Emersed Aroid substrate

[dean]

If you lived in a city then you could buy almond leaves which are easily obtained
Would they work ?

Would putting leaves in a food processor to chop them up into tiny pieces speed up process of making a compost ?

Has anyone tried SerpaDesign compost mix ?

Would adding critters such as springtails be beneficial in that they will breakdown the rotten leaves and deposit fertilisers in the mix ?


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[greenbliss]

The joy of invitro plants is that you get quite a few to play with. One usually has some idea of the growing conditions so you can Experiment with the parameters around a mid point. JI3 potting soil can be brought in an acid form to mix with a variety of organic materials. Beech leaf litter I have made was ph4.5 whilst oak leaf litter was ph6.9. I accept that there will always be some contamination with natural products . For experimentation I use honey jars or Kilmer jars for the larger plants so I can have lots of variables.
I realise with just the odd high value plant that this is not possible but on several occasions I have noticed the plant is not flourishing and changed the soil or water parameters with an immediate response of new leaves. The finding out is the fun bit, when all goes well makes the effort worth while

Thanks for the input. I'll note these ideas down to keep them in mind f or once I have enough spare plants or manage to order some TC's in. I'm really keen to experiment but unfortunately patience is key when dealing with Crypts, meaning I probably won't have a surplus of blackwater species any time soon.

If you lived in a city then you could buy almond leaves which are easily obtained
Would they work ?

Would putting leaves in a food processor to chop them up into tiny pieces speed up process of making a compost ?

I would not suggest doing this. I'm currently dry starting a tank with beech leafmould that has a few parts where the material is just a bit too fresh and it smells god awful. It smells like a farmyard slurry pit. Luckily when this happens it seems that the smell goes away after a few weeks or so and the plants don't really seem bothered. Good leaf mould is meant to just smell like soil supposedly, but to me it has a metallic smell with hints of chlorine. I have had COVID though so maybe that is why.

Also you would probably end up making the most expensive leaf mould known to man considering how much it'd take to buy the almond leaves. ADA quality. Could sell it in aquascaping shops for £20 per 500ml. The best you can buy for your Crypts.

I too struggled with growing peat swamp Cryptocoryne species. I tried and tried and tried but no matter what I did, they would refuse to grow in aquasoil. Then I discovered Dean's magic leaf mould. My life was changed. The unique makeup of humic substances and the low PH meant my plants thrived. I was shocked. This was all because of Dean's magic leaf mould. Buy yours now for only £20 at your local aquarium shop!

 

[greenbliss]

Hi all, not posted here for a while

Autumn approaches... This means it will soon be time to make leaf mould. I have my wheelbarrow and my springbok rake ready... As well as a 1000l capacity compost bin.

 

[dw1305]

Hi all,

This means it will soon be time to make leaf mould.

I too struggled with growing peat swamp Cryptocoryne species. I tried and tried and tried but no matter what I did, they would refuse to grow in aquasoil.

How did it go? Is Beech (Fagus sylvatica) the best substrate for Aroids long term?

Could sell it in aquascaping shops for £20 per 500ml. The best you can buy for your Crypts.

I too struggled with growing peat swamp Cryptocoryne species. I tried and tried and tried but no matter what I did, they would refuse to grow in aquasoil. Then I discovered Dean's magic leaf mould. My life was changed. The unique makeup of humic substances and the low PH meant my plants thrived. I was shocked. This was all because of Dean's magic leaf mould. Buy yours now for only £20 at your local aquarium shop!

I'm seeing a <"whole range of products"> we <"could sell">, although I think <"several companies have got there first">, but I <"suppose you"> have to go <"either go big, or go home">.

cheers Darrel

 

[greenbliss]

How did it go? Is Beech (Fagus sylvatica) the best substrate for Aroids long term?

Hi Darrel, I've been using coco coir and sand or coco coir and perlite + miracle gro successfully for common species. I currently only have 2 blackwater species and they are doing ok in the 60x30cm aquarium but I'll probably soon rip them out, pot them up and put them in a higher humidity environment with more heat and light. They have been growing in pure leaf mould and I have fertilised ocassionaly with a very dilute miracle gro solution, but even then when they weren't looking deficient in between being fertilised. However they have been really slow so need some TLC. I'm not going to do the Parosphromenus aquarium until I maybe import some crypts from Borneo. Anyways, it seems like the breakdown of the leafmould provides plenty of nutrients for growth. I really want to try sending an email to some of the experts in the crypt world to ask them questions such as:

• Why do Crypts grow best in leafmould? Is it because of fungus or some other organisms found in leaf mould? Is it because of the pH? If not, what else?
• Do you know of any alternatives for the home grower that doesn't require scavenging from forests or making your own leaf mould?
• If not, what sort of pointers can you give us in terms of what MIGHT work?

It's a really confusing situation. Some species NOT from peat swamps grow amazing in leaf mould. What causes this? I really want to just know WHY they thrive in leaf mould, so we can maybe try recreate this with more commonly available resources. Not everyone wants bags of rotting leaves laying around their garden etc... I was thinking that maybe if I imported crypts from Borneo, they might do well for me simply because they were bred in their natural range and might come with symbiotic organisms that are important for their growth?? But at this point maybe I'm just dreaming..

 

[sparkyweasel]

a 1000l capacity compost bin.

Ooh jealous!

 

[greenbliss]

Ooh jealous!

I'm not sure if it's a good idea, it might just turn anaerobic in the centre. Probably going to need to turn it regularly.

 

[Danlacey1988]

I've been thinking of using this stuff they use it in America and I've seen a few people use it to grow plants that way I'm thinking of experimenting with it and see how it works might be a option you will how ever have to add fertiliser to the water but could be a good solution

 

[greenbliss]

Hi all, got some not so good and some good news

Because of the cost of living crisis, as well as health problems, I'm not continuing this project for now... Most of my plants have ended up on the compost heap over the past few months, and I'm only really going to hold onto those that aren't easily replaceable or can't be bought in this country without paying extortionate prices for phytosanitary certificates. In the future I will definitely continue exploring and will try to set up some more 'rigid' tests and experiments etc to see what works well and what might make it easier for people to keep these less common/more demanding species. But for now I'm focusing mainly on just growing vegetables for my family in the garden as that is what makes more sense given the current situation.

I'm definitely going to keep learning more biology, botany and soil science so I can return to this project in the future more informed and ready to explore. I'm also planning for a heated greenhouse but that just isn't going to happen with the current (possible, although not certain?) recession, as well as electricity and gas prices.. I don't see how I can make space in the house for such a project, one which would involve keeping many different species and many individual plants. I also really desperately need to get into tissue culture, as I could not only make a bit of extra money to fund this project by selling tissue cultured plants, but also it would be a useful tool to have in the context of this project. Obviously that takes building/buying a LFH and having to buy all these various hormones, glassware and much more. So I don't really see how given the current situation I can continue. Even if I were just to propagate plants the normal way, that requires much equipment, lighting, heating etc.. Not so suitable for now...

I'm not sure what will happen, but I know if I stick to learning more about plants and caring about what truly matters to me it probably won't be so bad...