natural water retainers?

hey me and abwhite86 were trying to find out if there are any natural water retainers out there that could go into the soil to decrese how often we have to go to our sites

grow near a small running creek and make an irrigation system. make sure the water is always flowing never still and id check the ph just to be safe.

I've heard sawdust will do that but I haven't tried it and wouldn't know what wood would be good (hey that rhymes!).

wool (soaked before adding)
wood chips (soaked before adding)
mulch
clay (only a little bit of this goes a long way)

any of these thins will do it ,outdoors mulch is a must if you wish to save watering trips.

i dont have a percentage of how much ,but as i have stated before make small batches(ie cup of this and a cup of that) till you get the soil to where you want it.
this is how i prepare each plot individually.
in the end you want the soil to drain but not allow the water to flow freely through the soil.

once i have made the little batches i give them a water and see how moist they are after a few days in the sun.(the top should be drying out while a bit lower should still be damp)

you are the only one to see and feel the soil you are using so the mix that works for me may not work for you.

also when wet the soil should hold its shape when sqeezed but still crumble when poked.if sticky it has to much clay already.

whats the best store bought water retainer?

JerkyBoysPranksters said:

whats the best store bought water retainer?

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i like water crystals for ease of use.dont know if they are the best but very easy to carry.

yeah gonna see if my local gardening store has any water crystals if not I will try wool or woodchips

how many water crystals do you need per plant? i have 16 plants so...?

I think it depends i might use a handful or two because I plan on getting them big

i think we already pretty much knew most of this, thnx for the help, the soil is already super clay'ish and it might be a problem for root growth

abwhite86 said:

i think we already pretty much knew most of this, thnx for the help, the soil is already super clay'ish and it might be a problem for root growth

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yeah this thread was kind of a repeat lol oh well