Smart Cushion® FAQ’s

Where can we use Smart Cushion®
The Smart Cushion® is used in both Interior and Exterior Landscaping. In exterior locations with drainage the Smart Cushion® will recharge using rainwater. This provides a self-cycling system, which extends, dramatically, the periods between watering in drought periods during the summer months. This is particularly beneficial in hanging baskets, which without the use of Smart Cushion® can only capture enough water to sustain flowering plants for a day at most in the height of summer.

Smart Cushion® was initially designed for Interior Landscaping applications. With a Smart Cushion® in the base of a planter/trough/table bowl, maintenance visits can be reduced from once every two weeks to a period of as much as two-three months or longer freeing up technicians to focus on plant care and allowing them to care for a larger number of plants. The use of Smart Cushion® can lead to a major change in the way interior landscaping businesses are managed.

There are potential applications in garden centres and for commercial growers. In garden centres Smart Cushion® can be used in maintaining the quality and health of display product, while freeing up staff from watering. In commercial growing, variants of the Smart Cushion® may be used in maintaining the quality of growing stock in transit from nursery to retail outlet.

How can Smart Cushion® Improve plant care?
Smart Cushion® improves plant care by removing many of the variables involved in plant-care. The single, largest problem is watering. Different plants consume different quantities of water. Water consumption varies also with changes in temperature, atmospheric humidity and air flow and makes it very difficult – perhaps even impossible – to estimate probable water usage of a given plant under variable conditions. Smart Cushion® eliminates the problem of over- and under-watering. All that is needed is to recharge the reservoir periodically and Smart Cushion® takes care of the rest.

The material in the Smart Cushion® is in the form of small particles, which even when fully charged with water, remain separate. This ensures that within the Smart Cushion® there are micro-channels, which permit free passage of air and enable access to dissolved oxygen in the water. This means that there is always a supply of oxygen available to the roots, and that anaerobic bacterial infection – a principal cause of root death – is highly unlikely. The net result is that both plant and soil are maintained in a perfectly healthy condition. Hand watering frequently leads to over-watering. Smart Cushion® removes the uncertainty and as the plants themselves determine the quantity of water released. In trials we have seen water savings in excess of 30%.

Do you have to wait until all the water is absorbed before going on to the next plant?
No - there is no difference whatsoever in the way you water plants. When water is added, it will travel to the base of the container and will be absorbed instantly by Smart Cushion®. The time spent watering on site will be the same. The interval between watering, however, will be dramatically increased.
In trials we have observed trebling or even quadrupling of watering intervals

When you water the system does the plant go up and down?
Compared to the swelling and the contraction of the compost the plant will not move up and down markedly and should settle quickly. The reason for this is that, although water has been released, the structure of the Smart Cushion® within the cushion remains unaltered and little or no “settling” takes place. Once the material has been swollen once, it retains its structure permanently. We recommend users to pot up onto a fully swollen Smart Cushion® reservoir.

What types of plants can be used with the system?
The Smart Cushion® is applicable across all species of plants from trees to flowering pot plants. The Smart Cushion® was designed to simplify watering and to remove the guesswork from landscaping, growers and horticulture in general.

How long does the Smart Cushion® last?
The Smart Cushion® can last up to three or more years until the plant is removed from the planter. The roots will penetrate the Smart Cushion® as they locate the water source over a period of a couple of months. This is not a problem! We recommend that you use a new Smart Cushion® each time you pot up.

Can the system be re-used if a contract is cancelled or the plant is changed?
If the contract is changed within the first 2 months of potting, the Smart Cushion® can be re-used simply by removing the plant and re-potting as normal. After two months the roots will penetrate the Smart Cushion® rendering it less suitable for re-use, as it will contain remnants of root material from the previous plant.

What types of planters can use the Smart Cushion® system?
Currently available in four sizes Small - 15cm², Medium - 30cm², Large - 40cm² and Large Rectangular 15cm x 1m for trough planters.

These sizes are suitable for the most containers but the products flexibility means it can be made to fit any type of planter.

Other sizes can be made to your specific requirements.
Please contact us for our bespoke service.

Will feed damage the Smart Cushion®?
Water-soluble plant feed will be absorbed by the Smart Cushion® and released over the prolonged period of watering. Sustained release granular fertilisers have also been used successfully.

How do you know when and how much to water the plant?
The system should be re-filled when the soil feels dry more than one inch (2-3 centimetres) below the surface. When the Smart Cushion® is initially charged with water, there is a large reservoir of “solidified” water, which is slowly released over a period of weeks or months. In the normal position at the base of the trough or planter, water is released directly to the roots and is used immediately. This means that, while compost/soil at the top of the planter may be quite dry, the humidity around the roots is high and ideal for the plants.

If the soil is dry under the surface then the correct amount of water recommended for a given size should be added to recharge the Smart Cushion®. The addition of 5-10 litres of water to charge the Smart Cushion® is a very noticeable addition to the pot weight. With minimal experience operators, once familiar with the system, are able easily tell when it is time to water.
Water meters/Humidity probes can be used to provide a more sophisticated level of plant-care information and provide information on when a plant needs to be watered.

How much liquid water is in the bag?
When used in conjunction with our instructions, there should be no excess liquid water in the Smart Cushion®. The only water present should be that needed to sustain the plants needs. The Smart Cushion® enhances the porosity of the growing medium without reducing the water availability.

What is in the Smart Cushion®?
The Smart Cushion® is filled with a specially designed material, which was originally designed for use in the pharmaceutical industry as a medium for drug delivery. This bespoke class of materials has been developed by Smart Tech® to deliver water to plants in horticulture. The material is subject to extensive international patents and is unique to Smart Tech®.

How can I place an order?
The Smart Cushion® is available directly from Smart Tech® Ltd.