Planting Without Soil

23rd Aug 2021

Did you know that soil isn’t actually necessary for the proper growth of a plant? Plants need three things for ultimate survival: water, air, and nutrients. They can receive all of these through water beads for plants

! Our water beads for plants are a non-toxic, super absorbent polymer. They can act as a full replacement source for soil when planting. Follow the steps below to successfully grow your plant using water beads!

Step 1: You will want to hydrate your beads once they arrive. Water beads can swell up to 50 times their weight! A good estimate is that you can use a ½ teaspoon of dry granules to 1 cup of water. Depending on how big your pot is will dictate how many beads you will need. You will want to add water soluble fertilizer to your beads so that they can absorb it. Without fertilizer your plant will have difficultly growing.

Step 2: Find your already established plant. It is much easier to transfer a growing plant with established roots than to grow from a seed. You can always grow your seeds in soil and then transfer to water beads once established. Simply remove the pot from your plant, loosen any compacted soil and rinse all the soil off.

Step 3: Now you are ready to replant! Simply fill half of your new pot with water beads and set the roots of your plant directly on top. Fill the rest of the pot with the remaining beads on top. It is nice if you are able to use a glass pot for this so that you can show off your colorful beads, but not necessary.

That’s it, you’re done! Transferring a plant to water beads is that simple! You no longer need soil and your plant will thrive just the same. If you need help with your first transfer please feel free to reach out to us with any questions that you may have.