'Solid Water' Invented for Planting Trees in Deserts, what do you get when you add water and plastic? Solid bricks of water, its like water balloons only different... Chinese scientists have developed this kind of "solid water" that can be used for planting trees in deserts. Ninety-seven percent of the "solid water" is actual water, while the rest 3 percent is a kind of macromolecular polymer extracted from animals and plants.