Water retaining granules

[Snadger]

hi snadger used water granules in greenhouse this year seemed to do a good job i grow loads of stuff in containers granules reduced watering by about a third got really good results this year .never used it on open ground tho leave that to the elements except when windy which really dries the ground out can,t see the point of paying to use willy nilly when hosepipe will do the job

I have got a feeling they are going to ban hosepipes this year at our lotties as they/we have just got a whopping great water rate bill in and I don't think there's enough in the kitty to pay it! Anyway we could have another dry one and I can't guarantee I will be there every day!
Putting this into perspective, I anticipate using this for carrots only! Three rows 15'0" long, open three vee shaped trenches just over one spades depth and 2" at top tapering down to nought. Filled with compost/granule mix. Anticipate spending no more than £3 or £4 pounds...must be worth it to get decent carrots for the year?

[Protea]

Hmmm, i'm not convinced about the granules for carrots!

Have you incorporated lots of manure into the ground as this is the best organic water retaining source? I know it says in all the books not to manure where you want carrots/parsnips etc because of fanging but my father (vegetable guru) says that its really not a problem, especially if you put it in now - it would have plenty of time to rot down and improve the soil structure.

Just an idea - maybe you could do a trial of both

[Snadger]

Hmmm, i'm not convinced about the granules for carrots!

Have you incorporated lots of manure into the ground as this is the best organic water retaining source? I know it says in all the books not to manure where you want carrots/parsnips etc because of fanging but my father (vegetable guru) says that its really not a problem, especially if you put it in now - it would have plenty of time to rot down and improve the soil structure.

Just an idea - maybe you could do a trial of both

I am going to try growing them in my leek trench this year which is well mucked and has an excellent structure. I want to incorporate some sand/soil mix in the second spit though to give the carots an easytime of it! The trench is made of brick, 4'0" wide by 16'0" long 2'0" deep. The finished soil level will be 9" below top edge and I will drape the growmesh over the top to keep out carrot fly which we are plagued by! As carrots grow I will add 'greedy boards' to the top edge of the trench and re-drape the fine mesh!

I will grow some in another part of the lottie to feed the fly!Lol

I am a prime advocate of using well rotted manure and like you, realise that sometimes our veggies never get round to reading the books!

[SueA]

Hi Snadger, I used water retaining gel crystals in my hanging baskets with strawberries in this year & they seemed to work fine. I usually use them with anything in pots but have never tried them in the ground. I do know that Christine Walkden (experienced lady who does 'Christine's Garden on T.V. amongst other things) has used water retaining granules in her garden this year, she said that whenever she planted anything she added some to the hole & it worked for her as they were in a drought area.

[martini]

Hi Snadger - just an idea - when I do hanging baskets or troughs I normally put a piece of old woolly jumper in the bottom which holds the water for a while so I don't need to water so frequently. You could always dig out a trench, line the bottom with bits of old jumper (the higher the wool content, the slower the water will evaporate) and then fill with the soil. After you've harvested all you'd need to do is dig the jumper out!

[Snadger]

Hi Snadger - just an idea - when I do hanging baskets or troughs I normally put a piece of old woolly jumper in the bottom which holds the water for a while so I don't need to water so frequently. You could always dig out a trench, line the bottom with bits of old jumper (the higher the wool content, the slower the water will evaporate) and then fill with the soil. After you've harvested all you'd need to do is dig the jumper out!

Should go well with the wellies when I'm finished with it! Be like a cross between Bobby Thompson and Jimminy Cricket!

[Squirrel]

i used to use water granules under my rose bushes in SA as the ground gets very dry and very hard. Did a brilliant job!

Dug the hole for the roses, watered, then put in the granules which had been soaked overnight and then plonked the rose on top of that and back filled. Used a big handful or two to each plant. In fact the nursery garden people use it all the time there! I never thought to put it in here, because there always seems to be so much rain!

[Snadger]

Just an update!

Several of my tomato plants have died off in the border. When I dug them up the roots were waterlogged because of the water retaining granules. The rest should be fine as the temperature increases and the plants need the water but with a mixture of low temperature and too much water the others have succumbed.
I have sown my carrots but forgot to include the granules as planned. As I had them anyway I just sprinkled them on the top!
Today I went to check if my carrots had germinated after the heavy rain to find the surface of the trench coated with large clear gelatinous globules! It looked like someone had shatttered a windscreen over it! Should be ok but a bit disconcerting to look at.

Just goes to prove...there's good and bad in everything!

I shan't be using them again!

[Flummery]

I can see why! I do find them useful in pots of flowers though - the sort I forget to water!

[moggssue]

Think I must have used too many in my flower pots, over the winter a lot of them rotted - can only think due to too much water!

[Seahorse]

I got some of those granules as a free gift when I bought some flower pouches. There were loads, so I put some in pots as well - as you say Snadger, the first time I looked at them after a heavy rain, I thought some **** had smashed a load of glass over my garden, lol! I don't think I'll be rushing to use them again, especially after the other comments above!

Claire