Hi Guy's. Forgive me intruding in here, but I have come across something which has my wife and I amazed (Wifes disgusted). Hope someone knows about it and can advise? We have a number of shrubs and other plants in large tubs, scattered around our back yard. Light is good and sun plentiful. Everything is doing really well and we are so pleased about that. This morning though I looked out of the back window, admiring everything and thinking how fortunate we are to have such a good display when I noticed, something glistening on the tub nearest to the window. Oh no I thought, not again. My wife likes scattering brightly coloured stones and the like around the edges of the tubs, makes them look prettier she say's. My first thought (sorry love) was that she had been at it again. But no, it was something much scarier than that, sinister even. I went outside to take a closer look and found, not coloured stones, but dozens of odd shaped pieces of transparent jelly. Yes. Jelly. I touched a piece and it sent shivers through me. The yard was gloriously hot, but this stuff was cold, icy cold. Each piece was oddly shaped but seemed to have flat surfaces unevenly scattered on each, remiscent of the flats they cut on jewels or gems (It most certainly isn't jewelry, believe me). I got a piece of cling film and a stick and collected every piece. Phew, there were lots and binned them. On looking at the remaining tubs I found that three more of them had the same scattering of these odd shaped jelly pieces. I did the same with every piece, binning them afterwards. Doesa anyone have any experience of this. Can anyone tell us what this horrible stuff could be. It appeared so mysteriously. Does any member have an answer? I hope someone can help us out and solve this horrid mystery for us. Many thanks. Cypher000 :ntwrth:
Seems like water retaining granuels(gell) to me,you know the kind you put in pots to retain moisture................................:skp:
I'll go along with that. I have some pots and I made sure the jel was all way down at the bottom but it still works its way up to the top in big chunks. specially if the planting medium dries out thoroughly between waterings.
My First thought too :thumb: Its added to your compost along with Plant Food, Small round yellow balls that look like insect eggs..:D
Well I never! You know, I had thoughts this morning when I was struggling to get my head around this phenomenon, that maybe the three bags of Container Compost I bought and used could have been contaminated by something. Well they were not contaminated it seems, but they must have been 'sown' with the tiny little eggs that I now remember seeing just under the top layer as I was scraping up the horrible gunge. I do remember thinking that they must have been eggs laid by some insect or other. These must have been the water retaining ingredient that you have described. You are all amazing. You really are. So thanks to you and your deep knowledge of all things gardening I now have the answer to the mystery. Our tubs and shrubs have not been visited by aliens after all. No UFO's to brag about to my neighbours. Somehow I think we are, in some small way, going to miss not having our mystery, but it is very reasuring to know that all is well after all. Why this stuff makes it's way to the top baffles me, as whilst it is on the top it cannot be doing any good. But that is for another time. Many, Many thanks to all who looked in on my query and who have, by their kindness and comments, saved me from having nightmares of mysterious Jelly Hordes invading our home and garden. Thanks again and my regards to all. Cypher000 :yho:
Your welcome Cypher, When i first started gardening I would trail bindweed around my Fence! I thought the flowers were Beautifull untill my Neighbour told me what it really was... Plants and looking after them can be a real Mystery...
I wondered that - and this is the conclusion I came to When it absorbs water it swells, then when it loses its water it shrinks and the earth settles back round it, as it is lighter than the earth (or whatever growing medium) it ends up higher in the pot every time it swells and shrinks. It is the only explanation I can think of.
I think you have hit on it Hec. That theory definitely makes sense to me, it would explain why this medium makes it way upwards. Thanks for coming in with that snippet of info. Regards. Cypher :gnthb:
