On the windows of flower shops and in garden supermarkets you can see boxes and jars with translucent balls different colors.
They not only decorate the space of the house, but also provide moisture to cut plants.
And if you add them when transplanting into a pot, then you will need to water such plants many times less.
Hydrogel is a polymer (it includes polyacrylamide and potassium polyacrylate) that can retain moisture for a long time.
If an aromatic additive is added to the aquatic soil along with water, then the polymer can be used as an air freshener.
Price
Hydrogel, which can now be easily found on the shelves, is a very budget purchase!
At the same time, manufacturers guarantee complete environmental safety for humans, the environment and plants.
The warranty period is three years, after which the polymer loses its shape, but not the ability to absorb. There are no recommendations for its disposal, you can simply take it out into the garden and bury it in the beds.
Purpose
Hydrogel analogues
Florists and gardeners often use other materials in their activities that have similar properties, but are still inferior to hydrogel in terms of the amount of water absorbed and retained:
All of them are of natural origin and in addition to storing moisture, these substances have several functions:
- vermiculite loosens the ground and promotes oxygen access to the roots;
- coconut fiber, in addition to the ability to absorb moisture, is a completely degradable material and provides nutrition to the roots. Often it is used as an additional soil ingredient for, as well as mulch for other plants.
Application of hydrogel
What plants are suitable for
Despite the described characteristics and ease of use, the hydrogel is not suitable for all plants. For example, succulents themselves are able to accumulate moisture in various parts of the plant and do not need the action of a hydrogel.
large seeds are placed in a hydrogel, slightly pressing them into the mass, so that part of the seed is in the gel, and part is in the air. After that, the seed container is covered with a film.
Hydrogel for seed germination can also be used with the addition of soil, this will avoid the stage of planting germinated seeds in the soil.
To do this, the hydrogel is mixed with the earth (1: 4) and placed in seedling boxes, seeds are also placed there, deepening according to agricultural technology.
Transfer
If you need to add hydrogel to a houseplant, then you should follow the instructions and soak the gel before adding.
In dry form, it is not recommended to add hydrogel to pots with indoor plants, otherwise, when swollen, the absorbent may force the flower out of the pot.
Cautions
This is a polymer that can be seen commercially in the form of coarse sand or pea-sized colored balls. Its main feature is active absorption of moisture, and then a gradual return to the plant or atmosphere, unless a flower is planted in it.
Hydrogel beads absorb moisture and then gradually release it back.
The price of the drug depends on the size of the packaging and the diameter of the particles. Starting price from 250 rubles.
In the form of balls
For this, balls ranging in size from 0.5 cm to 1.5 cm are sold. Sometimes you can see that the plant has already been planted in such balls during the sale, but as practice shows, in such the flower will not live.
Because practically no access to oxygen. But, if there is a desire to land at the time of presenting a flower gift, then they take a container, put a flower in the center and fill the entire void with balls.
Advantages and disadvantages
From merits: relative beauty when buying a flower, and from the disadvantages that after a short time it will be compressed and will not give the root system access to oxygen. In addition, after a while appears:
- Mold on granules/balls;
- If the plant is in this polymer, then it can no longer be used for another flower, since it is not disinfected.
Growing Features
Sometimes you can see growing exotic beauty in colored polymer balls. It may be beautiful, but it is difficult for a plant to grow in it, since it is not adapted to this.
root system this plant has created in this way, what:
- Must participate in photosynthesis;
- And she needs to have access to oxygen.
Possible consequences
If the flower was purchased planted in a polymer, then most likely, if you get it from there, then Roots can't be found..
Growing an orchid in hydrogel balls can lead to root death.
Because after a month without access to oxygen, they begin to die off almost all at once. The result will be a deplorable result: the death of a beauty, if the absence of roots is not detected in time.
IMPORTANT! Having received such a surprise as a gift, the flower must be urgently transplanted into a normal substrate. Beauty is beauty, but do not forget that the flower wants to live.
How does it affect development
After a month of life in hydrogel balls on an orchid, you can notice "amazing" results:
- Loss of root mass;
- Leaf plates that have lost turgor;
- If there was flowering, then the wilting of flowers ahead of time.
In what cases is it justified? 
An adult orchid can be planted in a transparent container filled with beautiful hydrogel balls, if want to give a unique gift, but at the same time it is worth warning the owner of the gift that a transplant into the bark will be required.
Beautiful hydrogel balls are simply attractive florist reception, rather than decisions about the choice of soil.
decorative
It is not possible to grow a plant in a hydrogel, since it not suitable for plant cultivation. Florists are planted in it, for the sake of a beautiful appearance using hydrogel as gift wrapping, no more.
Useful video
Learn in the video how to reanimate an orchid in hydrogel balls:
Look at the video, how an orchid is in hydrogel balls:
Interesting facts on the video, how to retain moisture in the substrate for orchids:
Learn in the video how to restore the turgor of orchid leaves:
Conclusion
As you can see, the hydrogel is not intended for the cultivation of orchids and is used only as a decoration. But if the grower wants to experiment, then he always can donateonewith your flower for the sake of the experiment.
In contact with
One of the main conditions for the normal development indoor plants and flowers is a sufficient level of soil moisture. It is quite difficult to control this issue with a busy work schedule, so you have to test different ways. In fact, solving this issue is much easier, you just need to purchase a hydrogel and learn how to use it.
Hydrogel is a polymeric non-toxic material, having the ability to absorb a large amount of moisture (irrigation water or fertilizer solution) and retain it for a long time. Due to the unique property of the polymer, timely feeding of the root system occurs.
Hydrogel is produced in the form of granules, which retain their qualities over a wide temperature range. Over time, the product loses its properties and decomposes into harmless substances. You can buy it at almost any garden store or online.
The use of hydrogel in the open field
Types of gel soils for plants
There are two modifications of the hydrogel, which have different structure and purpose.
- designed to introduce indoor flowers into the soil in order to increase the inter-irrigation period, root cuttings and for seed germination. The delicate structure does not interfere with the root processes. The product, absorbing a large amount of water, prevents acidification of the soil from abundant watering. The roots of the flower easily penetrate the polymer material and are fed from it for a long time.
- (aquatic soil) is used to create compositions. It has a multi-colored color with incredible brilliance, is made in the form of balls, cubes, pyramids. Transparent vessels are filled with aqua soil, forming layers of different colors. In such a substrate, cuttings take root perfectly, cut flowers delight the eye for a long time. It should be noted that harmful bacteria do not multiply in the polymer, the formation of midges is excluded.
Pros and cons of using aquatic soil
Flower growers have already managed to fully appreciate the benefits of using a hydrogel for indoor plants. Among the main advantages:
- high absorption rate (1 g of dry granules absorb 200-300 ml of liquid);
- favorable conditions are created for the nutrition of indoor crops;
- the soil is not waterlogged, which eliminates the formation of fungal diseases;
- washing out of useful substances is prevented;
- the flowability of sandy soil decreases, and clay soil becomes more loose;
- microbiological processes in the soil are excluded;
- reducing the consumption of expensive water-soluble fertilizers.
The hydrogel retains its properties in the soil for 5 years, after which the product decomposes.
Like any garden product, hydrogel has disadvantages:
- they are not recommended to fill a transparent pot; the granules bloom from exposure to sunlight;
- hydrogel gel balls will not be able to provide good nutrition, you can’t do without fertilizers;
- it is rational to use the product once because of the peculiarity of losing unique qualities over time.
For indoor flowers, it is not recommended to use too small granules. After moistening, the mass becomes jelly-like. Such a product is more suitable for seed germination.
How to use the tool?
Before use, purchased granules should be soaked in water.. According to the instructions for 3 liter jar you need to add 2 tablespoons of hydrogel. After absorption of moisture (after 10-12 hours), the granules significantly increase in size. The remaining water must be drained, holding the gel with a colander.
To plant a plant, you need to mix the substrate with the hydrogel in a ratio of 3:1 or 5:1 (according to the attached version of the instructions) and fill the pot with the mixture. At first, the plant should not be watered abundantly; a sufficient amount of moisture is present in the polymer material.
To root the cuttings, it is enough to fill the container with soaked gel balls and place the sprout in the center. At the same time, it is not necessary to mix the soaked crystals with the soil.
It is impossible to introduce dry granules into the soil. When moisture is absorbed, the gel crystals increase in volume and displace soil and plant roots from the pot.
How to store?
Gel that has not been used can be stored in a cool place. The refrigerator door is ideal for this. The main requirement is that the container be hermetically sealed. If you leave the jar open, the granules will crystallize due to the evaporation of moisture. They can also be used after re-soaking. The shelf life of the finished gel is 1-2 months.
Each plant has its own watering schedule. When enriching the soil with hydrogel, the intervals between waterings increase at least 2 times. But to accurately determine the timing, you first need to watch the petals. If there is a slight sign of wilting, urgent watering is necessary.
In any incomprehensible situation, go to Aliexpress, you will find everything there!
I really love flowers, and in particular orchids, which naturally grow in Asian countries, where it is hot and humid. I decided to order a hydrogel for testing, I read that plants can be planted in it.
The goods went to Moscow for a long time, 1.5 months, I already thought that it would not reach. Put directly in the mailbox.
The seller hydrogel is presented in 12 colors plus multi-colored.
The price without a discount is 18.69 rubles, I bought for 17.81 for a bag in which 100 pcs. I ordered three bags of white and two - green.
At first glance, there are very few balls in the package, I thought there were no more than 50 of them, but I was not too lazy and counted, it turned out to be 125
The balls look like plastic, I did not think that something would come of it. But, when I filled them with water, they began to swell and turned into such balls:
There were fewer green balls - it depends on the amount of water poured. Over time, the water evaporates and the balls also shrink. . You can add water again, they will absorb it and increase in size.
At the moment, the balls "in action" I have almost 1.5 months, periodically add water, mold and moss are not covered, do not rot and do not run away
To the touch they are smooth and wet, they have no smell. Taste too, I think
I use balloons to increase the humidity of the air and I strongly DO NOT recommend growing plants in them! This is the same as planting a plant in water - the roots will rot and it will die.
Not so long ago, I received an order from Asia with orchids, or rather, orchid babies. Among them is Wanda. This is an epiphytic plant that cannot be planted either in the ground or in the bark (like phalaenopsis, for example). Therefore, I decided to plant Wanda's baby ON a hydrogel, the roots lie on the balls, in no case do I bury them inside.
She likes it, now she is building roots. Later I will transplant into a hydroponic basket and hang over water.
Hydrogel can also be used as decoration, although, in my opinion, this is not very convenient - after all, the water evaporates, the balls are blown away, and the water has to be added again. For these purposes, it is still more convenient, as for me, to use some plastic pebbles from Fix.
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How to highlight plants in a gloomy winter with short daylight hours read in my review poke.
