hydrogel crystals - share your experience

[Than]

Has anyone used hydrogel crystals in their pots? I suspect they would be a good idea for thirsty plants, especially in Mediterranean-Californian climates. Even more so in clay pots. I bought some crystals last week but haven't decided yet whether to use them or not. What has been your experience?

[happypalms]

Myself I would not use it in containers. And in the soil eventually you get a heap plastic looking gel all through the soil.

[happypalms]

Myself I would not use it in containers. And in the soil eventually you get a heap plastic looking gel all through the soil.

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

I have used them in the past, but only in pots. If you are in a dry climate and can not keep up with watering then they may help. I always put the dry crystals in a container with rain water to absorb the water first, before I mixed them into the container medium. I noticed that those soaked in rainwater or distilled water swelled much larger and held a lot more water. That may mean after they are in a pot or soil with your potting mix and the salts and minerals it contains then they will not hold as much water.  Also I would think that if your water is full of minerals you would not get as good results. Do not know how long they actually last in use. I now would only use them in a situation where I could not get water to a plant easily.

[Than]

3 hours ago, Jeff zone 8 N.C. said:

I have used them in the past, but only in pots. If you are in a dry climate and can not keep up with watering then they may help. I always put the dry crystals in a container with rain water to absorb the water first, before I mixed them into the container medium. I noticed that those soaked in rainwater or distilled water swelled much larger and held a lot more water. That may mean after they are in a pot or soil with your potting mix and the salts and minerals it contains then they will not hold as much water.  Also I would think that if your water is full of minerals you would not get as good results. Do not know how long they actually last in use. I now would only use them in a situation where I could not get water to a plant easily.

Did you ever use them when away on a holiday for instance?

[Than]

6 hours ago, happypalms said:

Myself I would not use it in containers. And in the soil eventually you get a heap plastic looking gel all through the soil.

I used it to plant vetiver on a slope outside my property to stabilise it. I planted 200 plants and they are on a slope so watering during summer will be tricky. I thought hydrogel may help. We shall see. 

Problem is, I stupidly bought a kilo of it and ended up using no more than 50 grams so now I have a large stock that I don't know what to do 😬

[Jeff zone 8 N.C.]

1 hour ago, Than said:

Did you ever use them when away on a holiday for instance?

I did not intend that as a use but it did help when I was away. I instead used irrigation timers and sprinklers.

[happypalms]

5 hours ago, Than said:

I used it to plant vetiver on a slope outside my property to stabilise it. I planted 200 plants and they are on a slope so watering during summer will be tricky. I thought hydrogel may help. We shall see. 

Problem is, I stupidly bought a kilo of it and ended up using no more than 50 grams so now I have a large stock that I don't know what to do 😬

I have heard of overuse in planting holes, only to have those plants lift out of the ground when they became fully saturated. So a little goes a long way especially in your case. 

[Than]

5 hours ago, happypalms said:

I have heard of overuse in planting holes, only to have those plants lift out of the ground when they became fully saturated. So a little goes a long way especially in your case. 

True. I used half of a handful in each hole and was already in a saturated gel form. Time will tell

[happypalms]

2 hours ago, Than said:

True. I used half of a handful in each hole and was already in a saturated gel form. Time will tell

I know it’s agony watching our  palms suffer without water, what a difference water makes to palms. 
But gel crystals I don’t think are any good for the soil, just good old compost works a treat and is much better for the microclimate it creates!