Hello, Just wondering what everyone thinks of these water retaining granules? I decided to try them out. Then we got rain. They seem to be pushing my plants up and I am concerned that there may be a problem with the roots rotting. I am curious about how much water they absorb and whether they will hold on to it for a long time. Will they really cut back on the amount of watering that I will have to do by hand? Anyone?

From what I hear, they add alot of salts to the soil, but I don't really know.

Is it the same water-retaining crystals they use in diapers? Are they a lab-created thingummy? I'm not sure exactly what you're talking about, but if it's the same thing as what they use in disposable diapers, I'd steer clear. Those things are toxic--they banned them in tampons because of the toxicity (they were causing TSS), and the fact that they seem to retain bacteria as well as water, but they still allow them in diapers and, I would assume, gardening.

Anyway, good luck finding out what you need.

Heather

I think what we're talking about are those potassium crystals that you see in gardening magazines. THATS IT! They can add excess levels of Potassium Salts to the soil!

If you have sufficient levels of organic matter in your soil you won't need these and if you don't these things won't do what you really want anyway. In a true organic garden they really have no place since they add nothing to the soil. If you need moisture retaining properties, add organic matter.

One rule of thumb that comes in handy...if Nature didn't make it, don't put it near your plants

my daughter dumped an ENTIRE jar of those in the grass, and I couldn't get nearly all of them out.. when the sprinklers went off that night they filled up, and the next morning it looked like we had broken glass all over the yard. They certainly do soak up a lot of water!!
I don't know if they really do help retain the water for roots or not... but they do last a long time. we kept double-looking at our 'broken glass' for a few weeks

Im sorry that I wasnt more clear about the product I am using...Its called "Soil Moist" Granules the ingredients read"99.7% Crosslinked polyacrylamide and .3% inert ingredients. I should also mention that I have to do all of my gardening in pots and half barrels. Thanks for all the help!!

Hi , well i dont use them bye anything i plan to eat but i have used them in hanging baskets for 3 years now,
it may not be right but i love them in there. my baskets used to dry out so fast i couldn't keep stuff alive but now i just set the basket in a bucket of water (or in a hurry water by hand) for about an 1/2 hour come back hang it up to drain and done for a few days.

the reason your plants are popping up is you put too much in one spot. you only need very little a tabl. spoon is plents for a reg. hanging basket , you mix (mix well)them in the bottom 2/3's of dirt then put a layer of reg dirt over that then plant. they will push plants up if you have them in a small space.

if your plants havent been there long i would dig them back up and mix it in more or remove some then replant,

a good test is to put a teaspoon in an old big butter dish fill with water(warm works faster) just to see, it will help you juge how much to use. they can get huge if a lot of water is used.
the dish will fill by morining. then add them to your dirt. since it is all ready full it wont push the plants up any more.
good luck

Sounds like a plan to me.

Dirt

I confess that I use Soil Moist as well, but only in potted flowers and hanging pots. I had the same problem kbear mentioned - my potted plants were drying out so badly and I couldn't keep up with the watering. Missoula is SO dry and SO hot in the middle of the summer that everything on the porch was struggling.

Last year I made my own potting mix with sandy soil, compost, llama manure, kelp meal, organic fertilizer, and Soil Moist. Everything loved it! Maybe it was the addition of more organic matter, but I truly think the Soil Moist helped. The key is to follow the instructions on the container exactly and you won't have any trouble with the soil expanding and heaving over the top of the pots. You will just be able to enjoy not worrying about your pretty petunias and dichondria shriveling up from exposure.

Guys a really easy way to fix your water issues it to drill a 2/16th inch hole in a 10 or 16 ounce coke bottle lid, fill it with water and bury it lid-down about two inches into the soil. That can feed an average potted plant for a week. To take it out without any damage or having to re-dig, just wet the soil around the bottle real good, and then twist it side to side and lift up slowly. It should leave an impression where you can re-insert the bottle after filling it back up.

There's a new water retaining product this year called "Zeba", which is a starch based product, and is organic. Has anyone heard about it, or tried it yet? I ordered some, but haven't used it yet.

Dave

It still remains that the single best way to improve the moisture retention properties of your soil is to add organic matter. In sandy soils the OM fills in the pore spaces so both water and nutrients are held in the soil and in clay soils the OM seperates the clay particles so that moisture and air flow more freely and it creates an environment in the soil so the nutrients are not locked ontot he clay particles but are more readily available to the plants.
If you get sufficient levels of OM into your soil, you won't need a lot of tricks to keep moisture in your soil.

I'm gonna try the soda bottle trick for the potted plants on my porch when I go on vacation in the summer.