Keep Your Plants Watered With Diapers

Inside: Tired of plants drying out and dying on you? Did you know you can keep your plants watered using homemade water-storing crystals? Use this simple garden hack to keep your plants watered for a week or longer.

Are you struggling to keep your plants watered? In the extreme heat of summer porch plants can dry out so fast.

If you don't have the time to water your plants daily check out this easy tip to help keep your plants watered for up to a week.

You can easily make these homemade water storing crystals to add your plants soil and skip the watering without losing the plants.

Items Needed To Make Water Crystals

To make the water crystals to water plants you will need a few things. You can either buy the synthetic polymers from the stores (they are usually fairly expensive) or you can just use a diaper!

What you need:

• Large Bowl (that holds at least 4 cups of water)
• 4-6 Cups of water
• Diaper (disposable)

Step 1: Put about 4-5 cups of water in a large bowl.

Step 2: Place the diaper in the water and hold it down for about a minute so it starts to absorb the water.

Step 3: Let the diaper soak in the bowl of water for a few minutes.

Step 4: Once the diaper is looking very full, tear it open and remove all of the granules of gel from the diaper.

Step 5: Let the gel sit in the bowl and soak up the remaining water.

Step 6: Add more water to the bowl. I added about another cup.

You now have a huge bowl of plant gel for the cost of one diaper.

How Much Water Crystals Should I Use

You will want to use 1/2 tablespoon to tablespoon for every gallon of soil. So a five gallon container will need 2-4 tablespoons.

To Use The Water Storing Crystals In Potting Soil

To use the crystals you will want to mix the gel in with the dirt or potting soil.

If you are planting something, you can just mix in the gel with the dirt. This works well to give those newly planted plants some extra moisture.

You can also add them to planters or hanging baskets.

I am adding them to my hanging plants, so I just moved back some of the dirt and added spoonfuls of gel all around.

The water gel will slowly release the water over the next week or two. When the soil starts getting dry again add some more water to the soil and the gel will once again soak up the water.

This works great to keep plants watered while you are gone on vacation or freshly planted trees and shrubs to give them extra water.

I also use it on my hydrangea since they love water so much. I have found that I don't need to water my plants as often.

How Long Do They Last?

These easy to make crystals will last all summer long!

Not only did the diaper gel work, I also saved so much money by using a diaper instead of the store bought gel.

Want to make your own plant gel? It's so easy!

For the cost of a diaper (under $.50) you can easily keep a couple of plants watered for a week or two. If you are planting a bunch of new plants a small pack of diapers will keep your plants watered. Keep your plants looking great all summer long with this easy and inexpensive garden hack.