(Apologies to Matt for getting this up way late :-))
Finding time to take care of your plants sometimes just comes down to remembering. They don't whimper or yowl. They just...wilt. And for some plants it can be a slow, stealthy process. Enter wormies.
I cannot ignore anything with a face. And these little guys, though just the size of a finger, have a high impact. Wormies are made of a porous material that is light tan when dry, but turns a deep red color when inserted into moist soil.
They replace the need to stick your finger in to check dampness. They also serve one more crucial task.
Because of their penetrating little eyes you are more likely to pay attention and remember to check your plant's soil. Normally little faces on worms would creep me out, but these guys are more like Sesame Street extras doing freelance work in your apartment. Although I have not tested one, I plan on soon - and would love to know if anyone has used these.
-Matt N.
© 2009 Apartment Therapy
Oh, they're so cute! You're right about the eyes - at a certain angle they might make one feel really guilty. :-P
these are really cute!
but i'm wondering how they would work if you have plants that need either more or less water than 'the norm' (whatever that is). also, how are the worms calibrated vis a vis the dampness of the soil? is it like, red = hey, you might wanna water me now, or more like, red = omg i am dying of thirst!
they are super cute, though, and if i thought they would mean anything stuck in the pots of my burgeoning succulent garden, i would totally get some.
Yikes! A little PENIS sticking out of your plants!
lee valley has a great beautiful blown glass globe with a slim long funnel-like thing that you fill with water and stick into the soil. As the soil goes dry it slowly sucks water out, not too much not too little.
i couldn't find it in the online catalog, but this thing is similar, if not nearly as attractive:
http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.aspx?c=2&p=53941&cat=2,2280,54307&ap=1
I find the worms a little on the creepy side, too cutesy and muppets-like. It'd be like miss piggy harrassing me through my plants.
it's funny coz the kitty seems jealous whenever I water the plants.
I bought one a few years ago, I thought it was the cutest thing and had to have it for my plant at work.
After a few weeks in my plant the worm had grown some kind of white mold all over it. My co-worker checked it out under a high powered microscope here, she even identified what kind of mold it was.
they're totally cute, and they're also totally suggestive.
i have one for entertainment, but i don't feel they work. i thought the worm would suck up the water from the dirt, but they don't really turn brown. unless you pour water on it, at which point it's not so helpful...
wat are you talking about? they look like fingers with eyes on them like Phantasm or some other crazy fangoria fan favorite movie.
I had one, too, and it never turned red.
i had one a few years back solely because it looked like a penis. i mean, c'mon.
well you can always get an empty plastic soda bottle (1,5 lt or so), make a few holes on the top, fill with water, screw the cap and put the bottle upside down into the pot, the cap needs to get into the soil and voila! you have a dripping watering system
i had one of these, it actually disintigrated into terracotta powder after about a month.
I'll be going to the US soon for vacation (San Francisco & NYC) - Does anyone know where I can some wormies? My French friends will love them!
Thanks,
LPC
PLC, I've seen them in NYC at the Plant Shed, at 96th St. and Broadway.
The companion to this product is a miniature house plant that you put on your partner's penis. If it's yellow, the penis needs TLC. If it's green, it's satisfied. :)
mine turned white & moldy too! they don't turn red & i don't feel they work.
much cuter in the box.
Good morning! Looks like we need a Wormies Support Group (how sad!). Now I really am intrigued to see for myself how well or poorly these do. It will be a very cheap ($2.00) adventure...