Hello Friends! Today we will look into an awesome scientifically proven method to reduce
your watering frequency for your plants from daily to once in a week by using just 1 teaspoon
of SAP around your potted plants or even ground plants. Will demonstrate you how to use it
and check the moisture levels using a moisture testing tool from Day 1 to Day 7 and also
discuss some science behind all this. All this is coming up..
If you are a hobby gardener, Consider subscribing to this channel. Also TURN ON the notification
bell icon so that you wont miss any updates. Well, What we are basically doing is, creating
mini water reservoirs or mini water storage houses for your plants. These reservoirs provide
a stable supply of water and nutrients to plants. We increase soil water holding capacity
to 500 to 1000 times. This is really useful in drought prone areas or if you have water
shortage. This method helps to conserve water, save your valuable time, manpower and perhaps
money not only in summer but in other times like when you have water shortage and also
its a great hacks when you are out on a vacation. One more benefit of this is, It also reduces
the quantity and frequency of fertilizer application. The research article links to this video are
provided in video description, you can check the detailed articles on this gardening idea.
Well, Now How to Perform This Hack? Actually I am experimenting this method and showing
you how it works. I have taken two containers of identical size and soil plus the identical
plants of almost the same size. Because the watering requirement may vary between different
plant species and also different plant sizes. So, I have taken identical plants and labelling
one container as T � that is TEST PLANT and the other one as C � that is Control
plant. We will be obviously adding the SAP substance to Test container and not to the
Control. Both of these are watered only once on day 1 and the moisture levels are checked
daily or on alternate days. So now lets look into the Procedure on How
to add this substance: If you are doing this on your existing potted
plants, you need to dig out some holes around your plant. You can keep the depth of each
hole to about 3 -4 inches depending on your plant size and root system. Do this carefully
and make sure you do not damage or dig on the roots. You can use any tool like a screw
driver or even a pipe. Make some 4 to 6 holes around your plant, depending on your pot size
and also plant size. If your plant has larger water requirement, then dig much deeper holes.
Now Add Just 1 or 2 gm of this SAP material into each hole. 1 teaspoon I think its about
4 � 5 gram. So add 1 -2 gm approx. into each hole and then cover these holes with
soil. Then add about half to 1 litre of water depending on your container size. I will discuss
about what is this SAP compound shortly, but be assured this is a fully bio-degradable
and non-toxic substance. One more method you can use this, if you are
repotting any plant, you can mix about 1 to 2 teaspoons of this stuff into your potting
mix. Mixing it with soil results in a light, fluffy, aerated well draining soil, which
is really good for your plant health. But do not use this for succulents and similar
plants. So, Now before discussing on What is SAP,
will show you the result of this experiment. On day 1 after adding this substance and water,
leave on for an hour for the SAP to absorb water. Now you test the moisture level using
this useful gadget which measures both pH and moisture levels. The link to purchase
this is on my website www.gkvk.in. One more point to clarify � this is not a promotional
video where I am promoting some companys stuff. On my website, I have only listed the things
which I have purchased and tested personally. Well, I have kept both Pot T and Pot C in
the same location and similar climatic conditions under my 50 percent shadehouse to receive
the same amount of sunlight. Make sure these are not watered daily and in case if you are
expecting rain, you can shift to a safe location to protect them from rain.
Now on Day 1 after watering both Test and Control Pots, the moisture level is very good
in both container � showing Fully WET in the meter.
Its not at one point in soil, I am checking it all around the soil in pot T as you can
notice in the video. After 2 Days, you can see the moisture level
has remained nearly the same in Test Pot � that is its still completely WET and the control
pot moisture level has fallen from wet to just MOIST.
On Day 3, you can see Test pot is still WET and the Control Pot is showing DRY. This means
it needs watering immediately. The results may vary depending on your zones climatic
conditions. Well, On Day 5, You can see there s a fall
in moisture level, but still its showing MOIST and can continue for a day or two. You can
either water your plant at this point or wait for another 2 days and rewater so that the
hygroscopic meaning water absorbing crystals takeup this water and hold and supply this
to your plant for another week. So, this proves the effectiveness of this
method and you do not need to water your plants frequently and your plants remain content,
happy and healthy, This is really useful specially in summer or even if you are going on a vacation!
So Now Quickly Lets Learn Whats this SAP and What is the cost of this substance and where
its available? SAP is nothing but Super Absorbent Polymer
or hydrophilic or hygroscopic polymer chains, SAP also sometimes called as Hydrogel substance.
It is an eco-friendly, non-toxic, harmless, biodegradable material with super good water
absorption and water holding capacity ranging from 100 to 1000 times water retention to
its weight. Different grades of SAP are available for different purposes with different capacities.
Water beads or water crystal balls are also similar hygroscopic polyers, they are usually
sodium polyacrylate and used for similar purpose. In agriculture they are used as water reservoirs
within soil and they absorb the water when it is raining and release water back when
it is dry. Now How much does this cost? This is not too
costly. I got this 250 gms of SAP for about 4 USD. May be Its much cheaper if purchased
in larger quantities. You can find the link to purchase this in description and also almost
all products that I have purchased and tested are listed at my website www.gkvk.in . Its
not a functional store, but a catalogue of links to items that I have purchased or those
that I recommend. If you like the video, please give it a thumbs
up, share this video and pass some comments or suggestions below the video. Consider subscribing
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Gardening.