Water saving crystals

[Vice]

Since it has been rather hot and dry in previous summers, I've been starting to use water saving products like wettasoil when watering my bonsai. Anyone know if this will have any adverse impact down the track or have I struck upon an awesome idea in our drought stricken land?

[Jamie]

hey mate, i think this is a topic thats been talked over quite a bit. i would use the search engine at the top to see if you can find the threads on it
it should come up quite easy.

jamie

[MelaQuin]

I can only relate the time I planted some annuals with water crystals in the pot.... and had to repot because I over did it and the plant rose 3 cm above the pot.

[Pup]

Not a safe option for Bonsai as they need drying out time. As in from saturation to moist.

Cheers Pup

[mikem]

Gday Vice, the product named "Wettasoil" has nothing to do with water saving crystals, and adresses a problem called h ydrophobic soil. This problem arises most often with impoverished,sandy soils, such as are common in my native Perth.
To explain, all soils contain bacteria and other single cell animals. They breed and die at an prolific rate. Now, the cell walls of every living thing are made up of lipids (fat). Therefore, as these soil microorganisms die, their lipid residue adheres to sandy soil particles. The net result is a soil that becomes impervious to water penetration. "Wettasoil", and similar products, act as an detergency agent, allowing water to penetrate and evenly "wet the soil". This problem is rarely, if ever, encountered in bonsai cultivation, as we use very different soils which are never allowed to dry out. Hope this helps, Mike.