Commercial Grade Super Absorbent Polymer Potassium Based Water Crystal (1 Pound)

1) Holds lots of moisture. 2) Work as described. It becomes a water source that helps the plant get through dry periods between rain. 3) Woul definately buy again. But my garden is small and the polymer balls last a long time. It may be years before I need to buy more. I mixed it in with potting soil. The beads looked sooooo small so... I added some extra. Ok, a lot extra. First time it rained, my container overflowed. It was like the dirt was pushed up from the bottom of the planted. This was a 24" container filled to 4" below the rim. Now theres a big mound of dirt thats 6" over the top of the container and a lot of dirt overflowing the container. So... The beads asorb a LOT of water. I changed how I use them as follows: Put a tiny amount in a big jar, add water, wait a few hours. Put them in a collander to drain overnight. When transplanting, put these in a ring around the base of the plant. I put the balls in a 2" radius from the center of the plant about 6" deep. When the soil is "dry," the plant sits in a soil depression because the polymer balls shrink from losing water to keep the soil moist. Easy indication to water the plant. Great stuff.

This product worked very well for making neck coolers for the summer. They expanded when wet to make very nice neck coolers for our rallies here in WV. They are functional for adding to soil to help with watering, but I have not used these crystals for that, only neck coolers. I was very pleased with how they came out. They were a good value for the money I paid. Two teaspoons per neck cooler. The quality was very good.

I’ve been using this stuff since the 80’s, it really makes a difference and significantly reduces the amount of watering required. A little goes a long way so don’t overdo it. I typically will hydrate it first and mix it into the potting soil when planting in pots/containers. In sandy soil it may over time (years) work it’s way to the surface as it continually expands and shrinks. It worked great for roses when I lived near enough to the ocean to be growing in what may as well have been beach sand, no matter how much organic material I added.

This super absorber is the same used in diapers and any absorbent sanitary pad (neutralized cross-linked poly acrylic acid). Be sure to spread it evenly and use a back scratcher to work it below the surface in potted plants.

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