Are water-retaining polymer crystals safe for edibles?

Cecilia_MD7a · March 15, 2006

Can somebody give me a definitive answer to this question? I'm talking about the stuff sold under the name Soil Moist, but there are other brands. They're the same substance that is used in disposable diapers.

I add the crystals regularly to containers of ornamental plants, but have avoided using them for edibles. I'm thinking about planting a few extra tomatoes in large buckets this year, however, and was wondering whether I could use the crystals there, since containers seem to require constant watering. The label and website say that the stuff is non-toxic, but there's no mention of vegetable gardening.

Suze · March 15, 2006

The jar of Soil Moist I have says:

"contains nonplant food ingredients

99.7% Crosslinked Polyacrylamide and 0.3% inert ingredients)"

Here's a MSDS on that substance:
http://www.hydrosource.com/web_clp/990310/Msds0399.htm

(I'll let you reach your own conclusions)

MsCowpea · March 15, 2006

Their website says it is for vegetables.

http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html

But why not just call the company and see what they say if you have any doublts.

1-800-962-4010

valereee · March 24, 2006

One caveat: the crystals can keep so much moisture in the soil that tomatoes won't like it. I think that's what happened to me last year. I built a raised bed for my maters, and since it was a goodly distance from the house, I knew I'd get lazy about watering. So I added some of the moisture crystals when I built the soil in the container. I ended up with all three plants that were in that bed becoming fungused. They still produced, and I didn't have to water as often as I would have, but I suspect the crystals had a part in the fungus.

Val

March 15, 2006	#1
Cecilia_MD7a MAGTAG™ Coordinator Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Baltimore, MD Posts: 400	Are water-retaining polymer crystals safe for edibles? Can somebody give me a definitive answer to this question? I'm talking about the stuff sold under the name Soil Moist, but there are other brands. They're the same substance that is used in disposable diapers. I add the crystals regularly to containers of ornamental plants, but have avoided using them for edibles. I'm thinking about planting a few extra tomatoes in large buckets this year, however, and was wondering whether I could use the crystals there, since containers seem to require constant watering. The label and website say that the stuff is non-toxic, but there's no mention of vegetable gardening.

March 15, 2006	#2
Suze Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Texas Posts: 3,027	The jar of Soil Moist I have says: "contains nonplant food ingredients99.7% Crosslinked Polyacrylamide and 0.3% inert ingredients)" Here's a MSDS on that substance: http://www.hydrosource.com/web_clp/990310/Msds0399.htm (I'll let you reach your own conclusions)

March 15, 2006	#3
MsCowpea Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: S. FLorida / Zone 10 Posts: 369	Their website says it is for vegetables. http://www.soilmoist.com/soilhome.html But why not just call the company and see what they say if you have any doublts. 1-800-962-4010 __________________ "When we kill off the natural enemies of a pest we inherit their work." Carl Huffaker

March 24, 2006	#4
valereee Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: 6a SW Ohio Posts: 135	One caveat: the crystals can keep so much moisture in the soil that tomatoes won't like it. I think that's what happened to me last year. I built a raised bed for my maters, and since it was a goodly distance from the house, I knew I'd get lazy about watering. So I added some of the moisture crystals when I built the soil in the container. I ended up with all three plants that were in that bed becoming fungused. They still produced, and I didn't have to water as often as I would have, but I suspect the crystals had a part in the fungus. Val