watering plants





Valerie Lowery@ZEON
07/16/98 09:15 AM

Barb,

I don't know how long you plan on being away or how much you need watered,
but an inexpensive way of keeping plants watered is to use 2-liter bottles
turned upside-down, buried about 1/3 into the soil.  Poke a hole or two in
the plastic top to allow drainage or make a slit in a side of the bottle
that will be underground.

I believe that there is a gardener's supply catalog that offers specially
made spouts to fit into the bottles just for this purpose (I get so many I
forget which one...).  They tout the fact that water can be delivered
directly to the roots, you can mix fertilizer in with the water, and it
provides a steady supply of water for a longer period of time.  I
personally haven't used this method, but my sister has used it for her
tomatoes and watermelon.

Another thing, I've used the polymer crystals extensively in my garden.  In
fact, I mix it into the soil for my potted plants and also for those plants
in the border that need more water than most.  One thing I should tell you
is that if you plan on just scratching it into the surface, I wouldn't use
them.  These things expand a lot; however they wouldn't release enough
water to penetrate deeply into the soil.  I would suggest that you dig a
little (about four 2 or 3" deep holes -- about finger-wide -- around the
plant ) beside the plants you would like to keep watered.  CAUTION:  Put
only a pinch of the crystals into each hole.  I made the mistake of just
sprinkling the stuff around the plants when I first got it.  After the
first rain, the crystals expanded and it looked like I had put cubes of
clear Jell-O everywhere in the garden.  When I had put too much into the
little holes I dug around some plants, the expansion of the crystals heaved
my plant almost clear out of the ground!

Good luck.

Val in KY
zone 6a


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