3LBS Medium Water absorbing crystal,polymer, soil moist, Insect Water

Some of the much earlier reviews complained about the packaging, but that seems to have been resolved. Mine came in a very heavy-weight plastic bag with a fused top that you cut off. Below that is a Ziploc-style resealable strip to keep the bag closed as you use up the contents. This bag could stand up to lots of abuse in shipping without rupturing. Note: Amazon may be combining reviews from multiple offerers. Mine came from Root.Naturally.The crystals were as expected and appropriately uniform.My experience with hydrating/inflating the crystals:1 teaspoon of crystals absorbs about 1 quart (192 tsp) of water in 1-2 hours, reaching near maximum volume. It seems to absorb about another 1/3 quart of water over the next 3-5 hours. However, it is hard to tell how much of that water has been absorbed and how much is simply clinging to the outsides of the inflated crystals or sitting in the gaps between them -- the fully inflated crystal release water under slight pressure.Note: I mix in batches of 3-6 teaspoons (1-2 tablespoons) of crystals -- I am reporting relative to _tea_spoons to simplify people scaling up the measurements.Note: For plants in pots, the *recommended* mix is about 1 gallon (4 quarts) of potting soil for 1.5 teaspoons (0.5 tablespoons) of crystals -- mixed *after* the crystals have been hydrated/expanded. However, my calculation is double this: 1.5 tsp expands to 2 quarts, and at 4:1, this would be two gallons of potting soil. I suspect that the difference may result from assumptions about how hydrated the crystals are.BTW: A 1 cubic foot (common size of bag of potting soil) is 30 quarts (7.5 gallons).Hydrating seems slightly slower in a deep container, such as a bucket, than an equivalent quantity in a shallow, wide container, such as a cat litter pan (I have ones that have cycled out of that use because the bottom eventually gets too scratched).-- Douglas B. Moran

This product is a miracle. It is definitely comparable to the MiracleGro water crystals. I bought two of the 3lb bags because it was a better value ($ per #), the seller shipped the two bags together, but still charged double shipping via USPS, but still a better value than ordering than 5# and alot cheaper than MiracleGro. However, I will check into another a brand I ordered previously that was better packaging (this product comes double-bagged in ziplocks), I don't know why I didn't think to check the previous brand ordered for larger packaging and it was free shipping compared to $7.95 S&H for this product. I still give them 5-Stars because the product is a great product and a great value, it really works. I have been using water crystals from MiracleGro (8oz @ $7.95) for years and the results have been wonderful, especially for outdoors, if you live in an area where you get alot of rain and then drought, this product is great or if you have very hard soil where you get alot of run-off when you water your plants, I also use it in my lawn, under my grass I transplanted to keep it from wilting or drying out between waterings. The product will stay in your soil for up to 5 or 7 years. I also used it in my veggie garden with tremendous results, no wilted veggies in the afternoon.The product aerates your soil when it expands and contracts keeping oxygen flowing through soil, it holds "extra" water that would normally soak on through or run-off as waste, it sticks to the plant roots so roots can absorb moisture from the crystal when soil becomes dry, and it keeps you from overwatering (holds excess water away from roots until they are dry again. For the price/value I use it for lawn, houseplants, veggie garden, flower beds, fruit/citrus trees, etc.

I'm still kind of undecided about this product. I have used soil moist products for years in my many planters and pots that are full of annuals every year. This product was much cheaper so I decided to give it a try. As another reviewer noted these are not the larger crystals that I am used to when using in potted plants but almost sand like and there was no instructions included with the bag so I really had no clue how much to use. I did some research and came up with the amount of 4 Tablespoons per 5 gallons of soil. I may have miscalculated. I found that after adding the "crystals" to some very large containers (25 gallons - a lot of Tablespoons!) and then having a couple of days of rain turned my soil into a gooey mess. It was sticky and slimy but because I didn't want to waste my soil and dump it out and start over, I mixed the soil some more and planted in it. I'm not sure these crystals will be as effective as the larger crystals are because they seem to be leaving voids in the soil as the water evaporates -- and when the soil is wet it's still kind of a slimy mess. Like I said. I may have used too much of the product, but it was a guessing game. I am very wary now and afraid the strange soil texture will harm my plants more than helping them. If the soil stays that slimy and sticky I'm a little afraid of root rot. I think it would be really helpful if some kind of instructions were included with the product. I will reserve my final judgement for a few weeks after I see how the plants grow, but I have already tried another product cheaper than other soil moisture products with larger crystals. I think that's the one I will use next year as long as it's still available. This stuff is just too fine. Unfortunately once you put it in your soil, you can't take it out.