Just looked at their website, lots of smoke and mirrors. I thought water retention gels had long since been dismissed by most of the horticultural community.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
I bought some water retention gel beads ... then I read this and other similar stuff, and I stopped using them ...
I mean, why would you put that stuff in your soil? Isn't it bad enough that all the same stuff from disposable nappies is going into landfill ... we really should stop looking for short term solutions for everything ...
This thread went a bit mad so I haven't read it all, but if it hasn't been mentioned already we often get this product specified when working on sites with deficient soils.
I grabbed this from the official specification sheet;
"SPECIFICATION SHEET
The product is a physical soil conditioner designed to increase the water and nutrient
holding capacity of soils and growing media, increase plants' root development, growth and survival rate and reduce the need for watering by up to 50%. The product is a dry, free flowing, pow-dery-to-granular mixture of cross-linked hydroabsorbent polymers, growth precursors and volcanic rock enriched with soluble, slow release and synthetic nitrogen fertilizers. The product has an absorption capacity of a minimum of 4500 g H2O/100 g in distilled water using Method of Analysis CEN EN 13041 and more than 95% of the water contained in the polymers is plant available".
Just looked at their website, lots of smoke and mirrors. I thought water retention gels had long since been dismissed by most of the horticultural community.
I wouldn't speak too soon.
Broadleaf P4 is pretty much specified by all the leading landscape consultants and architects, including at least two un-named BBC/Chelsea FS favourite garden designers who we work with.
I resent that @Fire. Water retention gels are very environmentally unfriendly [ supposedly a concern of yours ] and have never been shown to have any benefit. I am unsure of the benefits of fungi powder. Whilst we know about the benefits of fungi, we don't know whether the fungi used will benefit a specific plant, in a specific location.
Some posters on the forum latch onto any old trash from Utube videos, without any evidence of their benefits.
How can you lie there and think of England When you don't even know who's in the team
Personally I'd never use any of the aforementioned on my home plot as I simply don't see the point, both practically and economically.
However, I can tell you that the consultants and soil scientists are advocating the use of all three so its incorrect to say that its rejected by the industry because that simply isn't true.
To stoke the fires a bit more, there is a 'fourth horseman of the apocalypse' - BioChar! (OP this could be a good alternative to Pumice, maybe?)
Personally I'd never use any of the aforementioned on my home plot as I simply don't see the point, both practically and economically.
However, I can tell you that the consultants and soil scientists are advocating the use of all three so its incorrect to say that its rejected by the industry because that simply isn't true.
To stoke the fires a bit more, there is a 'fourth horseman of the apocalypse' - BioChar! (OP this could be a good alternative to Pumice, maybe?)
Yep. I've used biochar before. I add it to my soil mix and compost.
Posts
I thought water retention gels had long since been dismissed by most of the horticultural community.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
I mean, why would you put that stuff in your soil? Isn't it bad enough that all the same stuff from disposable nappies is going into landfill ... we really should stop looking for short term solutions for everything ...
https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/containers/water-crystals-in-potting-soil.htm
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
Hi @loxley,
I grabbed this from the official specification sheet;
"SPECIFICATION SHEET
*Edit - Volcanic rock.................................................................. 49.75%
Broadleaf P4 is pretty much specified by all the leading landscape consultants and architects, including at least two un-named BBC/Chelsea FS favourite garden designers who we work with.
http://www.broadleafp4.com/
Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.
I am unsure of the benefits of fungi powder. Whilst we know about the benefits of fungi, we don't know whether the fungi used will benefit a specific plant, in a specific location.
Some posters on the forum latch onto any old trash from Utube videos, without any evidence of their benefits.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border
Personally I'd never use any of the aforementioned on my home plot as I simply don't see the point, both practically and economically.
However, I can tell you that the consultants and soil scientists are advocating the use of all three so its incorrect to say that its rejected by the industry because that simply isn't true.
To stoke the fires a bit more, there is a 'fourth horseman of the apocalypse' - BioChar! (OP this could be a good alternative to Pumice, maybe?)