Has anyone heard of a water retaining product called Zeba? I bought some of it a few days ago to try in a few large pots this year.
I'd tried the usual water absorbing crystals before and didn't really like the results, but the new stuff is made of starch and according to their website it's far superior to the usual polymer crystal stuff... will be interesting to see what results I get.
Anyone have previous experience with it?
Zeba?
Haven't tried anything yet, but after last year's drought and the amount of time I spent dragging the garden hose all over the place to reach the potted plants I had in among the 'ground planted' things, I'll try anything to cut down on watering time! Please post your results...
Hi Indigoez,
I have acquired a few samples of this product and I'm curious to try it out. In the US, the product that I have samples of is known as Zeba Singles and they literally look like teabags. In Canada, they will be marketed under another name
Apparently, you can can just drop one bag in the hole when you plant and don't have to be bothered with fertilizing for the rest of the year and it will cut down on how much you have to water.
What has been your experience with it so far?
Tks,
Erynne
This message was edited Jul 19, 2006 11:41 PM
I've been using Moisture Max potting soil that has some sort ot crystals that hold more water. I like it a lot and the plants like it, too.
But it doesn't really cut down on the amount of water a plant needs. It just cuts down on how frequently you have to water.
For me, it means I can often go from rain storm to rain storm without having to haul out the hose.
Keep in mind that they don't manufacture water. If you're giving a plant a pint of water a day now, the crystals may mean you can go two or three days without watering. But you'll need to give it two or three pints of water to get the crystals filled with water again.
Yeah I've noticed that effect with the zeba, but it didn't really make much of a difference in the large pots (24 inches+) I have, they still need water everyday because they're jammed with plants, most of which are large and overgrown:-D It did however work great with hanging baskets and 12 inch pots, even the clay ones can go a few days unwatered with no wilt, so I guess it just depends on what size pots you have.
Thanks for your feedback on this Indigoez. I have a few potted plants that I'm going to try Zeba on now, especially since I'm going to be on vacation for a week and don't want to worry about them drying up. The product I have here will be called "Z-Bag" (by Zeba) in Canada and the contents are confined to this little teabag. They can be used for indoor or outdoor plants, in the ground or containers. I got brave this afternoon and stuck one in the hole where I put in a hosta that is just a plain jane, nothing special. Along with the water retention granules, they are composed of organic materials including alfalfa.
We'll see how my potted plants fare while I'm away and I will leave one geranium out of the way of rain on purpose "just to see".
There was a whole discussion on lining your containers with DEPENDS undergarments (fresh, of course). The water absorbing crystals work as a wick to keep your soil moist. and a case is a lot cheaper than some of the stuff you're buying on the market...
The discussion was in one of the coleus forums....
I actually read that lol. Sounded kinda gross and nasty to me, even if they are unused.
So how do you use the Depends to water your plants? That sounds very interesting.
Jesse
It was something about using them to line the pot. They have water absorbing crystals in them that would in theory keep the soil from drying out as fast. I can imagine what the neighbors would think if they saw me lining pots with depends lol.