825 PB 278 THE RESPONSE OF BEDDING PLANTS TO THE INCORPORATION OF HYDROGEL INTO LANDSCAPE BEDS
in HortScienceHydrogel (Hydrosource™, Western Polyacrylamide, Inc.) was incorporated into 102 cm × 122 cm landscape beds at 25, 50, 75, or 100 lbs per 1000 sq ft. Weed barrier and 2 cm of pine bark mulch were added to the top of each bed. Controls consisted of 1) no hydrogel with weed barrier and mulch and 2) no hydrogel with mulch but no weed barrier. Each treatment was replicated four times with ten plants of petunia, marigold, and vinca planted per bed, for a total of forty plants of each species per treatment. Flower number of vinca and petunia increased with hydrogel incorporation, 75 lbs of hydrogel having the greatest number of flowers. Petunia also had higher visual ratings with increased hydrogel rates. Soil temperatures directly under the mulch and 10 cm below the mulch, at 1400 hr, were 49C and 40C respectively for controls, compared to 42C and 36C for beds with hydrogel.
