I made an impulsive decision and I'm thinking I may regret it. I've read that silica gel added to container mix will help retain moisture. Not sure what the science is but I gather the plant roots will pull the moisture out of the gel when they need it. I also read that FreshStep cat crystals are silica gel. So (here comes the impulsive part) I was at Walmart today and I bought a bag of the FreshStep crystals. I was anxious to see how they would work so I opened the bag and put some in a cup with water. Now I'm sitting here looking at a cup of crystals and water and I've got questions.

1. They are still solid (about an hour since I put water in them). Somehow I thought they would swell up with water and get smushy like the gel in baby diapers. Is this normal? Are they supposed to be solid or smushy? Did I buy the wrong stuff?

2. They are blue and now the water is BLUE. Will this dye damage plants?

3. They are also very, very scented. Other than my containers smelling "fresh" every time I water, should I be concerned that the fragrance used will harm my plants?

Unless anyone has experience or advice I'm thinking I won't use them in the containers. If someone can tell me everything is fine then I'll mix some in.

I'm angry with myself for spending the money on this product without knowing for sure it was going to be good for my plants.

Please, somebody give me some guidance.