Indoor plant breeders are always worried about the fate of their green wards during their long absence from home. As a rule, this issue is especially acute when the whole family goes on vacation. However, there is a solution. In the review below, we will focus on the "invisible gardeners" who will water the indoor plants in the absence of the owners.
At first glance, this problem seems insoluble if you do not involve third parties for help: neighbors, relatives, acquaintances. But this is associated with the transfer of the keys from your home to third parties, to whom there is not always one hundred percent trust. In addition, many people are jealous of private property and simply do not want to let anyone into their home, even if the trust in these people is limitless. It may sound surprising, but the issue of "remote irrigation" of soils and plants could have been solved back in the 80s of the last century (and according to some sources - about 70 years ago), when the first aqua soil was developed in the USSR. To modern children, this product is known more as "Orbiz balls" or hydrogel balls, which can be purchased at most kiosks, markets, Chinese goods stores or just in the supermarket.
The principle of hydrogel balls is the accumulation, retention and gradual release of moisture. Similar materials are used in modern baby diapers. Each hydrogel bead can grow 10-30 times its original size. As a rule, in the most popular hydrogel kits on the market, the initial diameter of each ball is 2-3 millimeters. In order for the ball to begin to grow, it is enough to put it in a container of water.
Each ball is capable of picking up moisture and giving it away, then picking up and giving it back an infinite number of times. Manufacturers claim that hydrogel capsules have a 5-year lifespan. The balls are easy to clean with running water. It is enough to use a colander or sieve to wash them without any problems.
Aqua soil is used to moisturize soils and lawns in arid countries. For example, a layer of it is laid under the ground of a golf course being created in a country where it rarely rains. Thus, after the last rain, the hydrogel accumulates water in itself, and then evenly gives it to the soil until the next rain.
How to use a hydrogel for remote watering of indoor plants?
Before you go on vacation for a long time, you need to put hydrogel balls in pots with indoor flowers. The more moisture-loving a particular plant is, the more balls you need to put in a pot with it.
Hydrogel beads can be used not only in the absence of hosts. After all, they not only carry out uniform watering of plants, but also perform a decorative function: they look just great in a pot with a plant!
When the moisture is almost completely given to the plant, the hydrogel ball will not disappear anywhere (as mentioned above, its service life is up to 5 years), so the balls can simply be removed from the pot, washed with running water using a colander - and they are again ready for moisture collection. and new uses.
The range of hydrogel balls is too large today. You can find balls of different sizes, different colors, solid color sets. If a houseplant breeder also has a creative vision and sense of color, you can easily find hydrogel balls in stores that match the color of plant pots or flowering buds. In addition, hydrogel balls can be used to germinate seeds or store cut flowers in vases with them instead of the usual water.
This is important to know
The hydrogel balls are completely hypoallergenic and safe for the health of your children and pets. Of course, containers with hydrogel balls should be kept away from children under 3 years old, but even if a child swallows a clean hydrogel ball, it is important to understand that it contains only water and a substance similar in composition to gelatin, so the ball will simply leave the body in a natural way without harming him.
And for those who do not want to mess with the hydrogel, but are often on the road, they will do 12 persistent indoor plants for those who travel frequently on business trips or just forget to water their flowers.