hydrating crystals

Has anyone used Terra-Sorb crystals? I've just bought some to use in my hanging baskets and deck planters. I'd be interested to hear of other's experience and recieve tips or advice on using.

I'm also going to try planting some upside down tomatoes and thought I'd use them in those bags too.

Hi Perry. I haven't used the Terra-sorb brand, but I do use crystals very frequently. I have used Soil Moist and others that are similar. I always put crystals in the soil of hanging baskets and when planting a plant, I add them in the hole and then water them in before adding organic soil and then the plant.....EXCEPT for plants that do not like "wet feet". I don't use crystals for those. I think the key point to know with crystals is that you must not over-use them with a plant. Follow the directions on the package.

my best advice is expand them fully before you put them in containers... so you don't have them popping out every where after the first rain... (like mine did the first time)... I haven't used the terra sorb brand either... don't think they would be much different from the brands I used though

I keep containers with expanded crystals ready for use at planting time

Follow DonnieBrook and onewish's advice and don't overapply. I did once and the bloating crystals pushed the plant two inches out of the ground!

By the way, I recently did a web search on these absorbent polymers in connection with some correspondence about another issue, and all the different manufacturers I found say they are safe to use with veggies. One authoritative site says they are non-toxic and are not absorbed by the plant roots. They do break down after 4-5 years, sooner if exposed to sunlight.

they are great.. I use polysorb water crystals in all my beds.. even veggies as I compost there are biodegradeable, i don't remember the nutrients they break into, i think nitrogen carbon and potassium.. i could be way off but it is some simple set of nutrients.. They are great with my heavy heavy shoreline clay.. I broke the clay to something useable by soaking the crystals, mixing them with peat, than turning them in. All my flower beds have them.. the byproduct is the erosion protection is incredible, except for the heaviest of rains, there is no runoff trails in the soil..there is a coop here .. dunno if it is closed.. great prices

Allison - how do you store your expanded crystals? That's an interesting and time-saving idea.

left over soup containers from the Chinese place for inside small stuff... and when i am planning on doing a ton of potting either a sterno tray or flat without holes will do... the only time it's a concern outside if heavy rain is coming... I can stick the tray under my patio table... so there isn't goo everywhere... or in a pinch I used the flat dome... sometimes I leave the unexpanded ones in a tray when it's going to rain to soak up all the good water... just keep an eye on it

when I was doing all those cuttings the sterno tray came in handy... I usually plop a couple in the bottom of the flats to try and keep even moisture

Do you have to expand them before using? I just put some in the containers I did last year as crystals. Never had a problem, that I know about anyway. :)

no you don't have to....you used the proper amount... which I did not... and they popped out all over the place.... I just find it easier to expand them first

That could have been kinda freaky-looking. I would have been wondering what in the world happened. LOL.

aliens

That's good to know. I have never hydrated them before putting them in a basket or pot, and so far, no problem, but I may have just lucked out. LOL

yeah well not all of us can be perfect...

;)

LOL! I just had to laugh at those bloating crystals pushing the plants out of the ground! That mental image was just too funny!

I was thinking of getting them for my potted plants this year so I don't have to water and water and water, like I have in so many other years past. It gets tiring!

Karen

you would think to see that only in the movies

Thank you all for tips on crystals. Any btw, Dave's Garden is great (I'm a new subscriber...); I can spend hours looking up stuff on the web and here I get GOOD responses in no time at all!

Now I have another question. Directions are to mix 1 tbs crytals to 1 gallon soil. I buy potting soil in big bags...how do I measure a gallon of soil? I read that a dry gallon is 18.61 cups. Would that be the dry measuring cups used for, say, flour?

Hey, Perry, WELCOME! Maybe a gallon plant pot would be the right size? Are the gallon pots, really a gallon?

Last evening I saw the top of the soil in a windowbox kind of shimmering, like a relection. Last week, I had stirred up the soil in them, to refresh them. WEll, when I went closer to look, the ' shimmering reflection' was those crystals that were very plump. I laughed and thought of you, Allison, and your alien blobs heaving out of the soil. Now, I know what you were talking about. :)

Hi Jan23...well, why didn't I think of that...thank you! Perry

I only use them in the bottom 1/2 now.... and usually don't measure still... haven't had a problem after I put them in the containers expanded

Yep, I put them in deep, too, but I was really stirring things up. LOL.

Perry124, you can mix it with the soil but I think you would do better putting the crystals in the hole where you are putting the plant. That way the water is at the roots. The roots grow right through the crystals and I would think that would be exactly what you want.

I agree with Elsie. Another benefit of putting them below the plant is that you don't want the roots of the plant to stay up near the soil (as is the problem with overwatering, because the roots have no reason to go deeper and sustain drought better). As Elsie said, if you put them in the hole, water them in well and then plant the plant on top of them, the roots will travel downward and your plant will do much better in hot weather.

That really makes a lot of sense.

Karen