I read in an article that it's a good idea to add water absorbing/releasing crystals to your pots to help reduce watering needs. I've seen stuff like this advertised on potting soil packages, but never sold separately before. It's a pretty good idea for me because 1. I often forget to water, and that has proven deadly for several of my potted plants in the past 2. We always have to ask someone to water our plants for us every time we go out of town.
Last weekend, I bought a bag from one of my favorite places, Bennett Nursery, and decided to test it out.
Well, I added one of the small scoops to my empty measuring cup. After several water refills, what started out as about 1/2 teaspoon of Soil Moist has now ended up absorbing > 2 cups of water... it can definitely take more water, but I ran out of volume in the measuring cup! Even Matt was thoroughly impressed.
We'll see how this stuff works out this summer. I read that it's not a good idea to put the dry crystals on top of a pot because they'll swell right out of the pot when you water it, and after watching them expand, I believe it.
3 comments:
I think I have heard of Bennett's Nursery, does it have a little kids train next door or something? I've been told it's a must see!
Yes, Bennett's is great! They have a train just outside the first greenhouse, in the center garden and have live music and free bbq on April/May and busy fall weekends. They also have glass bottle cokes, starbucks coffee, and other drinks free for while you browse through the greenhouses and beautiful gardens. They all know their plants and are so knowledgeable and helpful!
Here's a great article on them: http://huntsville.about.com/library/weekly/aa110400a.htm
We're so going on the next warm Saturday!!!
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