Buy It And Try It: Aquaglobes

Have a hard time keeping track of when you need to water your plants?
I checked out a colorful device that claims to eliminate the
guesswork.

The Aqua Globes claim to water your plants so you don't have to, so
let's see if it works.

It's Sherie Bishops' job to keep plants alive. "You've really got to
keep a little bit of water in the saucer," she said.

She's a manager at the growing company in Sacramento, which maintain
indoor plants at 150 businesses across the Valley. They also have a
warehouse of fake plants for the holiday season, but 99-percent of
their business is the living ones.

"You need to be trained and you need to know the plants and how to adapt."

It can be a challenge with different climates, even indoors, with the
use of heaters and air conditioners.

The Aqua Globe claims you can't overwater or underwater your plants;
it will take care of it for up to two weeks.

Sherie's impressed just looking at it. "It's very decorative," she
said. "I could squeeze it and it feels sturdy."

So Sherie fills it up and puts it into the soil of her plant. "Very
easy, and it's not pouring out into the soil."

For larger plants you put in two, so she does. She has an identical
plant she just watered, but won't water again during our test.

"I'm doubtful it'll last for two weeks, it doesn't hold that much
water," she said.

A week later, the Aqua Globes plant is doing just fine. On the left,
the plant not watered is wilted and dying. Remember, the Aqua Globe
claims it will keep your plants watered up to two weeks, so we return
then.

"It's just starting to wilt, but it's been two weeks," she said.
"That's pretty good."

But Sherie points out the system didn't seem to work like the
infomercial claims. "I checked it after about an hour and the whole
globe was empty," she said. "The water went into the soil. I saw no
bubbles in the globe at all."

Regardless, the plant is alive after two weeks. "A lot of people who
go on vacation, who don't want to let someone into their house, then
it would work for them," she said.

I spent $14.99 for 4, and I bought them online.