Anyone do this? Put a diaper at the bottom of the planter for moisture retention? Someone posted about it last year. I'm wondering how well it works. I was thinking of giving it a try. DH will really have a reason to make fun of me if I send him out for a box of diapers. -LOL!!
Diapers for your planters?
Howdy poppysue. Yes, I've done that...it works fairly well too! I've also put them in the hole of a fruit tree when planting (I used a generic Pampers disposable and ripped the plastic part off so the diaper would biodegrade). I noticed I didn't have to water the tree as much as the other trees I planted. (Always good to keep newly-planted trees well watered their first yr.)
Reckon your hubby better muster up the nerve and go get ya a box!
Oh, just let him off the hook and use a roll of paper towels. It's probably a lot cheaper, and will actually work better. I use a lot of cheap toilet tissue when I plant seeds here, to keep the seed moist until they germinate and to make sure delicate roots aren't exposed to air in soil pockets. You can also wad up newspaper, it's great for this purpose. Just crumple it, form it around the roots and stems, wet it and cover it.
I can see our methods would be quite different because of the climate differences. Our climate is so wet and cool that we'd surely get mildew from adding such things to the bottom of pots or around seedlings, and the materials just don't break down in the cool soil.
Peat pots are a nightmare around here, because the plants remain root bound within them all season, and if you attempt to re-pot, the roots are imbedded into the pot.
I was watching a TV program in which the gardener added a diaper to the bottom of the pot, and he said a bit of "tinkle" in the diaper was all the better, adding extra nitrogen. If you have no babies at home, it boggles the mind thinking how you would manage that!
Weez, I think you could add a bit of ammonia to substitute for tinkle.
You're no fun, Aimee!
Well, I try hard! Hey, wee wee in your planted diaper yourself!
Oh, I might...it all "Depends"! (Are we going to get in trouble again?)
Being no fun at all, I will tell you that I refer to the little bowls and such under my potted plants as their diapers, because they are there to catch the drainoff. To me, a real diaper is still gauze or birdseye, and far too expensive to bury in dirt. But I can't keep from laughing at you two, never serious for long.
Penney's, and a few of the department stores. They were at Babies R Us, but I think that closed. It's only a matter of time until they will be extinct. I sort of hate to see that. Yeah, Birdseye diapers in the planting row would surely yield Birdseye veggies, wouldn't they? Sis, you ain't right!
Oh, Aimee...I am no match for you today! I'm just visualizing the Jolly Green Giant in a diaper!
Seriously, what about those little sanitary nappies they put under meat in meat trays? Should be able to get a few of those from the butcher at a reasonable price.
Ladies, ya know what works even BETTER than diapers? Get some sponge sheets, such as used in appliance packing boxes, cut it to make a collar around your plants, and bring it up on the sides of the planting hole. Water it well, fill the hole in with dirt, and it will hold for a LONG time. The roots just grow right thru the sponge! I use this material/system to root cuttings such as roses.
CoCo
Mar 28, 2002
I just use a regular sponge to put in the bottom of my pots. Can get a good size package for hardly little of nothing. Wet the sponge and put in the bottom of the pot and then add your soil and as you water;the sponge absorbs the remaining moisture and distributes it evenly throughout the pot. For larger pots you can add as many as you wish;usually 3-4 depending on the size of the pot.
how about the tyrofoam chips one gets in goods sent from eBay????? that should stop the moisture from running out, don't ya think? Elaine
Kay what a nifty idea,might try that,thanks'
Haven't tried yours yet CoCo,might give it a go too'
Elaine,I fill my containers 1/3 of styrafoam(sp)only on the bottom to help with drainage plus I use less soil too' The foam however doesn't hold moisture as it isn't porous like a sponge is,sorry' Another thing is always "test the styrafoam"before adding to anything first' Some styrafoam will actually disolve in water''' Sis'