gardening gel, that's non-toxic, environmentally friendly, and can cut your watering schedule

in half.

For this project we'll need one of these disposable diapers. New or gently used, it doesn't really

matter. Now most people know that a diaper can hold quite a bit of liquid, but you might

be surprised to see how much. I just put over 4 cups of water in this thing, and you can

see that in just a few seconds, all the fluid is completely absorbed, without a drop left

in the bowl. To see what's inside, let's go ahead and rip it open, and dump the contents

into a bowl. You can see that if we add a bit more water and mix it together, we've

got ourselves an amazing, fiber rich hydrogel. I tried packing some of this stuff into an

airtight bag and freezing it overnight, to make an improvised ice pack that won't leak.

Now, you can use food coloring to change the color of the gels, but when working with plants

it's best to leave it clear. This way, your plants won't turn funny colors as they grow.

One adult sized diaper makes over 12 cups of hydrogel, and the small pieces of cotton

wadding break apart and mix right in. Now we're gonna need some all purpose potting

soil that you can get at any home improvement store, and a large mixing bowl to dump it

in. Add equal parts of dirt and gel, then begin working the two together until they're

thoroughly mixed. Now you've not got a super absorbent, super soil that's light and fluffy,

and perfect for your potted plants. Go ahead and throw a little soil into the pot first,

then help your plant get comfortable. To hold it firm in place, just keep packing more soil

until everything sits tight. You can finish up by giving the plant a bit more water, and

now with the super crystals in your soil, your plant can go twice as long between waterings,

saving you time, and resources. If you're looking for a lazy way to get your seeds started,

just dump them into a batch of the grow dough, and give it all a good mix, or you could even

just sprinkle the seeds on top. Fill a container of your choice, add a bit of water, and find

a place that you can set it and forget it. Over the course of a week, your seeds will

automatically sprout and begin to grow, without any extra effort, or any extra water.

In the event of an extreme overwatering like this, you might expect that your plants would drown,

or begin to rot. But with the hydrogels infused in the soil, you can see how the excess water

is quickly absorbed, keeping the soil damp and fluffy, and possibly saving your plants

as a result. Now the reason this mixture will hold so much liquid is because of these super-absorbent

water crystals. They'll hold over 500 times their weight in water, and if you want to

separate them out like this, try ripping apart the wadding in the diaper, and shaking it

upside down over a piece of paper. The cotton fluff should blow away, and you'll be left

with just the crystals. This diaper gel can work on your existing plants as well. As the

gel expands and contracts, it will naturally aerate the soil as it does. Just grab a knife

and a spoon, and gently nestle them down between,the roots, and spread them apart to form a

gap. Now you can drop some gel down to the roots, work the soil back together, and continue

around the pot until all your water-gel is used up. For one final idea, you can help

preserve your fresh cut flowers, by adding sugar, vinegar, and a bit of bleach to some

warm water. This will create a homemade flower food, and when you add your slush powder,

you'll see it absorbs the solution and slowly grows up to 60 times its size. By agitating

the gel you can create an awesome effect that looks like crushed ice. Not only does it look

cool, but it's slowly releasing water as the flowers need it, and feeding them at the same

time. The gel is completely non-toxic. It's biodegradable, and environmentally friendly,

so it's a great option for working into your garden. Not only will this save you on watering

costs, but it will also last quite a few seasons before it needs to be replaced. Well now you

know how to take an ordinary diaper, and convert it into a super absorbant potting soil, that

will help keep your plants happy, and hopefully keep you happy as well. If you liked this

project, perhaps you'll like some of my others. Check them out at www.thekingofrandom.com