Wetting Agents
By Buzzbee
United Kingdom 
I have just been watching a plug on TV for a liquid wetting agent - from the plug it sounded like it could be invaluable for improving the efficiency of our watering of our outdoor pot plants over the summer. However, has anyone used such things? Are they compatible with organic gardening? Do they do any damage to the environment? Are they safe to use with edible plants (e.g. we have 2 Blueberries in pots)? Any advice would be appreciated.
6 Feb, 2008
Answers
Do you have a garden centre near you? If they sell the product go and look at the ingredients and see if any of those are harmful. What is the name of this stuff, I haven't come across it yet?
7 Feb, 2008
The thing is, the link between 'harmful' and 'organic' isn't 100%.
I'm all for avoiding nasty stuff like poisonous chemical pesticides. But I lost faith in the organic movement when I learned that organic certification forbids a simple NPK fertiliser. I think that's just fundamentalism.
So when you ask about organic gardening, either it's important to you because you're a fundamentalist (in which case, carry on -- I'm not stopping you -- I doubt this product is compatible with your beliefs), or (hypothetically if you were a commercial grower) your customers respond to the Organic label, or you're like me and you care about not polluting or poisoning, not about labels.
If it's the latter -- evaluate the effect of the stuff, and decide for yourself whether you find it acceptable.
This page is informative:
http://www.global-garden.com.au/burnley/dec02jan03dte.htm
Based on that I would personally be a little wary of the environmental impact if this stuff, in proportion to its usefulness.
7 Feb, 2008
Was that the stuff on QVC last night ? I saw it as well and Im going to see if I can spot it in any of the garden centres , I thought it might be good for the hanging baskets .
7 Feb, 2008
Buzbee, can you please tell us the name of this stuff and a bit more information?
UKslim, what rule of thumb would you use in relation to whether a product is acceptable
7 Feb, 2008
Are you talking about the gels that are added to soil when planting? This gel comes in a powder form and grows when watered - a great deal!. this is good for holding water in the soil for baskets and pots. The gel is Silica (SI) and as far as I'm aware it is pretty harmless in relation to the environment and as for being organic, well in the form it is as the gel then it is artificial (but not harmful). You can use it with plants being fruit or veg and it is not harmful to humans. I think many hydroponic growers use it instead of soil? Not too sure on that, but I sometimes use it to propagate cuttings. I'm sure you will find more information online
Hope this helps
6 Feb, 2008