"Use P4 water crystals in the soil to give the plants a few days worth of emergency water reserves. This substance swells up with water and holds it like a sponge, so that roots will have a reserve if harsh drought makes constant watering necessary. Go real easy on this stuff though, it tends to sink to the bottom of the pot and suffocate bottom roots (new growth roots) and stunts the plant. Use in extreme moderation, let it swell up for at least an hour before mixing with other soil. "
"Cover the soil around the plant with a thick layer of natural mulch to attract condensed water and to keep soil moisture from evaporating. Just these simple measures may double the yield. *polymer crystals are small crystals that expand to about 15 times their size when moistened by water. They are added to soil to prolong time between watering."
"But if we're looking at the overall "greenness" of a product, these crystals are not a good choice. First of all, in case studies done by
Fine Gardening magazine, neither of the types of crystals tested (starch-based and polyacrylamide-based) seemed to save any water at all—the containers in which the crystals had been added to the soil had to be watered just as often as a container without the crystals. On a broader level, these products require manufacturing,
packaging, shipping—all of which significantly raise their overall
carbon footprint."
. Mix in some perlite and water-absorbing crystals for a lighter mix that will still hold more moisture for dry times during the coming summer. Roots will thrive early on making for stronger plants that are able to handle the weight of massive buds
"It is a myth (perhaps propagated on the Internet) that the crystals are harmful to plants or take water away from them, replacing the water with harmful chemicals. Instead they capture excess water and store it for plants.
When hydrated, each dry granule turns into a gel, containing the water it absorbs. By squeezing a hydrated crystal, the polymer won't leak moisture. Instead, it will break into smaller crystals or particles that dehydrate to smaller granules."
"After a couple of weeks or so the gels should be activated. It may still be difficult to determine whether it is okay to reduce the frequency of watering, because the surface soil may be dry to the touch even though the gel crystals deep within still contain plenty of water. Unfortunately, water meters sold for houseplants do not work with soil that contains Polymer Gels.
A good guideline is to water Polymer Gel treated soil about one third to one half as often as you watered the untreated soil. For example, if you previously watered your container twice a week, water it now once a week. In the beginning you may err on the side of watering a bit too much. If the soil mix drains well, as it should, the plants will suffer no ill effects. If the soil drains well, it is virtually impossible to over water a plant sitting in a soil with Polymer Gels in it. At the same time, the dry crystals will not recharge and absorb water if water is not readily available. Outdoors a steady rain of more than 1 inch will do the job nicely. "
