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Post by hal on Aug 26, 2009 21:38:23 GMT -5
Does anyone use minerals with calcium in them in their ping soils? I use limestone screenings on the paths in my garden and am considering using it as a soil adjunct to mimic the limestone in the plant's natural habitat.
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Post by lloyd on Aug 26, 2009 22:59:55 GMT -5
I've heard of using gypsum (calcium sulfate dihydrate) which is a constituent of Mexican Ping. soils.
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Post by mabudon on Aug 26, 2009 23:18:29 GMT -5
the mix DVG uses is ridiculous, but apparently quite effective, can't remember where he got his ideas from but it has a few odd things in it- perhaps he'll post it here
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Post by hackerberry on Aug 27, 2009 0:12:04 GMT -5
Right on Mab, let's wait for the Master's advise.
hb
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Post by dvg on Aug 27, 2009 0:50:51 GMT -5
Well...Okay, knock it off you two. I'm just as much of a hack, when it comes to this stuff, as the next guy. I've heard that it doesn't hurt to use an alkaline based media when growing Mexi-pings, because a lot of them do grow in that type of a soil. But they also grow well in acid or even neutral mediums. Thus Mexi-pings are quite adaptable to a variety of soil mixes. I grow mine in an exclusively mineral media mix, with no organics such as peat, sphagnum, compost or wood chips in that mix. Some growers do and have very good success. It always comes down to grower preference, and there really is no "right or wrong, must be done this way" ironclad approach to it. That said, this is what I have been experimenting with, though nowadays I just take some of these materials and mix them up without worrying too much about proportions. Heck, I figure straight perlite, with a covering of coarse silica sand, is probably good enough. Mexi-ping Mix 2 perlite 2 vermiculite 2 lava rock 1 kanuma pumice (5.5 pH) 1 clay (calcareous) 1 fine sand 1 coarse silica sand(plus also used as a top dressing) 1 pumice This was probably getting carried away a wee bit, but I like to experiment and Mabs just loves seeing this wacky mix.
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Post by mabudon on Aug 27, 2009 11:15:18 GMT -5
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Post by dvg on Aug 28, 2009 0:10:55 GMT -5
Wow, ALL that stuff just for mexipings! I just use the regular peat/perlite 50/50 mix and it works 'great' Yeah, but where's the fun in that.
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Post by khoas on Sept 5, 2009 20:08:06 GMT -5
quite a few of the pings like bit extra calicum including several of the eruopean species. I got one mix that use kitty littiter.
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