Soil Moist Granules

[charitysmama]

Has anyone ever used Soil Moist Granules? They swell up when put in water. I think they are some kind of polymer. They hold water and shrink when they start to dry out.

[WhiteRabbit]

[dounoharm]

I would hesitate to use those in any orchid medium...the plan when watering, is to soak or saturate the medium completely, then DRAIN completely....let the media DRY OUT before rewatering....when you use those soil moist granules, the soil NEVER DRIES OUT, which is very bad for orchids. they were designed for normal earth grown plants which need constant moisture....I think you can google it for more info, I have read several articles about it in different places...good luck!

[Optimist]

Are there some terrestrial orchids who like constant damp soil? I seem to recall a few instructions saying "do not let dry out"

[james mickelso]

Adding something to your potting media to get it to stay moist longer, won't get you the results you expect. Orchids are a plant that you spend time with every day. Or at least every few days. They are more like a pet. If you desire an orchid that re-blooms and gets better with age, you need to spend time with it. Lifting it to see how dry it is. Looking at the leaves. The roots. The stems. Watering it correctly. Feeding it correctly. Getting to know it. It is not a succulent. An annual. A bouquet of roses beautiful when blooming but gone all too soon. An orchid should be something you nurture and keep in good health. And if you spend the time, not much really, it will reward you with flowers that last far beyond that bouquet of roses. I would not rely on the polymer beads.

[WhiteRabbit]

If I have orchids I feel are drying out too quickly, I'll use chc or sphag for potting.

[charitysmama]

Thank you, I will save them for my ficus which likes to live in my kitchen sink, it drinks a lot(is there AA for plants???).

[WhiteRabbit]

Originally Posted by charitysmama

Thank you, I will save them for my ficus which likes to live in my kitchen sink, it drinks a lot(is there AA for plants???).

Hehe - AA for plants . I have a few candidates

The granules in question could possibly be ok for some orchids -- some true terrestrials, perhaps...