XRS Professional Watering Spikes Automatically Delivers Water to The Roots of Your Plants 24/7 - Your Long Term Holiday/Vacation Watering Solution - Natural Olla Irrigation

MY BAD- left the bulbs on top of the soil this winter and there was too much snow I guess. The lids cracked. The previous winter I left them out and no problem. I hope I can get replacement lids. The bulbs did not crack. RECENT BULB IS LEAKING: I added a new set this season and one of the bulbs mysteriously leaks. Water continuously runs out of the bulb. There is no visible crack and the seal at the top seems fine. But when it's hooked into the system water drips continuously from the clay pot. Once detached from the drip line there is no leakage even though the bulb remains full. All the other bulbs were fine. Can I get one replacement bulb? 2017 INSTALLATION PROBLEM: SOLVED by raising the water reservoir very high. Increased pressure pushed the water through all the bulbs and I was able to then lower the reservoir to it original location and its working beautifully. At the end of last season I removed the OyYa's and left them sitting on top of the soil in their respective containers. They were well dried out before the winter frost hit. None of them cracked. I recently re-installed them,the same set-up as last year. I left the turn-off valve at the end of the drip line open and expected that the water would eventurally run out. It sits on the ground, and the OyYa's are in container pots that vary in size. The first 10 have filled up (can't determine if they are 100% full, but I can feel that they are heavier, and some slosh water when I remove them from the dirt. The 11th one has a little water, and the remaining 6 are dry. I have been sucking on the end of the drip-line in hopes to pull the water through, but nothing is working. I HATE to think I have to take them all out and futz around. I also hate to cut the drip line to see if there are blocks. Any suggestions? Thanks. 2016 Summer Review: I was extremely happy with the EasiOyYa kits - I bought 3 of them and plan to purchase more next season. I have a rooftop flower garden in NYC and one section of the roof gets beating sun all day long and the conditions are extreme. We have an inadequate drip-irrgation system that does not have enough water pressure to keep all the pots damp during the hottest part of the year. We are on a budget and can't afford a fancy drip system with sensors. My containers range from 15" to 32." I had 2-3 OyYa's in the larger pots along the hottest wall to supplement the drip-lines. The EasiOyYa's made a big difference although none of them were in pots that did not also receive drip-irrigation. Most of my containers are 20-30in diameter. Next year I will buy more sets and put 4 in each of the large containers. I like that they are easy to lift out. At the end of the summer I could see how the roots have grown all around the ceramic ball. However, in my smaller pots - 15" square, where I had 2 balls, there were still areas that were dry, even with a drip irrigation system. This is the plague of container gardening on an extreme temperature rooftop. Also, different plants have different kinds of roots, some go deep and some spread out more near the surface. We have measured the soil temperature during heat waves to reach 140 degrees - yes, your finger feels very hot when stuck into the soil. Mulch on top, covering the OyYa ball helps cut down the heat factor. It is complicated to get the right balance. Since I have some 10-ft shrubs and small trees in containers that also have flowering annuals around the base, it would be useful to have the option of some deeper OyYa's - like 10-14 inches. Soil structure also affects water absorption. Maintaining soil structure in a container garden is a big challenge, and a deeper OyYa could help get water down to the bottom of the pot without it just running right out which can happen with the drip line. In Sept. we emptied a large container to put in a new rose bush. That container had 3 OyYa's and a drip line emitter. The bottom 12 inches or so of soil was almost completely dried out, while the area near the surface was nicely moist. For a shrub with deep roots, this could be a problem. We added more peat to the soil in hopes it will help hold moisture at the bottom of the pot. I hope my review helps other gardeners understand what can be achieved using the OyYa's. The ability to self-water is fantastic but realistically for me to install 4 OyYa's in every pot would cost a LOT of money because I have a very large garden. Little by little I hope to get there. I look forward to next year adding more OyYa balls to my 'HOT ZONE.'

Bought them two years ago. Didn't get to use them. More complicated to hook up than those single Plant-a-bottle spikes.

I was drawn to this item because of the solid reviews. I was looking for something to automate the task of watering plants in pots (7 gallon smart pots). Over a two week interval, I used a moisture meter to measure the water content in the soil. The moisture meter indicates whether the soil is dry, moist, or wet. Unfortunately, much of the soil stayed wet, which is not good for plants and therefore the Easyoyya failed for this particular application. I think the Easyoyya is too large for pots and that a junior version may have a better chance of working. Instead of returning this item, I will give it a try in the garden next year. I ordered the Blumat Self Watering Probes and hope to get better results.

I'm giving a tentative 4 stars only because I am having problems hooking it up. I have a standard tap on my water barrel, and despite the instructions stating that the system will work with most taps, it does not. I will need to get an adaptor. I also received instructions for a system with T-connectors and single holes in the reservoirs, but received elbow connectors and two holes in each reservoir. I can make it work, but it would be more helpful if the instructions matched the system I was sent. Nevertheless, I am very excited to get it going and see how it works!

Part of the good rating is because of the good customer service. One of my eight ollas had a manufacturing defect; a crack that made it leak. I sent pictures of it to the seller/designer/inventor who had new ones sent to me. Very nice to deal with. I really like this system for my plants so far. The balcony container plants seem to like it, and it really makes watering much easier. The simplicity of the system is a major plus. Pro: Easy to install. Very simple system (compared with timer pressurized drip irrigators). Plants seem pretty happy so far. Cons: Some worries about durability of the ollas in the winter which is untested. The safest thing to do is to remove the ollas for the winter. I may try to leave some out in the winter to test, it may be okay if there is no water inside the olla. Water Reservoir Connection Tips: There are many ways to fit a water container with a 3/4" FPT (female pipe thread) fitting which connects to the irrigation valve. I'm not an expert, but I drilled a 1" hole in a water plastic container. Inserted one 1" PVC plastic adapter (1" MPT to 1" slip joint) poking the 1" male pipe thread (MPT) end into the container hole, using a 1" rubber washer on the inside and 1" nut on the inside to hold it. Then added to the outside a 1" PVC to 3/4" FPT reducer bushing adapter. Tried it out on an inexpensive small plastic container to test it.

I put the EasiOyYa system in my" in the ground" garden. These little pots work like Champs. Tomatoes, beans, peppers and various other vegetables are growing with little maintenance. Just have to weed, prune and eat. Can't be happier with the results. I'm getting ready to buy my 3rd set. Oh, I did find I needed to buy a 1/4 compression fitting to fit on my bulkhead faucet fitting, the threads on the EasiOyYa must be a slightly different pitch. I still gave the EasiOyYa 5 stars because it works GREAT!

To make this gravity feed system work, one needs to have the water tank around three feet above the watering pods. Without that, it just won't water enough.

The product works as described. I highly suggest that, once getting the watering system set up to run a pressurized hose (such as city water) through the system (on a minimal discharge rate) to run the initial flush through the whole system with the end fitting open. Once the water makes it all the way through, close off the end and turn off the hose, then attach the whole thing to your bucket and then enjoy the fruits (pun intended) of your labor. The pictures are of the olla itself and how my carosello Tondo Barese cucumbers look as a result of the EasiOyYa. =)