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Post by lloyd on Aug 27, 2007 20:08:32 GMT -5
Very nice plants. What's your soil mix and cultivation techniques?
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Post by briar on Aug 27, 2007 20:31:24 GMT -5
Thanks lloyd, I've been growing cephs for 6 or 7 years now I guess..
errr ahhh remember you asked for it LOL....
I like deep pots filled with:
30% Milled Sphagnum (No Damp-Off) 25% Coir fiber 25% Perlite 10% Sand 5% Charcoal 5% Choped Live Sphagnum and some granular tricoderma thrown in (Ampac Biotech)
temps are 70 summer mid 50's winter, 40-60% RH, water via tray method but also a monthly drench of a couple strains of tricoderma, some bacillus subtilis bacteria and some other beneficial organisms
I make a cocktail of Ampac Biotech's Tric strain, Rootshield's strain and "Sub-Culture" tric/bacteria mix
watering is done with a pressurized sprayer to increase oxygen saturation (increased vapor pressure) IMHO resulting in an improve gas exchange, duplicating natural rainfall
when young I foliar feed via cotton swab with a weak orchid mix, once they have a little size i simply squirt some in the pitchers once a month
I do the trich drench on the 1st of every month and the feedings on the 15th (approx)
photoperiod is 18/6 in summer and 12/12 in the winter
lighting is 4 T12's, 2 of which are GE Chroma 50's and 2 are sylvania tri-phospor F40/GRO/AQ/RP (note: not the wide spectrum F40/GRO/AQ/RP/WS) the sylvania uses a unique rare earth red phosphor not found in any other bulb
distance to bulbs is about 6-8"
half the bulbs are rotated out bi-annually
That is pretty much all of it, I know some of this may seem like voodoo but it works extremely well for me
Butch
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Post by lloyd on Aug 27, 2007 20:57:22 GMT -5
Very impressive technique. I find the coir fiber available here is very salty even the stuff advertised as "washed". Do you have any special technique for washing the coco-fibre?
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Post by briar on Aug 27, 2007 21:04:17 GMT -5
to be honest I didnt even rinse it off... just went down to the local hydro shop and bought the compressed brick form...
still on the first brick... sorry but I dont remember the brand, but I think it is the most common one FWIW
tree fern fibre might be a possible alternative, but i havent tried it
hmmm I do use cypress bark for my Helis... that may be a good component as well for cephs, it contains an organic fungicide/anti-bacterial oil called cypressene
My Heli mix 7 parts cypress bark 3 parts Chilean LFS 1 part schultz brand orchid mix
Butch
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Post by Sawchuk on Aug 27, 2007 21:26:30 GMT -5
Wow you really are a mad scientist with those chemicals, i guess thats what several years will do to ya, also your lightings pretty wild would you elaberate more on your cocktail mixture?? im kinda mind bogeled also your baby ceph treatment im truly amazed by what you grew in 3 1/2 months youve truly mastered your techniques SA
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Post by briar on Aug 27, 2007 21:35:30 GMT -5
sawchuk, sure... but its late, tomorrow ok mate Cheers' Butch
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Post by vraev on Aug 27, 2007 21:40:01 GMT -5
Hey Briar, I know you from terraforums. You are Av8tor1 right?? Wow..dude....perfect plants there. Can u please tell me... How long does a adult pitcher on your plant last?? wow...that seems pretty hardcore. wow...pretty cool.
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Post by briar on Aug 28, 2007 5:38:10 GMT -5
Vraev, yep its Av, as far as pitcher life... well to be honest they live a long time... its rare to see one die, normally they get buried by new pitchers.. I know I have some that are probably at least a year old. If your pitchers are dying, I would consider that an indication that something is definitely stressing the plant Sawchuk, Im not a biologist so forgive me if my explanation lacks somewhat... (Assistant Professor of Industrial Sciences and Fluid Dynamics) in nature trichoderma fungi are the most common culturable soil borne fungus. It forms a symbiotic relationship with the plant and plant root. Trichodedrma is antagonistic against nearly all harmful fungi while stimulating root growth and health. Depending on location there are many ssp of trichoderma, some prefer cooler temps, some hotter... some will provide better protection against one pathogen or another etc etc etc The problem occurs when we grow plants from tissue culture then put them in a sterile soil media or worse keep dumping anti-fungal agents on them.. Basically what you have done is opened a sterile petri dish of agar, inviting the first pathogen that happens to come along, usually sudden death syndrome Cephs seem to need this relationship to grow well and grow fast I encourage you to read this article www.nysaes.cornell.edu/ent/biocontrol/pathogens/trichoderma.html(and here is just one of many refs related to production of beneficial plant antibiotics by B. subtilis) www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?artid=1388978even the major golf courses commonly spread cornmeal to encourage trichoderma growth.. now the cocktail I use is simply a combination of various trichoderma ssp. and other beneficial bio-controls that I have found to work really well through much trial and error here are some links: ampacbiotech.net/ (really love there granular product, call and ask for Kelly... it is her own formula and its not listed on the webpage. I also use their flowable trich in my drench) I know they wont ship to Canada, you will have to find someone across the border to assist ya generalhydroponics.com/ (Sub-Culture) now the lighting is another matter, light is simply electromagnetic radiation, plants only use certain wavelengths... some of which are not so visible to the human eye. (Some undesirable wavelengths can even slow down or completely halt plant growth) Lumens is a measurement of how intense light is to humans so dont get hung up on lumens. you can have a million watts/lumens of light, but if it is the wrong wavelengths then you have nothing.. I have chosen the bulbs I use based upon their spectral curves, in fact the lumens of the sylvania is only about 900, so it appears extrememly dim (to us as we are most sensitve to the greens and yellows, but not to the plant which craves reds and blues) good introduction on light: www.emc.maricopa.edu/faculty/farabee/BIOBK/BioBookPS.html(one caveat, this is still only part of the picture as other wavelengths serve other functions besides photosynthesis) hmmm does that answer your questions? I am no expert and many have success with other methods, I can only speak of what has worked for me from a lot of trial and error, research and some assumptions. But now I find cephs to be fast growing and easy to maintain. I consider the soil mixture and trichoderma as being the big secret with the lighting a close third on and BTW, the biocontrols are perishable and have a limited shelf life of 6 months to 2 yrs depending on product, be sure they are kept refrigerated and fresh... I wont order any during the dog days of summer... Cheers' Butch
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Post by vraev on Aug 28, 2007 15:51:30 GMT -5
Hey dude, you gotta help me find something. THe pitchers on mine lasted only 3 months. I don't know why..but, well...I will be happy as long as the plant is fine and growing...but obviously, I would love a ceph with tons of pitchers.
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Post by Sawchuk on Aug 29, 2007 20:25:12 GMT -5
wow theres allot to learn there, so trich is like a natural fertilizer so to say, iv been reading and reading all this info you've provided trying to make sense of it but most of its to much for me to make sense of (collage stuff) lmao ... but i do understand what YOUR sayin
ya iv spend most of my time in this hobby trying to learn about light, my dad gave me a book he used when he was growing which iv began reading and is providing tons of valuable info its called The Facts Of Light about indoor gardening lol its older then me!! it has lots of info on greenhouses and iv found out that my setup is actually a extended window greenhouse
so i suppose that you have many other plants if your making biological cocktails for your killers,which eventually expire, Wondering what else do ya grow bud?? i suppose that this mix could be used mostly any plant with a deep root system??
anyways as you prob tell from my spelling, punctuation and whatnot that I'm not the most educated here but your obviously no joke with the cultivation, the way SIMPLY just rolls of your tounge when talking about light and mixes lol but i hope you stick around are reveal more secrets and valuable info, much appreciated
SA Sawchuk
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Post by briar on Aug 29, 2007 21:05:34 GMT -5
Sawchuk, you give me too much credit mate... it sounds like you are simply in the learning curve... it's one that never really ends. One thing that you need to understand upfront is what works for one may not work for another. Lets take soil mixes for example, if a person tends to over water then the best soil mixture for that person is one that drains freely, but if the person tends to underwater then the right soil mix would include more sphagnum probably... either one works best dependent on the person's watering habits. this also plays into humidity levels, feeding, light etc etc, realize that all these variables are interrelated if you are limited on light then you cannot feed as much as someone with higher light levels, the plant simply wont take it... like sitting on the couch all day stuffing your face or going to the gym and taking in massive amounts of carbs.. a freely draining mix (I prefer these) are more forgiving and provide a better gas exchange rate, but they can demand daily attention.. its give and take, you have to do your homework then realize what would work best based upon your individual needs and goals. the tric is a living organism, while it does promote plant and root growth is does so because it is in the trics self interest and survival.. "you scratch my back and Ill scratch yours" Light is a major key element obviously, plants are basically an energy conversion machine, using light, water, CO2 etc to grow in an attempt to reproduce... do your homework and try to determine what the plant needs, what its natural environment is and do your best to duplicate it or even exceed it. Nature is wonderful in its complex symphony and interaction of organisms... fungus is a good thing, bacteria is a good thing... as long as they are the right ones, killing off all the good bacteria and fungi simply opens the door for the deadly phytopathogens to get a foot hold. I would bet money that if research was done on the indigenous soil of cephs you would find an unique trichoderma ssp., IMHO, this is the missing key, my goodness if they were so fragile that they would die every time it rained how would the species have ever survived. So it seemed to me that something was missing, hence the use of trichoderma and B. Subtilis instead of fungicides and antibiotics... how can you improve on thousands of years of natural genetic selection and engineering but many will say its voodoo, and thats ok too... it works for me, and it works extrememly well I haven't held back any of my "secrets", what I posted is my entire system... Im a teacher by profession, sometimes I have a problem turning it off LOL I use my cocktail on all my plants, including my CP's, my roses, my cacti, my jasmine collection etc... oops while we are on the subject, there is a B. subtilis product sold at walmart here in the states called hmmmm serenade. IMHO avoid this product, the carrier they use reportedly will kill cephs... I tried it once and didn't like what i saw, and I know another grower who lost his cephs from it Ive grown Cp's for over 30yrs, in 30yrs from now you will sound the same way LOL there are a lot of good growers here, listen to them, compare methods, do your reading, then think for yourself and jump in with both feet and give it a try... I've killed my share of cephs, its part of the learning process mate hows that for a pep talk ey Cheers' Butch
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Post by lloyd on Aug 29, 2007 22:41:40 GMT -5
I've got some tricho, I'll have to start using it.
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Post by Flytrap on Aug 30, 2007 11:47:00 GMT -5
This is fabulous info Briar. Many thanks for sharing sound advice... especially your comment: "... you need to understand upfront is what works for one may not work for another." That is so true. Look forward to seeing more of Briar on OCPS
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Post by briar on Aug 30, 2007 19:46:44 GMT -5
Flytrap, I am honoured, thank you for the kind words... Lloyd, when you begin to use trichoderma or any of the other common biocontrols you must remember what they do and don't do. you will not see a sudden spurt of growth, they are not a fertilizer.. what you will see will initially be subtle and gradual you will notice that the plant becomes healthier, colours seem to improve, growth rates begin to get better, resistance to disease begins to improve etc etc etc. one day you will have an epiphany and say "man my ceph has been doing well lately...." then you will begin to realize that cephs really are capable of growing fast Biocontrols are a preventative and therapeutic more then some emergency cure for a major botytris or CSDS attack (even though I have saved a ceph in such a case with granular tricoderma, I have a photo journal of that situation and recovery) one problem I have seen is that a lot of what is on the shelf is already dead or old, I have ordered trichoderma from reputable sources only to find that the date code was already 18 months or more out of date. I know of others who have had similar experiences. If possible, go straight to the manufacturer, I cannot recommend ampac biotech enough, simply the best customer support with the highest spore counts... whereas rootsheild has the lowest spore count of any product Ive used.. but since the two are diff strains I like using both as part of my cocktail. if you cannot deal directly with the manufacturer, then try to deal with a vendor of high volume sales... at least your chances are better. the proof is in the pictures and growth rates... the potential is definitely there, but it is only one part of the equation. cheers' Butch
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Post by lloyd on Aug 30, 2007 20:35:04 GMT -5
Thanks for the advice. I feel like taking it myself!
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