I take a gallon can from food, punch some holes in the bottom with a nail, put the lid I removed to open the can over the holes, then fill a plastic bag with water and put it in the can. I have never found a plastic bag that would not leak, but if you do, poke a hole or 2 near the bottom of the bag with a pin so it will leak slowly. If your plants are in large pots like mine are (cut-off plastic barrels, usually), there is room to put one of these in the barrel. It will water your plants for almost a week if the pinholes really are pinholes.. If you want to decrease the amount of water your plants will need, such as during really hot weather, make some kind of simple shade over them before you put the self-waterers to work.

Hi Doc!! I am sorry that i haven't been around... My Little Daschund had a terrible accident a few days ago when he was coming up the stairs. He missed a step and hit his little head wrong and instantly began to curl his feet. The Vet said he hurt his neck and to wait and see if he will come around. Well, he was paralyzed and couldn't do much to help himself, so i had to make the decision to let him go and not suffer anymore.. A hard decision because i didnt want him to leave me, but a decision made from the love that i have for him and the true love he always gave back. A true Gentleman for 13 years and he left in my arms a relaxed loved little loyal companion. This is why i have been away.. I'm still bummed and im missing my little garden buddy..But i wanted to come here and tell you why i didnt respond to your email and this post.. Thanks for the email to get me here!!! Sorry to hear about your Peace Lilly. I know how much you loved them and how you worked so hard to get the mix right and the special containers for your loved lilly. Noone could have done more than what you did to make them happy, try again someday and i bet they will be bigger and strongern(healthier) than the others. Puerto Rico sounds lovely right now.. That would probably make me smile seeing those beautitful sunsets and crystal blue water around Luquillo Beach!! Love those Coconut palms all the way down to the water. What a great local spot to visit. So you have a new Rubber Tree eh? ;-) I bet it does love the partial shade in your yard. Plants naturally love being outdside and i understand that you want to bring it inside to your office. You have the right idea to keep it away from drafts and or airconditoning vents. Constant air (chilled) causes problems and i would avoid this if possible. Also, i would keep it close to any natural light that you can, but if it is only artificial light try and see if it adjust. Give it some time because taking it from a natural enviroment to a artifical enviroment will cause any plant an adjustment period. Good Luck Tecnico and i hope all is well with you!! Enjoy that beautiful sunshine down south!! Take Care, Laura

I started out with Fafard because it was all I could get last November when I stumbled across the WS forum. When that ran out I bought another oneÂfrozen solid of course. #3 was Pro-mix because by then thatÂs all I could get. It was more expensive but not by much. A few weeks ago I went to a nursery supply & bought 3 bales of Fafard. I had great results with both that & PM so IÂll use it again this time. I did blend in some Maine Potting Soil when I first started WS but by the time March rolled around I was using just the Fafard/PM. For comparison, my neighbor who brought me all the milk jugs decided to WS some seeds in his own compost. His results: zilch, nada, no sprouts at all. This year weÂre trying an experiment: heÂs going to try some of the Fafard and see what happens. I agreed to try his compost for comparison. WeÂre going to sow the same seeds on the same day in the two different mediums and see what happens.

Sandi - I kept no name Home Depot nematanthus (wettstenii?) in a ceramic self watering pot in a superlight soil - and it loved it. But it is an unkillable plant to start with. I think Tropicana will do OK eventually, you just need to let it grow bigger and root more cuttings to create eventually a full attractive specimen. Do not know about N. tessmanii - it can be more picky. In my experience if you give them lots of natural light and let them dry between the watering they do good. I keep my A. lobbianus and nematanthus plants in hanging Oyama pots - they are too big for the light shelves and they want to trail. I think you can do it provided not to let them get too wet and root some cuttings separately just in case. Rob's plants are usually very sturdy, not that big and they can live in their pots for some time until they start toppling. He keeps them on the mats without wicks - I tried and it works, just need to keep an eye on them. Irina