the AQUADRIP watering spike with plants indoors will flood your pot, windowsill and whatever else.
While the spikes are a good idea in order to convert plastic drinks bottles into watering devices for the garden, for that is the only place to use it, with containers, raised beds, or general, if you are looking for something that does it over a period of time slowly so you do not have to think about it for a couple of days, the terracotta devices are the only real answer, such a the Plant Minder ones.
There are some devices that convert soda bottles and other plastic ones into watering devices that say you can use it for weeks to water your houseplants that are a lot more sophisticated than the Aqua Spike and they may, just about, work. We will be having a look at this kind in due course.
I love the idea of reusing plastic bottles via such devices for all manner of things but those little devices must them be though out and tested somewhat better.
The AQUADRIP watering spike can and will have its uses but not as described in the fliers and marketing brochures and on the website(s).
The claims for the AQUADRIP watering spike from EcoCharlie, for instance, are:
You can use AQUADRIP indoors, outdoors, in the greenhouse, in pots, borders, vegetable patches, tubs, growbags and hanging baskets, etc.
And it continues with:
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CUTS WATER LOSS: Significantly reduces water loss caused by evaporation on ground surface, Water roots directly. (One can live with that to an extent, I guess)
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SAVES TIME: Plants can survive with AQUADRIP without being watered daily. (I beg to differ here, as it may water the plan t for one day, if set to very slow, but that is it.)
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EVEN MOISTURE: AQUADRIP controls the flow to the plant roots directly and avoids over watering. (I must disagree here, yet again, rather strongly,m having found that the flow does not stop and hence the plant gets saturated.)
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LEAVE PLANTS WITHOUT WORRY: AQUADRIP can be left to water plants whilst away on holiday or at work. (Again a definite no here. While the “at work” does work – pardon the pun - “away on holiday” definitely does not.)
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RECYCLES BOTTLES: Using plastic bottles in your garden is a great was to recycle in your home. (That is the one statement that I can fully agree with.)
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EASY TO ADD PLANT FOOD: AQUADRIP can easily be used with a water soluble plant food. (One more statement that will be find, but not many here that do.)
This is yet another gadget, for lack of a better word, about which many a claim are made but which does not live up to the hype at all. Even the slowest flow setting still empties the water out way too fast to be any good for the “going away” bit and it is definitely not something I would recommend using indoors for reason explained earlier.
Before making exaggerated claims as made for this product it would be an idea if tests would be carried out prior to releasing such products on the unsuspecting public.
When after coming back from the GARDEN PRESS EVENT 2010 with a sample of this product and giving it a look at for a review – I had, and this is my fault entirely – not found the time to properly test the product at that stage – the now highlighted faults were not evident. They now are and blatantly so.
© 2010
