Hestya 10 Pack Plant Watering Stakes Automatic Devices Plant Self Drip Irrigation Slow Release Indoor Outdoor Terracotta Water Spikes for Potted Plants Flower (Black Base)

I was a little dubious on ordering these given the mixed reviews but was running out of time to figure out an inexpensive solution for some of my needier plants while I was out of town. The initial test run did not result in the plants absorbing any water. After doing some reading online (package comes without instructions) I figured out how to make them work. The instructions are listed in the product description but I had missed that initially so I will repeat here for reference.1. Soak the ceramic ends in water for 15-20 minutes before use.2. Remove caps and fill interior of stakes with water.3. Replace caps and stick spike in soil so that the ceramic part is fully submerged.4. Place tube end in a water source that is lower than the top of the spike.Follow these steps and you won't have to worry about your plants. Before I found the instructions in the listing, I had figured out all of the other steps aside from the soaking. They did not work without pre-soaking but once I pre-soaked they worked perfectly. They provided more water than I honestly thought they could. I used these in larger pots.

In 2019 I purchased Blumat brand watering stakes and have used them every year to keep my plants alive while wintering in Florida. This year I had a few extra plants so I ordered these HESTYA brand stakes because they were so cheap. In trying them out a week before leaving I was not impressed. With the Blumat stakes I use a 6 gallon bucket of water for every 3 stakes. Larger plants get two stakes & smaller plants get one. I set up the 3 new plants using 3 HESTYA stakes.First: The tubing would not stay uncoiled. When shipped it is wrapped around the stake which is also how the Blumat stakes are shipped. I tried everything to get the tubing uncoiled, even soaking them in very hot water. With the little ends and brass (?) insert furrels, the tubing just floated on top of the water. I tied a 1/2" steel nut on the 3 hoses and they still wouldn't uncoil very far below the surface of the water. The new plants were small so I put one stake in each.Second: After a couple of days I checked and there was water all over and the pots were flooded. luckily, I was using the JJGoo Repotting Mats purchased on Amazon under the pots and the spilled water was contained in them.Third: When first handling the tubing of the HESTYA stakes, the brass inserts (furrels?) and the plastic ends kept falling off. The ones in my older Blumat stakes are fastened tight on the tubing.By now I had run out of time and just refilled the buckets and left the house. I'm sure when I get back, the 3 new plants will be dead. I would not reccomend the HESTYA stakes from my experience.

I bought these just before heading out for a month long trip. That was the first issue, getting them too late to understand how to use them properly! You can not just add them to your plants and expect them to work the first time. Here are some tips on how to get them to work better.1) As other people have mentioned, pre-soak the stakes in water.2) Stock up and save your "empty" 1 gallon milk or bottled water containers.3) MOST important . . . pre-fill the water into the COILED LINE (as well as the stake)!If you just add water to the ceramic stake and put the tube/line into your water container . . . the entire line is still full of air. It will be simply pulling in air instead of water when the terracotta spike tried to get more water. This is why people complain that they don't work when they first use them.Once you uncoil the line got to your sink and have water run INTO the line until it comes out the other end. The pressure from your sink should push its way through the tube and get all the air out if it. Now you will have the line filled with water instead of air. This made a HUGE difference on getting this to work!This would be a 5 star product but the one thing that is still slightly annoying is how the line stays curled even after you un-package it from around the stake. It just loves to curl back up making it difficult to get it to stay at the bottom of your water container. Over time though it does straighten out. Would I buy this again,? Sure, now that I know how to better use them.

So you want to pay less than $20 for three? Ten for $17 that look exactly the same seems great. Some leak air so fail in a day or so. Sealing the head and the body with Seal All fixed. After a couple tries filling under water and using a syringe to get all the air out of the tube I got them to work. But, measuring the moisture at the plant indicates that these flow less water than the more expensive ones. Plants are not dying but not thriving as are the plants with the more expensive units. Generally a waste of money. Sorry

These work. They're consistent and reliable. Unlike many other plant watering spikes I've bought, I'm very happy with these. They're durable and hold up well. They do the job they're supposed to. I always soak them in a bucket, cap them when they're underwater and make sure the tube is has water in it (instead of air) and it works reliably.