Water crystals

[zimm4]

Has anyone used water crystals around landscape plants.

Did they work well during a dry period.

[Hamons]

I use them all the time. They work fantastic. Terra-sorb is the product I use. I ha done property wehre I planted 30 flats of imaptiens in full sun with terr-sorb mixed in the soil. They thrived with once a day irrigation. I am not kidding -- they were over 4 feet tall.

I think it is a fantastic product. The bigger the quantity -- the cheaper it is.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

You have to be careful how you use the crystals in potted plants. They are deceivingly tiny and effective in absorbing water. I've heard of people using too many and pushing the plant out of pots when they were watered. One way to avoid that is to use them wet and mix them with the soil as you pot the plant.

Personally I think they are a gimmick but they shouldn't hurt anything.

[Hamons]

I respectfully must diagree. I have used these for years and I can attest to the fact they work fantastic!.

If they are pushing them out of post then you using WAY too many. The way I do it when planting flats of annuals is mix a little water and jump start fertilizer with the crystals. Then as you pull out each plug dip it in the solution and plant it. I haave done side by side tests to see if I was wasting my money and easil;y saw a 50% jump in quality of palnt and resistance to drying out. This leads to healthier plants!

[zimm4]

David why do you think they are a gimmick?
Do you have some imformation to support your oppinnion.

Just curious,. I have been expierementing with them.

Give you my results when im finished.

[Dchall_San_Antonio]

No, I don't have any information besides my opinion. If I had, I would have said,

"According to the USDA, Cornell, Monsanto, and Texas A&M University, water crystals are a gimmick." Or words to that effect.

I also think tilling and aerating are gimmicks. Maybe not gimmicks but crutches for poor soil maintenance. Still I have good friends in the organic community who insist on annual aerating their turf. I can live with a lot of things as long as they don't hurt anyone. I don't think the water crystals hurt anyone or the soil; however, I could be wrong. There is some research into the byproducts of the different formulations of water crystals as they decompose. So the jury is out on what they turn into at the end of their life. And I don't mean to send any subliminal alarms to anyone who uses them. Go right ahead and experiment or launch full speed into using them. Even in the worst case I think they probably become inert in the soil. At best they become microbe food!!