WaterSmart Water Crystals for House Plants

Supplementing Your Soil

As a soil moisturizer, WaterSmart Crystals act as a moisture reservoir for the soil. Plants absorb moisture and nutrients from the soil, then as the potting soil dries, the moisture and nutrients stored in the crystals is released into the soil to be used by the plant. Crystals in your soil also ensure an even distribution of moisture. Every time you water your plants the crystals will reabsorb water and store it for later use when the soil is dry. The crystals actually capture and store the water that would normally just drain through the potting soil creating a reservoir.

This continuous, ready supply of moisture helps prevent the roots from excessive, unnecessary growth that could result in the plant becoming root bound. This slow and steady release of water also helps prevent over saturation of the soil avoiding root rot.

Expansion and contraction of the crystals during the watering cycle helps the soil to stay aerated and loose, keeping your plants happy and healthy.

Benefits to your houseplants using WaterSmart Crystals are many. They are given a steady supply of not only moisture but any fertilizer that is added as well. Remember-most plants still like to dry their roots between watering, so get to know your plants and your crystals.

For the indoor gardener, the extended, worry free watering cycle is a way of reducing the work related to keeping houseplants alive and healthy. And of course, having healthy beautiful plants is what we, as indoor gardeners, are all striving for.

WaterSmart Crystals are designed to store water and plant nutrients, releasing them as needed to promote vigorous plant growth. The simplest, easiest way to grow beautiful plants.

Using WaterSmart Crystals without Soil

WaterSmart Crystals used as potting gel are unique in function as well as beauty. Plants potted in soil will use all the water available to them until it is gone and then they will dry up if no more water is supplied. Crystals are not a liquid but a reservoir of water. In order for the plant to receive the water from the crystals the soil must be drying. As the soil reaches a certain level of dryness, moisture from the crystals is released keeping the soil moist but not wet. Remember that any liquid fertilizer that is added to your soil will also be held in storage in the crystals and released at a nice, slow and even rate to the plant.

WaterSmart Crystals are pure and clean, there is never any mold, mold spores, mildew, rancidity, bugs, mites or odors.

A great potted plant solution for asthma and allergy sufferers is to use the WaterSmart Crystals with not potting soil added.

Growing plants in crystals alone keeps maintenance of houseplants to a minimum and all that is required is watering like before but less. As the plants draw moisture and as moisture evaporates, the crystals diminish, so they need to be watered periodically, usually once every five weeks.

WaterSmart Crystals solve many of the problems encountered with plants in soil, such as the plant becoming root bound. This will stop the roots from growing along the sides of a clear glass vase and marring the appearance.

Drain holes are not needed for vases using crystals, so the vases can be placed on any fine furniture or used safely for hanging plants.
WaterSmart Crystals is a planting and rooting medium and you can start either seeds or cuttings, as well as transplanting existing plants.

WaterSmart Crystals are intended to be used in this method only with plants that can be successfully grown without soil, this being most varieties of non-flowering foliage plants.

Tips on Container Gardening:

BEAUTY

For decorating, the choice of vase can be whatever is suitable for a specific setting, such as a glass coffee pot for the kitchen, a fishbowl for the bathroom, a large beer or root beer mug for the family room, and so on. However, it is not necessary to use glass. Almost any container will do.

Coloring your crystals to accent or coordinate any room or setting is a great decorating tool as well as being fun. Coloring with the method prescribed has no effect on the plant, and the plant does not absorb this coloring. As with gelatin, the color is inside the crystals, not outside, so it cannot rub off or stain.

CONTAINERS

*make your container large enough to provide room for soil as well as the roots of plants. Give sufficient head room for watering and provide bottom drainage. Your container should be attractive yet not compete with the plant it holds.

*you can use almost anything that you have around the house for a container e.g. crocks, urns, aquariums, tanks, tubs, barrels, pots, bowls, hanging baskets, pans, cans, rocks, chimney tiles, wire cages, cement blocks, wicker baskets, wire baskets, wooden baskets and boxes, laundry tubs, wheelbarrows, wringer washing machine, old boots, stone troughs, etc. You are limited only by your imagination.

*drainage holes in the bottom of the container are the secret to success in container growing.
*all clay pots, window boxes, strawberry or herbal planters, etc. must be covered completely with water and soaked overnight in order that the dry clay will not draw all the moisture from the damp soil, and harm the plants.

THE SOIL OR PLANTING MEDIUM

*use a good quality potting medium, porous for root aeration and drainage, but capable of water and nutrient retention.

*commercially prepared mixes offer all of the above, plus is insect, weed and disease free.
*be aware of the weight of the finished container planting especially if you are gardening on a balcony or rooftop. Remember you will be adding weight every time you water.

PLANTS TYPES

*almost any plant can be grown in a container.

*annuals:- impatiens, begonias, both fibrous and tuberous, dusty miller, geraniums, caladiums, marigolds, cosmos, snapdragons, petunias, pansies, violas, -this is limited only by your imagination and budget.

*perennials:- hostas, lilies, astilbe, canterbury bells, euphorbia, heuchera etc. Remember-in northern climates these will winter kill in containers, so they need to be taken inside for winter or transfer them to the garden.

*trees and shrubs:- dwarf varieties have been developed for container growing and the small garden.

*bulbs:- most bulbs can be grown in containers, and spring bulbs such as tulips, paperwhites, and daffodils can be forced to bloom indoors, while summer bulbs such as canna lily, calla lily, tuberous begonia, caladiums can be planted with other flowering or foliage plants to make attractive and stunning containers for the deck, patio or steps.

*fruits and vegetables:- tomatoes, peppers, squash, cucumbers, strawberries, blueberries, potato barrels, dwarf fruit trees hardy to our area. Some seed companies are developing a number of vegetables to be container grown.

*herbs:- almost all herbs can be grown in containers, outdoors and indoors, keeping in mine where they originated geographically.

WATERING

*the most common problem with container gardens is too little or too much water. This is where your WaterSmart Crystals come in handy. They will help to regulate the amount of water to the plants as well as decreasing the need to water.

*because the volume of the potting medium is relatively small, containers dry out quickly, especially clay or unglazed terra cotta.

*use your finger on the hand opposite to the one you normally use to test the soil for moisture.

*apply enough water so it runs through the drainage holes at the bottom of the container.

*do not depend on rainfall for watering containers, the large leaves and blooms often cover the soil medium surface, blocking most of the rainfall from getting to the plant.

GROUPING

*containers look better in a grouping made up of varied sizes and shapes

*an exceptionally decorative planter may look better as a focal point

*pots can be added or replaced as needed to change the look of your arrangement

*containers can be placed in the garden, in front of vines, brick walls or singly, as a focal point

MAINTENANCE

*make sure that the plants have the proper growing conditions according to their needs, such as the proper amount of sun or shade.

*regular feeding with a fertilizer is a must. Again your WaterSmart Crystals will hold and slowly release your fertilizer as the plant self waters.

*apply slow release fertilizers to the planting medium according to package directions.

*remember-slow release fertilizers operate on temperature and amount of soil moisture; the hotter or colder the temperature is the less fertilizer is available to the plants.

*it is common practice to use a slow release fertilizer in the potting medium and then also use a dissolvable granular fertilizer.

*use transplant fertilizer when planting your containers. e.g.10-52-10. Mix this into your WaterSmart Crystal sludge and dip your roots before transplanting.

*deadhead the spent flowers. This will keep plants blooming and stop them from going to seed.

QUICK TIPS

*take care not to place a plant in a container that is too large for it. Root rot can occur and if the plant lives, it will spend most of its time trying to fill the pot with roots and little time growing foliage.

*bottle caps placed crimped-edge down or a coffee filter make good covers for the drainage hole or holes in the bottom of the container.

*if the container is very large and is going to have to be moved at some time in the summer, mount it on a set of caster wheels.

*if a plant is top heavy, e.g. a tuberous begonia in full bloom, and it keeps on tipping over, try double potting it. Put the potted plant inside a larger pot, then fill the space in between the 2 pots with small stones or gravel.

*no room for a garden? A wheelbarrow makes a wonderful movable bed and many vegetables can be grown in hanging baskets. Never feel limited when gardening. Experiment with different containers and plants.

*turn an old barbecue into a conversation piece. Paint it, then fill it with a soil medium mixed with WaterSmart Crystals, and plant flowers, vines etc.

*a free standing step ladder [painted an accent colour if you wish], makes a good display stand for container plants. The old wooden ladders are great for this.

*plants benefit from humidity. By grouping them together, you help raise the humidity level.

*when to water your potted plants? Just thump the pot or container, if it sounds hollow, water it, if it thuds it is fine. This works better with clay pots and containers.

*have neighbors below your balcony that might get watered along with your plants? Slip shower caps or elasticized plastic food cover over the bottom of your hanging baskets to catch the overflow. Remove after an hour or so.

FERTILIZER PRIMER

There are three numbers on the label of the box or jar, for example 20-20-20

*first number N is for nitrogen, needed for healthy foliage or leafy growth e.g. 30-10-10

*second number is for P for phosphorus, very important in root development and health when transplanting and for flower development e.g. 10-52-10

*third number is K for potassium, needed for overall plant health, disease resistance, and fruiting e.g. tomatoes, cucumbers or corn e.g. 15-15-30

*As an Artificial Soil:
WaterSmart Crystals used as an artificial soil, are designed to store water and plant nutrients, releasing them as needed to promote vigorous and healthy plant growth. Using WaterSmart Crystals as a potting medium is unique in function as well as beauty.

FUNCTION

Plants in soil automatically drink all the liquid water that is supplied to them. If its too much and/or too often, they're over-watered. Too little, under-watered.

WaterSmart Crystals are not liquid but rather reservoirs of moisture in gel form, the only way the plant can get any moisture out of these reservoirs is to draw it out. The plant now regulates itself, drawing out water only when it's thirsty.

Adding plant food periodically to the crystals will also allow the plant to have access to fertilizer as it is drawing on the water, at a steady, healthy rate.

This allows the plant to be self sufficient, more like plants in the wild that water and feed themselves at their own pace or cycle. So the leaves don't wilt. Your plants will look their best from morning to night every day.

WaterSmart Crystals are pure and clean, so there is less chance of any mold, mold spores, mildew, rancidity, bugs, mites or odors.

The planting solution for asthma and allergy sufferers.

Growing plants in this medium reduces the maintenance required to keeping the crystals moist. As the plants draw moisture, the water content of the crystals diminishes, so they will need to be re-moistened. This will vary depending on the plant, dryness of the air, sunlight, etc. The average is once every five weeks.

WaterSmart Crystals solve many of the problems encountered with plants in soil, such as becoming root bound; this situation never occurs with crystals so the roots will not grow to the sides of the vase to mar the appearance.

Drain holes: Not needed for vases using Crystals, so the vases can be placed on any fine furniture or used safely for hanging plants.

Water Crystals are great for any garden!! Keep plants growing!!

Water Crystals Ice * How to Mix with Water * Display Ideas * What Others Say * Cool-Down Ties & Dog Beds

WaterSmart * Benefits & Uses * Application * Water House Plants * Watering Gardens * Water Trees & Shrubs * Water Lawn & Sod * Field Studies * What Others Say about Water Gel & Water

* Educational Use