Lowes sells a 1 lb bag of Soil Moist for about $13.  This stuff retain and slowly releases water.  Supposedly the crystals swell to 200x their original size with water - a tablespoon or two is all that is needed per 5 gallon bucket.

Before I use myself as a guinea pig, has anyone tried this already?

I'll be planting in ProMix BX with some pine bark fines and perlite.  I'm slightly afraid I won't get enough water retention and this stuff should do the job without giving me a sodden mass of soil.

This is the stuff: http://www.lowes.com/ProductDisplay?productId=3047249


Thoughts?


Andrew

Don't think you need it.  Your mix should be plenty moist enough unless you don't water for a long time

It can work but either the biofuingicide or the mycorrhizae eat the crystals.  If you have the plain BX you don't have to worry.  It already drains more slowly than the HP so be wary of putting newly rooted cuttings in it.  The crystals work fine as long as microorganisms don't eat them.

I tried rooting in straight crystals. Don't do it. Cuttings just rot. Same goes for cuttings in soil that is too wet. I use ProMixHP with pine bark fines. Not wet enough is not really a problem. Too wet is deadly. If it's not wet enough you can add water. Too wet and your dead.