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Midwest

Hello, Would anybody with experience using polymer crystals, to hold water under the soil, and help get air to the roots,and battle soil compaction? please Tell me what you have learned
Thanks RE

1/25/2005 12:54:30 AM

Omaha, NE (N41-15-42 )

I add them to one of my patches that I don't get a chance to water as often. Works really well. Haven't used it stricting for combatting soil compaction though. Try and find the potassium based crystals though like in "Terra Sorb" instead of the sodium based ones that products like "Soil Moist" use.

1/25/2005 6:30:06 AM

Chico, Ca

To avoid compaction and to help aerate the roots I use pearlite. I found it in 4 cu ft bags for about $15 a pop.
I have never heard of anyone using those crystals for anything other then H20 retention.

1/25/2005 7:21:00 PM

Montoursville, PA

My two cents...........Where as it takes a couple of years to build a good patch I feel the slower more effective way to build is with natural humus. That comes down to manures, use of leaf material including grass clippings and such, composts and remineralization. The result of this is better tilth naturally ballanced with enticement to earthworms that add their casts and drainage within the soil. This type of approach builds and strengthens all the goodness we seek while providing all the NPK needed to grow anything, not just pumpkins. Strange as it may seem this program works well with all types of soil.

There may be new or first year situations which may be temporarly helped with what I call greenhouse management techiques.

We had a young lady first year gardener or grower break five hundred pounds with nothing but leaves in some pretty sorry looking soil.

Going to the other extreme we had a kid eight years old that planted one, on a huge compost pile adding nothing. He weighed in over five hundred pounds. His growing area was less than 300 square feet.

Both of the above used kelp, fish and molasses foliar fed once a week and Neem Oil as the major organic insecticide, miticide and fungicide. Both used harsher chemicals during the last month of the grow.

Both are now under a decent green cover crop and are or believed to be working sustainable healthy patches. Both added manures and Fertrell Azomite for trace minerals.

1/25/2005 9:53:43 PM