Questions about hydrophobic soil & wetting agents, Yucca, Aloe Vera, dish soap etc.

[OM2]

Hey guys, i need some help regarding hydrophobic soil and wetting agents. I'm using Biobizz soil which contains peat moss, i'm trying to water as slowly as possible and not letting it too dry, but it still becomes hydrophobic sometimes at certain spots. I was reading some information online but it's a bit vague, so i wanted to gather as much information in one place. Please share your thoughts and knowledge!

1. What kind of Yucca extract should i be looking for? It's hard to find it in EU, i mostly get results for cosmetic products and i'm not sure which one to get. None of the botanical shops in my area have Yucca.

2. Can i add Yucca while watering, or does it need to be added to the soil beforehand?

3. How much of Yucca should be used, and how often?

4. Does it harm the microbes in the soil? Does it raise or lower pH? Are there any side-effects on the plant i should be aware of, for example does it lock out some nutrients or something along those lines?

5. Same questions for Aloe Vera: what kind, how much, how often etc.

6. Dish soap: i see many people mentioned 'Dawn' dish soap but i can't find that brand here. What is so special about Dawn dish soap? Can i use any other dish soap? Will it not harm the microlife?

 

[Lil Dab]

Hey guys, i need some help regarding hydrophobic soil and wetting agents. I'm using Biobizz soil which contains peat moss, i'm trying to water as slowly as possible and not letting it too dry, but it still becomes hydrophobic sometimes at certain spots. I was reading some information online but it's a bit vague, so i wanted to gather as much information in one place. Please share your thoughts and knowledge!

1. What kind of Yucca extract should i be looking for? It's hard to find it in EU, i mostly get results for cosmetic products and i'm not sure which one to get. None of the botanical shops in my area have Yucca.

2. Can i add Yucca while watering, or does it need to be added to the soil beforehand?

3. How much of Yucca should be used, and how often?

4. Does it harm the microbes in the soil? Does it raise or lower pH? Are there any side-effects on the plant i should be aware of, for example does it lock out some nutrients or something along those lines?

5. Same questions for Aloe Vera: what kind, how much, how often etc.

6. Dish soap: i see many people mentioned 'Dawn' dish soap but i can't find that brand here. What is so special about Dawn dish soap? Can i use any other dish soap? Will it not harm the microlife?

1. What kind of Yucca extract should i be looking for? It's hard to find it in EU, i mostly get results for cosmetic products and i'm not sure which one to get. None of the botanical shops in my area have Yucca.
I use NPK industries RAW yucca but not sure if it's available in EU

2. Can i add Yucca while watering, or does it need to be added to the soil beforehand?
I think it may depend on the yucca but the stuff i use i mix with my water/rezs once a week

3. How much of Yucca should be used, and how often?
Once a week and a very small amout goes along ways

4. Does it harm the microbes in the soil? Does it raise or lower pH? Are there any side-effects on the plant i should be aware of, for example does it lock out some nutrients or something along those lines?
As far as i know no it does not harm or affect any of that

5. Same questions for Aloe Vera: what kind, how much, how often etc.


6. Dish soap: i see many people mentioned 'Dawn' dish soap but i can't find that brand here. What is so special about Dawn dish soap? Can i use any other dish soap? Will it not harm the microlife?

 

[JP1]

I use this powdered yucca from Amazon weekly. Works great. Doesn't change pH or ppm at all. Just gotta skim off the foam before watering in

 

[OM2]

Thanks for your replies! I will keep searching, really hard to find.. I only get results for capsules for human consumption, or cosmetic products. And most of them are mixed with other ingredients, none of them are pure Yucca.
Found some from UK but damn Brits left the EU haha

 

[OM2]

Finally found something in case it helps other growers from EU
BAC Fertilizers: https://www.bacfertilizers.com/selling-points
This is a company from Netherlands and they have multiple selling points around EU, they have Yucca in liquid form.

 

[MotaZona]

There’s yucca powder on eBay UK

 

[Hog_M@Gundy]

If you can't find Yucca or Quillaja (another wetting agent), you could look into making JADAM wetting agent.