RE: watering questio

Thanks Betsy! I could see my plants all over the ground and being in a
thither over the mess :)

I think I will try it next year. Even with all the rain we had here, the
porch plants still need some additional water... cause I am too lazy to
go out and move them when it rains... sometimes.

Donna

> 
> Donna,
>     The Soil Moist crystals that I use recommend a teaspoon for every
8"
> of
> pot. I always hydrate them before I incorporate them into the soil.
Some
> packages do not say to do that though.
>     When I worked for a garden center in TErre Haute Indiana, our
company
> got the flower box contract for downtown. A few days after the flowers
> were
> planted I was walking by one of the planters and saw what looked like
Ice
> next to the flowers. (I was standing in front of a local bar) It
turned
> out
> that the guys had not hydrated the hydro crystals before planting and
when
> they did get water the crystals swelled and blew the flowers out of
the
> ground. What a mess!!!
>     Also, this past spring, Colorado State University was running a
> comparison study of straight potting soil(several brands were
compared)
> with
> soil amended with the hydro crystals. They read the package where it
does
> not recommend hydration first. After watering, the plants were nearly
> pushed
> out of the pots if they were in the stiff plastic #1 containers OR the
> pots
> bulged out if the pots were soft plastic #1. It was a mess.
>     So beware!! At least with the initial mixing. I find the cryatals
very
> helpful since I work 10-12 hour days during the busy gardening season.
> They
> often hold the plants for several days easrly on in the season. I have
a
> friend who does not have good luck with them though. I thnik she
waters on
> her schedule rather than the plants schedule though.
> 
> betsy
> evergreen co
> z4 50S this morning.

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