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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 7, 2016 15:06:54 GMT -5
Hi, not sure if this is the right place to post, but Is there a way to test natural soil to see if it is ok for Cp's? It is not peat but it is low nutrient cause all the trees are dead. Thanks
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Post by danyoh on Oct 7, 2016 16:17:14 GMT -5
There are soil testing kits at many nurseries.. Also, dead trees provide nutrients for the soil
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 7, 2016 17:13:29 GMT -5
Oh they do. I guess that's true because they absorb nutrients and then die and release it. But don't dead trees indicate pour Nutrients? And the nutrients from the trees, will that kill Cp's? Because I know some bogs in northern ontario have a lot of dead trees and alive trees around the bog. I just went there today to see how it is, lots of water. And it is mainly moss. Not sphagnum but where there is moss it is about 6 inches thick then mud. My only concern is a river feeds it and it might release nutrients. Also in the water the mud was very dark and usually when soil is dark it means lots of nutrients. But I know there is a bit of sand mixed into it. By explaining all this, do you think cp's could grow There? I don't think they can but your way more experienced. Thanks and also those kits, can they test nutrient Levels? Cause that's what I am trying to find out. I am going to experiment with some purpurea seeds or seedlings and plant them in a pot or 2 with the soil that's down there and see if they can live. Thanks again
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Post by danyoh on Oct 7, 2016 18:22:18 GMT -5
There's a lot of factors that affect soil (it changes quite a bit throughout the year) so it is kinda hard to determine the most 'suitable spot to grow'.. I'm not very experienced with CP but I do know that there's a lot we don't know about them (other than the basics). Different plants can tolerate different minerals, temperatures, water requirements, sunlight, etc. During my visit at UC Davis there were some Darlingtonia growing north of campus in nutrient rich soil.. The botany professor said there's a lot of reports saying how they CAN tolerate nutrients in the soil while other reports say they CAN'T. It's quite interesting how some people can manage to grow certain species in some conditions while others can't. Maybe you could try it and see how it goes, and report back to us
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 7, 2016 20:31:45 GMT -5
Haha I will try if I can get some purp seeds to experiment with. I wanted some plants but couldn't get any. I have some seeds but not many so I don't want to accidentally kill some. If you can find someone that has a handful of not rare but cold hardy to zone 5 seeds pitcher plant proffered I may go back there and cut away the grass a bit and see if I can get something to grow. Maybe I will make cp's in southern ontario not Rare! That's just a dream lol but it would be cool to get some around here. I think when the seeds are ready to take out of stratification I will put 3 or 4 in the outdoor soil to experiment with except grow them inside and see how they do.my thought is that they would be more hardy to nutrients if they started in it from seed. Just some thoughts. But I will be sure to let you know. Especially if I could get a few seeds to experiment with. Thanks
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Post by hal on Oct 7, 2016 20:59:51 GMT -5
The trees could be dead because they got flooded. That's how most bogs start. Peat is so cheap that I can't see any advantage with trying outdoor soil, but it might be a neat experiment.
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 8, 2016 7:15:41 GMT -5
I want to try it to see if the plants could grow There. Because it is behind my house and probably the only bogy area near me. And cp's are rare in southern ontario so it would be cool if I could test the soil and have some there. It's not peat though it's like a brown and black Sandy muck with a 5 inch or so thick of a moss of some sort. It would be a great experiment to conduct. And maybe a long time in the future there will be more bogs due to drought in lakes making them bogy and maybe carnivorous plants will be just as common in southern ontario. But I don't think that will happen in the next while. Haha but it would be a great experiment if I had some cold hardy seeds to test with. Thanks for adding to the conversation. Have a great day
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Post by stevebooth on Oct 10, 2016 7:13:18 GMT -5
A good preliminary test would be to test the PH to see if it is acidic or alkaline, and to make a slurry of the soil and test it with at TDS meter, that will give you an idea of the TDS levels and therefore whether there are excess nutrients in the ground. By the sounds of it with there being no sphagnum, a river fed area, and black soil, I would suggest that it isnt suitable.Sphagnum produces hydrogen ions that keep the soil acidic which prohibits the release of nutrients, which by the sound of it you dont have. I trust also that this is your land/property and that you are not introducing anything into the wild.
Cheers Stevee
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 10, 2016 7:48:03 GMT -5
Thank you. No I am not going to put them in the wild as that could cause problems in the future. I wanted to see if the soil was compatible by trying in pots. More like an experiment.
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 10, 2016 8:00:38 GMT -5
But I was going to, and then I thought you wouldn't be allowed so I am not going to. But I think I will try at my Nannas because she has a pond with a bogy area. It's covered in moss just not sphagnum it's a wierd moss. Not fluffy it's more plant like. But I might be able to test that spot. But I think it has nutrients in it so maybe not good. It's worth a try. It would be cool to have some in your backyard haha
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Post by stevebooth on Oct 11, 2016 7:18:49 GMT -5
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 11, 2016 7:37:47 GMT -5
No not like that. I have seen lots of that around, but this moss I am talking about grows in 10 by 10 squares or bigger! I will send pics at the end of the day, because I think I found out what type it is. But the moss behind my house is like little tiny fern leaves all in a pile. But it is moss. I would love to try this experiment. Do you have any seeds I can try WITH? Thanks
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 11, 2016 15:14:39 GMT -5
This is what the moss looks like behind my house. Not my picture, but that's what it is. When I googled this one it is considered a plant, but it grows like moss. This is what looks to be like the stuff behind my Nannas. The last moss isn't very thick and under neath is a muck kinda spongy type stuff. The first picture that most is very thick and has a dense spongy Sandy muck underneath.
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Post by exoticplantseller on Oct 13, 2016 7:18:48 GMT -5
Yeah, haven't found plants or seeds anywhere :-( but I will keep looking. Oh, I didn't know seeds couldn't come from the UK. Thanks though
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