Watering system helps plants make a speedy recovery

by Nancy Szerlag / Special to The Detroit News

Some of the plants I bring indoors for the winter look a little the worse for wear about now, so I'm always on the lookout for ways to perk them up.

When plants are dug from the garden, they can lose 50 percent or more of their root mass. And these roots contain tiny root hairs plants need to take up water and nutrients.

Also, containers restrict the flow of oxygen through the soil, which is why many newly potted plants make a slow recovery, or just up and die. Lack of oxygen in the soil is also the reason many plants fail to reach the size and quality of those grown in open soil. Also, as the root systems of potted plants increase, the air spaces in the potting soil are depleted.

No amount of fertilizing can make up for this loss of oxygen, and feeding a plant at this time of the year can do more harm than good.

But the good news is there's new technology that's eco-friendly and chemical-free, which super-oxygenates ordinary tap water that helps stimulate the roots of plants so they can not only make a good recovery, but also thrive.

The Enki Watering System is an attractive one-gallon lightweight watering can fitted with a metal plate that when electrified produces millions of tiny oxygen bubbles that super-saturates water.

Plain tap water averages between 30 to 40 percent oxygen saturation, but the Enki helps the water reach 150 percent oxygen saturation.

Making super-oxygenated water with the Enki is a snap. There's nothing to add, no measuring and no mixing. Simply fill the watering can with tap water and plug it in. Almost instantly the water begins fizzing. The whole process takes but five minutes and a built-in light turns from red to green when it's ready. But you needn't babysit the unit. Left to its own devices, the Enki will continue to oxygenate for 30 minutes and automatically shut itself off. The water remains super-oxygenated for about three hours, so if you don't use it right away it won't "spoil."

When Enki water was tested at the University of Minnesota, petunias created 28 percent more flowers, geraniums had 76 percent more flower weight, pepper plants had a 58 percent better yield and tomato plants yielded 22 percent more tomatoes.

According to Albert Markhart, plant physiologist at the university's Department of Agriculture, testing with Enki's super-oxygenated water showed improvements in a variety of container grown plants where soil oxygen is limited.

The Enki Watering System, priced at $99.99, is available at English Gardens in Metro Detroit. It may also be purchased online from Rittenhouse at www.rittenhouse.ca, (877) 488-1914.

Nancy Szerlag is a master gardener and Metro Detroit free-lance writer. Her column appears Saturdays in Homestyle. E-mail her at Szerlag@earthlink.net. You can also read her previous columns at detnews.com/homestyle/. For more gardening tips check out her blog at www.gardeneryardener.blog spot.com.