A few days ago, a friend asked me how often and how much should she water her plants when planting in crystal soil. I would say we should add water to the crystal beads whenever the beads shrink to around half of its size or to a size that cannot stably hold up the plants anymore.
Tags: Container Gardening, Crystal Soil, Hydroculture, Potted Plants, Table Decorations, Watering
I have a friend asked me if she could plant her basil and mint in these colorful crystal soil beads. Although crystal soil is suitable for many indoor houseplants, especially foliage plants, I wouldn’t recommend my friend to plant her herbs in crystal soil. This is because while most herb plants love sunlight, crystal soil is not suitable to leave under direct sunlight for a long period of time.
But if you want to grow a plant that needs lots of sunlight with crystal soil, you can cover the crystal beads with a dark cloth to avoid them from drying out too quickly. However, this may have defeated the decoration purpose in the first place.
Many plants that thrive in crystal soil are hydroculture plants. For example, many foliage plants that like shade and humidity are the most suitable to grow in crystal soil or to root in water. And here are some examples.
Tags: Container Gardening, Crystal Soil, Home Decor, Hydroculture, Indoor Plants, Potted Plants
Instead of soil, I have used crystal soil as the growing medium for this tabletop garden – Ocean Breeze. Crystal soil makes good home decorations. It involves no dirt, is pest free, and easy in maintenance. And with food coloring, you can make the clear crystal soil beans in any color you want.
Tags: Container Gardening, Garden Gallery, Home Decor, Indoor Plants, Table Decorations, Tabletop Garden
Here, let me show you how to pot a plant with crystal soil (aka soil moist).
Put a teaspoon of crystal soil into a container.
Add water and soak them for a few hours according to the instruction on the package. I always add more than enough water for I will drain any excess water with a strainer afterwards. If you use clear crystal soil and want some color crystal beads, you can add food coloring now.
Tags: Container Gardening, Crystal Soil, How To, Potted Plants
This is like a method of growing plants that goes in between hydroponics and the traditional way of planting in soil. Same as soil, these crystal soil beads hold up the plant and its root system, absorb and release water for the plant. But like hydroponics, it involves no dirt, is pest free, and easy in maintenance.
We simply add a small amount of crystal soil (aka soil moist) into the potting soil. In this case, the crystal soil is a soil additive for potted plants. Crystal soil functions as a water storage that retains moisture around the plant’s roots, constantly nourishes the plant with water.
I have asked other gardeners in different gardening forums, and it seems that the gardeners in the U.S. (and probably in other western countries as well) uses crystal soil only as a soil additive. Read the rest of this entry »
Crystal soil (a.k.a. soil moist) is water absorbent polymer beads, which can absorb and hold up to 80-150 times of its volume of water for a long period of time. As a reservoir, crystal soil stores water and releases the water whenever the plant needs it.
Crystal soil can be used for potted plants, both indoor and outdoor. It is non-toxic, odor free, and environmentally safe. It appears that while gardeners around the world know crystal soil and use it as a soil additive for potted plants, only those in Asian countries use crystal soil alone as a beautiful growing medium in clear containers.
Using Crystal Soil as Soil Additive
Using Crystal Soil as Growing Medium
How to Pot a Plant with Crystal Soil
Suitable Plants for Crystal Soil
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