Garden Basic Water Storage Crystals reduce water wastage and help increase the time between watering of plants. The water storage crystals can be simply mixed into potting mixes and garden soil to improve the water-holding capacity and prevent the soil from drying out. This means more water available for the plants to take up through their roots when they need it. The crystals absorb water and swell to hundreds of times their normal size, to form water-holding gel particles, storing water for when your plants need it.