|
Post by mabudon on Aug 31, 2006 13:37:32 GMT -5
after reading an article I got about roots of CPs and how the "nutrient free" media may be unnecessary and maybe even undesired by a lot of CPs I really started wondering about whether some soil nutrients might be a good thing.. Recently someone posted some notes on a "new" Ping soil medium that included aquatic plant soil and iron oxide among other things, a mix which, if you go by "common knowledge" sounds like it might be dangerous, however the person listing this info states that it is giving impressive results....
Soon I hope to have enough Pings to give it a shot myself. Anyone else do any experiments with "non traditional" mediums, and if "yes", what did you try and how did it work??
I suppose I really should link to what I'm speaking of, but I will do so a bit later just so as to not colour the resulting posts
|
|
|
Post by tom on Aug 31, 2006 14:06:01 GMT -5
I've tried mexican pings in a all inorganic media: 25% of each : quartz sand/perlite/vermicullite/expanded clay. They had a very good start but 90% died due to a sickness, but this sickness isn't due to the media. Note that this media is drying faster too, and perhaps a very light fertilizing could be useful. I'll try it back soon along with peat/sand in a 2:1 ratio mixed with solid fertilizer (as shown in a last year CPN).
|
|
|
Post by sdeering on Aug 31, 2006 17:51:33 GMT -5
I have planted some in sand,perlight,vermiculite 1-1-1 and another the same but with a little canadian sf*g in it. I keep it quite wet. I sometimes put one to two drops of fert/liter of RO. Plants seem to be growing good. Stephen
EDIT: I forgot 1 part small charcoal.
|
|
jimscott
Seedling
Je n'aime pas 'CITES'!
Posts: 88
|
Post by jimscott on Sept 1, 2006 5:12:58 GMT -5
I can't imagine that anything in nature is 100% free of minerals, either the media or the water. We provide these plants with almost sterile, artificial environements, not unlike tropical fish. I guess the real question is what comprises the environment of our CP's, back in Mexico or Australia or America's Southeast.
|
|
|
Post by lloyd on Sept 1, 2006 10:13:21 GMT -5
I mostly use the "Savage Garden" suggestions for soil mixtures (lots of peat and sand) and usually have good results with Pings and other CP's. I always use either dehumidifier water or melted snow for my CP's and orchids (I add an orchid fertilizier for the orchids in the recommended amounts.) As far as water in the natural environment not being free of various solutes, it depends upon the environment, even where undisturbed by people. I know from my aquarium book that many fresh water fish and aquatic plants need water that is much lower in pH and dissolved solutes than most tap water and almost zero in nitrogenous compounds. Some fish need water that is close to distilled in purity and low in pH in order to breed. I suspect that Ontario bog water would be very close to distilled although not at all sterile. Anybody going to a bog soon could check if they had some aquarium test kits (I have the ones for pH, NH4, NO2, NO3 and Iron. The ones for kH and gH would be useful.)
|
|
|
Post by lloyd on Sept 15, 2006 21:54:25 GMT -5
My soil mix for the little Mexican Pings tends to develop a crust which impairs root growth and blocks water drainage. What soil mix do people like best for the tiny Mexican Pings? Thanks.
|
|