This coffee one is fascinating, you should cut open a few beads to see if that color is on the inside though I doubt it. By putting the ferts in silica gel, you would be able to create an environment high in whatever you add while retaining oxygen and hopefully not too wet. What happens is that the mulch breaks down and becomes a good germination medium for weeds, which send their roots down through the tiny fabric openings. Here’s what the Harrisburg-written book “ Basic Composting” (Stackpole Books, 2003) has to say about packaged activators: “Most experts agree that there is no need to use them at all because nature will provide the correct amount and types of microorganisms needed for decomposition. Chalker-Scott also has concerns about the safety of hydrogels, saying they break down into neurotoxic and cancer-causing acrylamides.

While not necessarily effective in a pot because of the expansion issue already mentioned, they may provide an effective variation of that trick of sitting your plants in water while you're away on vacation.It works all season, and by using the water more efficiently the gel saves you time by reducing the frequency with which you have to water your plant. When branches are cut with anvil pruners, the tip is crushed as it’s being cut, leaving behind a ragged opening that’s more prone to infection, moisture loss and browning.

Something we noticed with our science fair project was that certain substances don't absorb into the beads as well.As people mentioned, it would expand but even the directions I am seeing on the packages indicate a tea or tablespoon per pot. They’re marketed as ideal for helping to get pots through a dry spell, such as when you go away and miss a day or two or three of watering.