A Gardeners Forum Forums Gardening Reference Gardening in 2004 Just being practical

I like to plant alot of pots around the yard and found the only way to keep up with the watering is to add Soil Moist and maybe I can get by without watering everyday. But a friend of mine from the greenhouse has been telling me about these absorbant mats that you plant over that help hold the water. I have heard they are quite pricey yet and so I to wondering if maybe[caution,I'm thinking]peices of a super absorbant diaper poked with holes for drainage or other products[ for the ladies] placed in dirt out of sight might have the same results.Of course I understand that there could'nt be perfumes ect,some are 100% organic cotton at the nature stores or thru the health food buying club that I belong to. Its sounds maybe crazy to some of you but its seems so practical that I think I'm going to give it a try.No one else would know whats planted in there but me.

LOL just sounds so funny! keep us posted!

Ya I know its funny,I laugh when I think of people admiring my flowers.I probably scared the whole forum with this one.

Sorry Weezie, my first double hitter, computers just acting so boggy, didnt know if it got it the first time!!

I snagged it for you!!

Weezie

Ya know Shamarian,
I started to post this, this morning, but kids kept getting in my way, they both wanted to be fed before school, darn kids!! :rolleyes:
JUST KIDDING!!!!!!

But, I did want to make sure I posted to this!!!

Well, I have to admit something ...............

On occassion mind you, I have a wee~one that likes to get undressed, (he'd be naked 24/7/365 if he were allowed to do what he wanted to do!!!)
But he's been known a few times more than not to take off his diaper in the yard! and run around, and a few we were still finding where he stuffed them in the fall time... (LITTLE BOOGER) but I had a chance to observe those puppies in action with water and what they do after they've sat for a bit!!!

#1. When they sat on the ground (or maybe contact with soil??) they never~never lost their moisture content..
#2. They swelled up like,um, oh, road kill, maybe's a unpleasant way of discribing it (oh, sorry, I couldnt' think of anything else) but, you know what I mean, they were just huge and soggy!!!! Really blotted!
#3. The inner part of the diaper fell apart, (probably ripped apart from so much water being in them...) and the cloth on top of the inner part is so much different to the cloth on the out side... so, the polymer crystal's were just EVERYWHERE!!! In a big pile!! :p

Now, I too had heard about that very same thing..
***For cemetary planters, Urn's, and Pot's****
Because no one really takes care of them, usually long spells between visits.. and in the cemetaries, it's usually hot and dry!!

And I thought about doing it, (*I never did get around to trying it)
butttttttttttttttttttttttttttt...........
My thoughts would be,

#1. If it was put into the bottom of the pot or planter, and dirt put on top, what would happen to the dirt and flowers on top of that when alllll the water is absorbed and would it push everything up and out of the pot??????????????
(especially if just planted and no time for the roots to establish?????)
#2. How would one get that out of the dirt if you had a wet season, (which has been known to happen, rain every weekend or just soggy/alot of rain..)
Would it be toooooooooooo much water for an average type of plant...? You know like a regular annual??? Would there be too much water you wouldn't be able to just empty like a saucer underneath, once it's in, it's in.............
(I'm also not sure about cutting it up to make pieces of it, it would open up all the crystals to escape!)

I would say, it definately would work for
HANGING BASKETS!!
DEFINATELY!!!
They are always in the wind and drying out!
so, I'd say, wet the diaper first, and put it around the hanging pot, 2 or 3 even..

If you do this experiment, please let us know what you did, and how you did it! I would love to hear of your adventure on it!!!

Weezie

Thanks Weezie,I was a little hesitant,no alot hesitant to share this idea,not exacly ummmm....well.......dignified???But after hearing about the mats, just kept thinking of cheaper alternatives.I totally know what a water sogged 10 pound diaper can do[found them cleaning litter out of ditches].That would probably be overkill and root rot.I have alot garden troughs and pots I made and they dry out so fast and yes so do my hangers.I think I'm just gonna do some experimenting, maybe even fold up some super absorbant Bounty towels on the bottom.If its unconventional, cheap and it works, I will try it.I loved your sharing of your little ones.Have to tell you one of our stories. When my oldest son finally got potty trained I was so impressed on how long he was able to hold his bladder when playing in his sandbox.Well, no he was'nt using the sandbox, he took out my husbands lunch box and hid it behind a bush and did his business in there till we caught him ! These years are soooooo precious, embrace every moment and laugh often, than save the memories for their girlfiends[just kidding] I don't think my husband has used a lunch box since

ya know, i have to laugh at this whole thing. the diapers thing would probably work on potted plants and hanging baskets, but... we have a factory for that stuff up river from us and they have to carry a gazillion dollar insurance policy to clean up the river if there is ever a spill because of the environmental damage. so... i would hesitate to use them anywhere where the "elements" could get to them.

Jiffymouse, I would never use anything unless it was 100% organic and safe. I belong to a health food buying club[ its like having access to tons of natual products] and there are products available to try, granted I'm sure they don't carry the absorbent super powers of the ones down from the river from you or at the supermarket and in fact I think some of these would just break down totally naturally.And now that I think about it, they are probably made of the same products as the matts they are selling for planting purposes anyway. Your right tho ,I would never try all the heavily perfumed and chemically hasardous products for this purpose, who knows whats in them.I just believe in trying to find the cheaper alternatives.

i can appreciate the need for cheaper alternatives. i am always on the lookout for those too!!!

Oh Shamarian, Shamarian, Shamarian....that was really great....thanks for the gut buster.....I can picture your faces when you busted him.