Good afternoon all.I think I have got the composting sorted out thanks to the info I gleaned from you good people,(including the book by Tim Marshall) So, moving right along.Wetting agents.I heard on the ABC garden show that they come in several guises.Soluble and granulated forms.How do they work? (laymans terms please)Are they specific to certain plants? How do you apply the ingreadients? Can they be used in pots?and finally,is there a web page available for reference? Thanking you in advance.Regards……….AL

there are a number of things that people think of as wetting agents. The most common type is to overcome the waxy, water resistant coating that covers soil particles making them water repellent. They usually consist of a detergent like substance and you would want to be careful about how often you use it. Then there are substances that improve the water retention of the soil. Bentonite comes to mind and is really fine clay particles that hold water. Munns sells it as as “Wetter Lawn and Garden” or something to that effect. Do not get confused with water crystals which swells up when water is added and is supposed to be a way of storing water for pot plants. On Gardening Australia Jerry says that Agar Agar, which is a seaweed derived food thickener, can be used as a wetting agent by mixing a bit in hot water, then dissolving in a bucket of cold water then watering onto your soil.

Thank you Bluegreen,have you used any of the agents you mentioned,and if so, what was the results?………AL

did you get any rain recently al?

what BG said plus
- straw mulch is good at retaining rain as a damp layer on the soil surface which in turn keeps the top layer of soil damp and therefore receptive to wetting. most ‘non-wetting’ of otherwise good soil is due to the soils drying out in the extreme.

Hi Pepe…………..Yea,got 4 mills on Friday night/Sat morning.The farmers arent too happy,theres still a lot of reaping to be done in the mid north,I thought of incorporating the straw base, but we are trying to utilize pots for all our other plants eg hydrangeas,camelias etc………………….AL

al said:

Hi Pepe…………..Yea,got 4 mills on Friday night/Sat morning.The farmers arent too happy,theres still a lot of reaping to be done in the mid north,I thought of incorporating the straw base, but we are trying to utilize pots for all our other plants eg hydrangeas,camelias etc………………….AL

– 2mm here – barely worth it. i’ve never used wetting agents because in my opinion i don’t need to. my daughter says you can just use organic soap in water (?). if the soil in the pot becomes non- wetting – repot in good soil – preferably with bentonite added. i have used ‘Munns betta wetting lawn and garden’ (or whatever?) and it is excellent.

I don’t use wetting agents Al, although I bought some Agar Agar but haven’t tried it yet. I prefer to mulch and use lots of compost when I can and keep the moisture in the soil that way. People with sandy soils seem to get the most problems with their soil becoming water repellent.

Yep, Blegreen,can relate to the sandy soils when we were living at Mundoora.You could stick the hose on the garden for ages and all that happened was pools of water with no penetration.We are over the ranges now and the soil composition is mainly clay.I am hoping that with my composting and a bit of gypsum it may remedy the situation.As I said,I was thinking of using a wetting agent in the pot plants as sometimes we could be away for three to four days at a time…………………..AL

The crystals when dry make an air pocket in the soil.. when wet all they do is fill up that air pocket.

The wetting agents are useful to break down the fatty soils enough to let water in.. once you have plant cover and mulching happening.. there is no longer any need for a wetting agent.

Humus is the magic .. get that happening and you are away and winning.

My preferred one is Saturaid which really helps water penetration. Wouldn’t be without some on hand for occasional spot treatments, especially on compacted soil in traffic areas.

Pots with a pinch of the grains really do become more saturated – the increased weight of Saturaid-treated pots is quite noticeable.

……….OK Cackles,also,with the composted mulch I am preparing,can I use some with a good quality potting mix for potted plants,or is it going to upset the nutrient ratio?……………..AL

al said:

……….OK Cackles,also,with the composted mulch I am preparing,can I use some with a good quality potting mix for potted plants,or is it going to upset the nutrient ratio?……………..AL

I think it’s only us here Al.. but I can answer that for you, always use the best quality potting mix that you can get your hands on. The good ones can also contain wetting agents and compost.

…..OK Happy Potter,are you saying that i am wasting my time with the compost in the potting soil? also I certainly agree with your thoughts on potting mix.Some is absolute rubbish.Thanks…………AL

al said:

…..OK Happy Potter,are you saying that i am wasting my time with the compost in the potting soil? also I certainly agree with your thoughts on potting mix.Some is absolute rubbish.Thanks…………AL

No no not wasting your time at all , use the compost, it helps.
I meant , I suppose, that if there was no goodies to add to the potting mix you buy , still get the best quality one. And then you can still add compost if you wish.

Thanks H/P I was probably answering my own question really,but thanks for the input………AL

it seems that a verdict is slowly emerging regarding the use of the so called hydro-gels. the evidence is mounting that a lot of these products—marketed as “water saving crystals”—are sodium based. they swell up with water but, do not make this water easily available to plant roots after all. some people have taken to using baby nappy hydro-gels in their gardens…and these particular crystals do contain high levels of toxic residues from manufacture, besides containing plenty of sodium. the general idea for recycling/reuse of baby nappies soiled with urine (only) in the garden had merit but, it doesn’t pan out so well unfortunately.

in any case, whatever product/mineral you use for your soil. as always a good amount of observation will help judge efficacy in your particular soil situation. regular inspection of top of the soil profile (with finger or stick) after watering should lead to future soil treatment directions. in my own case i’ve opted to improve the previously very poor soil here with bentonite, gypsum, and various other goodies. i’ve seen the most marked improvement by using bentonite. in hindsight, it would have been much cheaper instead to strip the bad soil and import top quality mix. but not as rewarding.

as the soil improves, the size and quality of the vegies improves, and pest and disease problems are reduced. the crop is usually markedly reduced if the plants experience moisture stress several times. while the soil must contain good pore space for aeration; a good amount of soil moisture keeps the plants turgid, and carries all nutrients to the plants. most vegies react to repeated moisture stress by abruptly flowering and going to fruit/seed, a process unstoppable once started. leafy vegetables go bitter, and root crops stop growing and become less palatable. it’s not even a good thing for vegies that we do want for flower (e.g. cauliflower) or fruit (toms), as these flowers/fruit are typically of diminished size and quality. such moisture stress affected vegies are also quickly onset by pests. the pests can even receive the blame for the reduced crop.

hope this hasn’t been too much of a re-hash of previous postings…as i can’t keep tabs on it.

Aquarium,thanks for the time and effort you have put in your post.You have condensed it well,as like others you have given me a lot of food for thought.Regards………..AL