WS and medium polymer crystals?

I am just about ready to experiment with weekend wintersowing. I may be starting a little late this year, but why not try anyway, right?

My question is: Will the medium polymer crystals like the ones offered in the co-op right now work in gallon milk containers? I can only check on my containers on weekends, and come spring, I hoped that the crystals would help prevent drying out.

I think the crystals are great, for many things. I add them to the ground when inserting plants. I used them last year in the potting soil I used for WS and containers. I also buy potting soil with them already in. We get really hot in the summer and very dry for a while in Kansas City, MO. The crystals appear to be helping everywhere they are used.

Just be careful to hydrate them before you get them in the soil or ground. If you use too much, you will see them come to the surface and look like gellatin (sp) but that does not seem to hurt the baby plants.

WS last year: I did not have to water them as long as they were under the baggie wrapper. The surface of the baggie had water droplets until I removed the cover. I wish this material had been around many years ago. I have killed too many plants in the ground and in containers from lack of water. Good luck. Carol

I ordered the 'Mixed' size in the Co-op but I think 'Medium' will be fine too for Wintersowing.

Be sure to use the amount indicated since the crystals do expand a lot!

I don't think you're late for wintersowing. This is about when I get started, too...

I think the polymer might be good if you tend to get hot, dry weather in spring. Often we have wet springs with monsoon type rain and storms. (Last year's heat/drought being the exception). For that reason I don't use it for wintersowing, I don't want the containers too wet. I do use the polymer quite a bit in summer for my container plants, though.

Karen

Thanks, all. I will try the mixed crystals, then and hope we don't get too much spring rain. I'll start most of my seeds indoors, so the weekend WS is just an experiement. Would be great if it worked out!

kqcrna--

I suppose I might go 'lite' on the watersorb in a few of my containers and see the differences in the results-- I just checked my containers and they were quite wet. Now I have visions of all my seed rotting!

--although I had so much trouble keeping them watered last spring--always a dilemma in gardening, I guess! t.

I use those medium crystals in just about everything, including WS containers, and I love them!

I think they actually help with overwatering, also, since they'll absorb any excess moisture.

Less is more... don't use more than directed, or plants will start heaving around in their pots as the crystals swell.

tabasco: Our weather was just so dreadful last year. The rain stopped in April, and record high temps in the 90s. Not our usual May. Generally I get everything into the ground by mid May, so drying in the jugs not a problem for long. I really hope last year's weather was a fluke, not the beginning of a trend.

Karen

Thanks for the confidence builder, critter!

Yes, last spring was so weird. I'm hoping for more 'normalcy' this year, but then, what is 'normal' these days??!

I didn't get mine from the co-op yet. but I may use them for things that I w/s that take a long time to germinate. those may be the ones that will dry out in time and need the most watering. definitely in the planters this year.

Yes, I'm doing a lot of containers and planters this year, too.

I want to rotate container grown flowers into the perennial border to fill in empty spots. Plan to do that with my cannas after my eremurus are finished...

I got mine in the Co-Op last year ... great stuff... i just forget to use it all the time.
I really should this year for WS since i had some seedlings dry out and die last year when i left town for a few days. that is usually starts in Mid April... and it's starting to warm up a lot by then.

You might want to try FertiSorb, which is a water holding crystal and fertilizer all in one. Once the roots hit the granule, they take up the fertilizer as well as the water.