Gel Can Turn Thumb to a Nurturing Green
If you like to travel, or you simply don’t have a green thumb for plants, DriWater may be the solution to your problems. It’s a gel containing 98% water, which time-releases into a plant’s soil. A 7-ounce cup will water a small to medium houseplant for a month.
The Jell-O look-alike is odorless, nontoxic and biodegradable. Just peel off the foil and place the plastic cup upside-down in the soil. Natural microorganisms in the soil eat the vegetable gum in the gel, releasing the water slowly to the roots of the plant. For large houseplants, you might need a second DriWater container.
Manufacturers recommend using a nitrogen-bearing fertilizer on your plants before using the DriWater container, as the gel does not work well on sterile soils.
Independent testing of DriWater was done by soil specialists at UC Davis. The gel’s manufacturers also have tested their product in quart containers to be used to supply adequate water for tree seedlings over a four-month period. “We tested it on Douglas fir and ponderosa pine seedlings and it was very successful,” said Robert Brent, president of DriWater Inc. in Sebastopol, Calif. “A cup of water a month doesn’t seem like enough, but it is.”
By summer, the company will have the gel available in quart sizes for tree seedlings and outdoor plants. DriWater (suggested retail for one cup, $1.49; a three-pack, $3.99) is sold nationwide in selected lawn and garden centers and hardware stores. In California, you can find it at Home Depot and Armstrong Garden Centers. If you can’t find DriWater in your area, call (800) 255-8458.
A BacPac Cushion Has Hot-Cold Gel
The manufacturers of Comfy Back lumbar cushions in Venice have just introduced a BacPac cushion, which has a gel pack that can be used hot or cold to help relieve muscle pain or tension in your neck or back.
Developed in hospital physical therapy departments, BacPac is a half-round Comfy Back cushion with a gel pack that can be frozen for cold therapy or microwaved (60-70 seconds) to heat. The gel pack is held in place by a fabric flap that fastens on the sides and top with Velcro. The cushion is filled with fire-retardant Ultracel foam and covered with Olefin fabric. The zippered cover can be removed for washing.
BacPac (suggested retail, $34.95) is available in selected drug chains and independent drugstores. In Southern California, you can find it at Horton & Converse, Med Choice and Titus Medical stores or Rexall Square on La Cienega Boulevard. If you can’t find a distributor in your area, contact Evans Inc., 1611 Lincoln Blvd., P.O. Box 988, Venice, Calif. 90294; (213) 821-6400 in Los Angeles or (800) 272-6639 outside the 213 area code.
Look Three Ways Before Dressing
If you’re used to three-way mirrors in your home, you might want to try the new Stylvue Portable 3-Way Mirror, a set of 9x12-inch unbreakable acrylic mirror panels for traveling.
Designed to combine with any stationary mirror to provide three-way viewing, the mirrors are hinged to adjust to any angle and can be attached to a surface with small vinyl suction cups. The mirror set is lightweight, includes a travel case and packs easily in a suitcase.
Stylvue Portable 3-Way Mirror ($39 per pair, plus $3 shipping and handling) is available from Creative Concepts, 21787 Ventura Blvd., Suite 143, Woodland Hills, Calif. 91364.
