A new type of potting soil captures moisture from the air and moistens the soil with it

This device can be a very good complement to traditional watering. It allows you to save, according to the researchers who developed it, up to 40% of water.

A new type of soil, capable of watering itself, is likely to please gardening enthusiasts who do not have green fingers. It is composed of small grains that are mixed with the soil. Grains with ultra-absorbent elements, which will capture the humidity of the air and moisten the soil with it. There is a lot of humidity in the air, even in the middle of the desert. We realize it in the early morning when it condenses in the form of dew. These small grains will collect it during the night, to return it to the plants, during the day.

It is a discovery of engineers from the University of Texas at Austin in the United States. Many people would have liked to have it this summer during my vacation. When they returned, most of their plants were completely dead. There was no one to water them.

To properly irrigate a plant, however, you will still need a little watering, but this device can prove to be a very good complement. For example, these engineers have carried out tests with radish shoots in sandy soil, which is the driest possible soil. When they mixed it with these absorbent grains, the radishes were able to continue to grow for two weeks, without a single drop of water, whereas without the grains, they were dead (completely dry) after two days.

This does not mean that we will soon be able to plant plants in the desert.but this soil should allow less watering. According to their calculations, with this technique, up to 40% of water can be saved. Farmers could, for example, reduce their consumption and even consider growing crops in the most arid or difficult-to-irrigate areas. The team also managed to incorporate nutrients into these absorbent grains. They arranged for them to be distributed automatically, on demand, to boost plant growth, with impressive results. The details were published in the journal ACS Materials Letters.

So, no need to have green fingers. It is the soil, with these famous grains, that will do all the work: watering and caring for the plants. You will be able to go on vacation with peace of mind.