I was doing some searching for water crystals and such and came a cross a site that I thought I would share. I originally went there for their cool ties just to see how to make them. I started reading more and more and then I went to the prices page. The prices were lower than average, slightly cheaper per pound than I found most places but that wasn't what caught my eye. The sizes of the crystals was what did it for me. 10 pounds was where the price really caught my eye. I have never seen options in the sizes before. The site explains the different uses for the different sizes. I thought it was a great site to learn the uses and how effective they are for things I never thought of using them for. I don't know if a person could just order the big ones and crush them or otherwise make them smaller. I have sent them a message to ask them. Even if all I get from them is that you can crush them for different uses the site will have been worth while to find. I will let you know what they tell me about making smaller crystals from larger ones.
I did get a reply and they said that you can crush the dry crystals or cut the hydrated ones to make them smaller. Also, the powder version is a different type of crystal. Here is most of the email: "Yes, our large crystals can be crushed, but I think since dry they are quite hard, it would be easier doing it when wet. However, while doing it wet, something like a blender is too fast and you would end up with very tiny pieces. Doing one or the other will not affect their characteristics at all. I would however make up small batches, because the drying process takes quite a while. I didn’t know if you read where we have a different product called polyacrylate which we label as powder. The difference is this will only hydrate once. We have many people use it by making a slurry and then they dip bare roots in it before planting. Or if shipping a bare root, it will insure a better transport because it stays damp. When doing it before planting, along with mixing some of our polyacrylamide (sm, med or lg) in the backfill soil, it will keep the roots hydrated for about 6 weeks until it is able to grow more roots able to locate the water that evaporates from the crystals into the soil."
I've used water beads for my plants and I can say that they are a huge help for someone like me who loves indoor plants but tends to forget on watering them. They are made of polymer technology. They stock water inside. Once you receive a pack, all you have to do is to store it in a vase/container then put water into it and watch them grow. You can place your plant on the water crystals and watch it grow. moderator's note: removed website link, see point 1.1 of usage rules
