It is unlikely that anyone can be surprised by growing plants in hydrogel. Why not soil? Also tightly holds the root, accumulates and releases nutrients, does not inhibit growth. There are only advantages, but while gel granules have long been common among houseplant breeders, summer residents and gardeners are wary of this. So, how do you grow seedlings in hydrogel, what are the advantages of this method and are there any disadvantages?
What is hydrogel
Hydrogel, sometimes called aquasoil, is a soft polymer crushed into granules. different sizes. Its main advantage over ordinary soil is its ability to accumulate moisture and gradually release it. It can either simply evaporate from the surface of the granules, as a result of which they return to their original size, or transfer water to the roots of plants planted in aqua soil. It is this property that is useful for growing seedlings.
Interesting! 1 gram of granules can absorb 200 grams of water, that is, in order to absorb 3 liters, 2 tablespoons of polymer are enough.
On the shelves you can find foreign-made gels (Canadian and English), which contain solid minerals and nutrients, and Russian production - pure material. According to experience, it is better to use English for growing seedlings, which is more productive and nutritious.
Mode of application
Fundamentally different from preparation and disinfection fertile soil, when you need to assemble several components and bake them in the oven. In the case of the gel, take 5-6 tablespoons, add 3 liters of water and leave to swell. The result is a jelly-like substance, which is aquasoil.
Hydrogel is not only useful, but also very beautiful
Otherwise, when growing seedlings, there are no differences from traditional soil cultivation.
Experience using the gel
For clarity and evaluation of results, sowing is carried out in aqua soil with mineral additives and ordinary soil. The seeds were pre-disinfected and soaked.
- IN polymer composition sprouts appeared already on the 4th day, in ordinary soil - on the 14th.
- We started picking seedlings 11 days after sowing the seeds in the hydrogel; it took 40 days for 3 cotyledon leaves to appear in normal soil. Moreover, in the first case, the taproot was well formed, and this was noticeable through the transparent jelly.
- When transplanted into open ground, all seedlings took root. There is no difference in fruiting between the two experiments; the difference lies only in the extremely short period of time.
The seeds must be large so as not to fall to the bottom
The worst results were shown by plants with small seeds that simply fell through the pieces of gel. In some plants, the roots died as soon as the cotyledons opened.
Eventually perfect result The seeds of tomatoes and eggplants showed germination and timing. Root and root crops (carrots, beets, parsley) did not take root at all.
Picking from aqua soil is done a couple of days earlier so that the roots do not start to burn.
Result evaluation
- The use of hydrogel is fully justified only with tomato and eggplant seeds. When replanting, granules may remain on the roots, but they should not be torn off. On the contrary, it is recommended to pour gel into the hole to facilitate adaptation and nourish the plants in the initial stages.
- Real savings time - on average, crops germinate 6-7 times faster than in nutrient soil mixture. In this case, a little gel is required, thanks to which you can save space on the drawers.
- It is allowed to sow small seeds, but only a few at a time and pick them before the cotyledons open, otherwise the sprout will die.
- There should be only one crop in one container, even just a few seeds. In extreme cases, these may be varieties of the same group.
- It is not recommended to reuse the composition, as colonies of bacteria settle on it, and the nutritional composition is exhausted. It is best to pour granules under the roots of plants transplanted into open beds or a greenhouse.
- Watering can be reduced by 3 times, since the granules quickly accumulate water, but release it very slowly and purposefully. Moreover, even the drying polymer does not block air access to the roots.
Hydrogel is not suitable for all plants, but for certain crops it is a godsend.
VIDEO: How pepper and eggplant seedlings grow in hydrogel
Although this know-how appeared at the end of the last century, many gardeners are just beginning to discover the usefulness of hydrogel. Most often there are materials about the use of this polymer in floriculture, but in growing vegetables, fruit trees and bushes it manifests itself no worse.
This useful polymer has unique property– it absorbs and retains swelling a large number of liquids. Such a substance is non-toxic, sterile, and has the ability to retain its properties despite high or low temperatures in the soil for up to five years. In addition, the polymer is biodegradable - it breaks down into carbon dioxide, nitrogen and water. In the 80s of the last century, employees of the Institute of Chemical Physics began to create hydrogels. The development was led by Professor K.S. Kazansky, he is responsible for the successful research results.
Benefits for indoor flowers
Due to frequent climate changes in homes or offices, it is impossible to keep track of the constant humidity of the earth. Therefore, it is necessary to make three punctures to the entire depth of the roots, add 1 g of hydrogel there, and then water. The next time you can water the flowers is in a month. It is advisable to remove flower pots from direct sun.Hydrogel for vegetables
When using hydrogel, you must strictly follow the instructions. On different types Vegetable and fruit crops have their own, certain dosages that should not be violated. Here are some examples of how to use this polymer for vegetables common in our gardens.
- Tomatoes
First, liquid hydrogel up to 200 ml is added to the wells. If you have large seedlings with bare roots, you can dip them in hydrogel. A little miracle remedy is introduced into upper layer soil - up to 1 g. Hydrogel helps tomatoes be resistant to blackening from dew or acid rain.
- Root vegetables
In order for radishes to grow large, dense and not bitter, 30 g of hydrogel is needed per 1 m3. Thanks to this substance, you only need to water during planting, and then once a week is enough. In the fall, the beds are dug up. Every year the dose decreases. Beets and carrots are planted in the same way, only they are watered once - at planting. During the period of application of the hydrogel, the amount of fertilizer applied is reduced by 3-4 times, because fertilizers are not washed out from the top layer of the earth due to rare watering. Thus, the use of hydrogel saves money on fertilizers, as well as time and health spent on watering.
- Cucumbers, zucchini and pumpkins
The seeds are germinated on a hydrogel, which is diluted with 10 g in 3 liters of water. After it swells, excess water is drained through a sieve, and the hydrogel is poured into plastic containers, having a depth of up to 8 cm. Excess water while drying with a cloth. Then the seeds are laid out on the surface of the hydrogel at least 5 cm from each other and sprayed with water.
DO NOT bury the seeds too deep, otherwise they will have nothing to breathe. If the seeds are planted in holes, then after germination they are carefully removed with a spoon along with the hydrogel. Seeds are planted in holes with 1 g of dry or 200 g of liquid hydrogel placed in them. When the seeds take root, 15 g of hydrogel per 1 m3 is added to the soil around them. When growing cucumbers under film, they are watered only during planting. There are a lot of cucumbers growing, they are sweet and smooth. If the conditions are met correctly, the seeds are strong and they germinate faster.
- Berries
When strawberries are planted, their roots are dipped in liquid hydrogel, and up to 100 ml must be added to the hydrogel soil. If the strawberry bushes are no longer young, then the polymer can be applied using punctures under the roots (3-4 pricks of half a gram each, 5-10 cm deep). So the berries become noticeably larger and increase in number.
- Trees and shrubs
Before planting a tree or shrub 1 cubic meter soil is mixed with 2-5 kg of hydrogel. Even in the driest times, plants will not need moisture, and they will get sick less often.
Hydrogel in landscape work and for lawns
Before spreading roll lawn 50 g of hydrogel per 1 m3 is poured under it; This is enough to enjoy green lawn for the whole season. The polymer will give excellent results when planting flowers in containers, as well as landscape design. Hydrogel will need no more than 50 g per 1 m3. After applying the product, the soil is dug up and leveled with a rake to a depth of 10-15 cm, and lawn grass is sown on top.
Before getting acquainted with hydrogel in practice, it will not hurt to understand two important rules:
1. The main thing in purchasing hydrogel is not to buy a fake. Only the use of high-quality polymer leads to positive results.
2. It is necessary to comply with the indicated dosage, without skimping on its quantity.
So, the use of hydrogel is effective and very useful for any type of plant. True, we should not forget that for different climates and different soil conditions, individual options are selected. When used annually, the dosage of the hydrogel must be gradually reduced until a balance is reached, which the site owner must determine independently.
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Growing and planting strawberries with hydrogel
Strawberry is a crop that is very responsive to the use of hydrogel. Primarily due to the fact that it is very demanding on soil moisture conditions. Lack of watering during the period of setting berries and their ripening leads to a significant decrease in yield. Overmoistening increases the risk of gray rot of fruits and powdery mildew.
All root system concentrated in the surface layer of soil (10-15 cm), which quickly dries out even if there is no heat. In this case, it is impossible to comply with the recommended norms and watering regime. (Remember that in dry weather this is one watering every 10 days at a rate of about 10 liters per square meter before flowering, 20-25 liters during ripening of the berries). You have to water more often, which almost always leads to the development of fungal diseases (especially when watering cold water sprinkling).
If we add hydrogel immediately when planting:
- You can increase the intervals between waterings. This is important to prevent the development of gray mold and reduce the number of slugs.
- There will be no stagnation of moisture and waterlogging of the soil, which strawberries are afraid of (the hydrogel will absorb excess moisture into itself, freeing up the aeration pores).
- Low consumption: a glass of swollen hydrogel under the bush, mixing by volume. The hydrogel works in the soil for about 5 years, which coincides with the life of the plantation.
The best time for planting seedlings strawberries - end July to mid-August. It can be planted in the fall, until the end of September (more precisely, it must be completed 15 days before the soil freezes). The application of gel improves the rooting of bushes and their development. Therefore, even with autumn planting you will receive the first harvest already at next year. The size of the berries and the overall yield of the plantation will increase.
Time to go on vacation? Who will water the flowers?
More recently, those going on vacation had little choice. The most patient ones transferred indoor plants to wick watering or set up other ingenious “irrigation systems” from bottles and hoses. Some lucky ones left the keys with relatives or friends, in the hope that they would look after the plants in the absence of the owners... In fact, in the West, in indoor floriculture, hydrogel has long been used for such cases. It allows plants to calmly survive the lack of watering for 2-3 weeks.
Indoor floriculture, use of hydrogel
Your plants can be watered 5-6 times less often. You can leave and leave indoor flowers for 2-3 weeks without watering.
Even with constant care, the use of hydrogel increases the number of flowers, the duration of flowering, and improves appearance plants.
Plants planted in small containers - pots, boxes, flowerpots - require much more care compared to those growing in open ground. The soil dries out very quickly, plants develop poorly, bloom poorly, quickly age and wither.The hydrogel should be added to the soil when decorating offices and institutions where plant care is irregular and they suffer from drought.
How to use hydrogel
Apply dry or already swollen?
Everything is determined by objects. For application with seeds, indoor floriculture and growing seedlings (that is, in a limited volume), we recommend first allowing the preparation to swell in water. Otherwise, troubles may arise: plants crawling out of the pot when the polymer swells, bulging rows of seeds, etc.
The same applies to “fine” work in open ground (for strawberries, 1-2 year old seedlings, small flowers), it is better to saturate the preparation with water.
For swelling, pour water for at least an hour (the specific time is determined by temperature, chemical composition of water and modification of the hydrogel). You can pour it overnight, a day, a month - the hydrogel will not deteriorate.
When planting large seedlings, bushes and flowers, this is not significant. Mix the dry preparation with the soil throughout. For obvious reasons, do not pour locally onto the bottom of the hole.
If applied dry, it is necessary to ensure subsequent abundant watering. It’s better in two phases: re-watering after an hour and a half.
Can hydrogel be applied only when planting plants? Completely optional. You can apply it under already planted bushes, trees and flowers and it will work effectively. This can be done until the first autumn frosts. By the way, this method is also applicable for indoor plants growing in pots, boxes, and flowerpots.
How to apply gel under already planted trees, bushes, flowers?
You can apply it in the same way as granular fertilizers are often applied - locally. Under a bush or tree in the middle of the crown projection (closer to the periphery), punctures are made around the circumference to the depth of the turf horizon (15-20 cm) with a crowbar or pitchfork. The gel is evenly scattered into the holes, sprinkled with soil, and watered. It is advisable to re-water after 40-50 minutes.
How to apply gel to already planted indoor plants?
For example, you have a 5 liter pot, therefore you need to add about 5 grams. To do this, carefully make punctures over the entire area to the depth of the container (for example, with a sharpened pencil). Pour gel into the wells.
Don't forget that it increases in volume very much! Water. If some of the gel squeezes out onto the surface, it’s okay. Sprinkle it with 1-2 cm of soil, later the plant roots themselves will find these granules.
As soon as the roots grow into the gel (usually this takes 1.5-2 weeks), you can water 5-6 times less often.
How much hydrogel should be applied? For an average bush of gooseberries, currants, roses, peonies, you need to add at least 50 grams in terms of dry preparation. Mix throughout. Indoor flowers, seedlings: a glass of swollen gel (which is about 1g of dry preparation) per liter of soil. Strawberries: a glass - two swollen gels per bush, mixing by volume.
Hydrogel for protecting the exposed root system during planting, transplanting and transportation.
This type of Evabeon® hydrogel forms a “jelly” when mixed with water. They can be used to cover exposed or exposed roots during transplantation. To do this, plant roots are dipped into it or the gel is applied using a spray bottle. This gel is also used for pelleting seeds.
Root hairs are special outgrowths of specialized cells through which water and nutrients are absorbed. In air they dry out almost instantly. Therefore, when planting and transplanting, planting seedlings and seedlings that have bare roots, the normal diet is disrupted. The plant suffers for a long time and adapts.Application of root gel during storage and transportation
The gel envelops the roots, forming a protective cover and prevents them from drying out. In this form, seedlings, seedlings, and plants selected for transplantation can be transported and stored for up to several days. Root protection with covering materials alone is not effective enough. It is simply unrealistic to cover the ENTIRE surface of the roots. This is possible with the help of hydrogel.
Application of root gel for seedlings
If you dip the roots in the gel before planting, the survival rate will improve significantly. Suitable for “repairing” collapsed clumps of seedlings.
When growing seedlings in glasses and boxes, the roots are distributed over the surface of the soil clod. Once removed from the container, they are open and unprotected. Therefore, after transplanting into the ground, the roots are especially vulnerable even with a slight lack of moisture. It is enough to dip such a lump in the “jelly” of the gel before planting it, and you will greatly speed up the survival rate of the plant and its resistance to adverse factors.
Application for open root system
When planting a bare-root plant in the soil, soil moisture is very important. Even slight drying is detrimental to the plant. Therefore, not only abundant watering is used, but also soil compaction to ensure closer contact of the roots with the ground. Because of this, stagnation of moisture occurs, leading to rotting of the roots.
The first two weeks after planting and transplantation are very important - during this time is running restoration of the root system. The gel significantly improves the survival rate of plants, helping to maintain moisture in the roots, protecting them from drying out and ensuring rapid establishment.
About hydrogel for roots - in the video tutorial on planting seedlings:
How to use hydrogel to protect an exposed root system? How much and how is it added to the planting hole? What types of Evabeon® hydrogel are there? The video includes a coupon for a discount in the store. Watch all our lessons in the video section.
On the windows of flower shops and gardening supermarkets you can see boxes and jars with translucent balls of 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 them into a pot, then such plants will need to be watered several times less.
Hydrogel is a polymer (contains polyacrylamide and potassium polyacrylate) that can retain moisture for a long time.
If you add an aromatic additive to the aqua soil along with water, the polymer can be used as an air freshener.
Price
Hydrogel, which can now be easily found on shelves, is a very budget purchase!
At the same time, manufacturers guarantee complete environmental safety for humans, environment and plants.
Term warranty service– three years, after which the polymer loses its shape, but not its 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
Flower growers 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 absorbed and retained water:
All of them are of natural origin and, in addition to storing moisture, these substances have several functions:
- vermiculite loosens the soil 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. It is often used as an additional soil ingredient for, as well as mulch for other plants.
Application of hydrogel
What plants is it 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 placed in the hydrogel, slightly pressing them into the mass, so that part of the seed is in the gel, and part is in the air. After this, the container with the seeds is covered with 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, mix the hydrogel with soil (1:4) and place it in seedling boxes, where the seeds are buried according to agricultural technology.
Transfer
If you need to add hydrogel to a houseplant, you should follow the instructions and soak the gel before adding.
Dry in pots with indoor plants It is not recommended to add hydrogel, otherwise, when swelling, the absorbent may displace the flower from the pot.
Cautions
