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How to wash soil?

What method do you use to wash soil? My method: (I think it stinks) I use a bucket and fill it half way (distilled water), then swirl the soil around.  Yet, two months later I still have algae growing so that must mean I have minerals still in the peat, right? You can also tell that something is wrong with the soil as the plant looks horrid (just threw my last sundew I transplanted away. So that makes it 0 for 4 in peat). When ever I buy cps the soil turns green aka algae. How do  kill the algae, in other words get the minerals out?  
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I have no problem with sphaghnum moss, it is peat that is the problem.

Travis

ps
I use the peat/perlite combo.
 
Hey Travis, Algae growth dosn't have much to do with the minerals. It is a product of the wet conditions in which we grow CP. LF sphagnum doesn't get alge as easily because its naturally resistant, but when it starts to break down I do see it start to get slime. What are you growing? I like to grow VFT's, for example, in 100% Canadian peat, but I let the water in the trays dry up between waterings and that seems to keep the algae down a bit. If you are growing in a terrarium, you may need a bit of air circulation. Are you sure its an algae? Algae is kind of like green jello on the serface of your soil. I have more problems with moss then algae. But I grow in greenhouses with pretty good air flow...
 
Hi Steve, sweet you live in Grand Rapids, MI! I live in Newaygo about an hour north of GR.

I have grown D. Adalae's and vft dente in the peat/perlite combo. Of course they all died in due time. The other cps I have do great with no slime/algae. I do have a common and a dente with no soil problems too. Most of the time when I do see algae it is not a good sign. The soil they are in is the soil which came with the plant. I also have a 4 to 5 inch vent that seems to keep air moving enough. I do have moss going in some pots but never had a problem with moss yet.

Travis:blues:
 
Travis, Anytime you would like to see the CP collections at Frederik Meijer Gardens, Just give me a shout. I am the Manager of Indoor Horticulture and in charge of the CP here.

I think your problem may be with the peat and perlight. I know this mix works for some growers, but I have never liked it. I think it stays far too wet. I would recomend finding a good source of silica sand. and useing a mix of peat and sand. You can then add a bit of LF sphagnum if you want a coarser mix. It has been my experience that the straight peat/perlight mix is nothing but trouble. Good Luck.
 
Travis, i've had the same trouble, and i'm almost ready to believe that it's the particular bag of peat i had.  It's killed plants in both peat/perlite and peat/sand mixtures.  I'd like to think it won't happen with the new bag, anyway.  
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Yeah, I do not know why I go back to the same mix (peat/perlite)...I have said it on this forums that peat/perlite is a bad combo but here I am posting a topic about it. I just do not understand why cps at store have it in peat/something else and the plants do just fine. I try it at home and they always look weak and ready to die any day (well in my case they do die).
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Steve, that would be sweet to go. Just need to plan a weekend or so. I was at Frederik Gardens once about 3 or 4 years ago. Looked around but had no cps.

Travis
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Hi Steve,

Nice to see you here buddy!

I have to disagree about the mineral salts in peat though. An initial rinse of peat with RO water produced a high TDS reading of close to 300! (This experiment was confirmed by other growers as well). This may not affect Nepenthes too much, but for Drosera it is not good at all.

Peat may be rinsed placing it in a 5 gallon bucket, and add pure water (distilled, rain, or RO) until it forms a goop. This is scooped up, wrung out and placed in another bucket and the process is then repeated until a low TDS reading is achieved, usually 2 rinses does the trick. My own method is to make up pots well in advance of their use, and let the seasons rains leach them out for me.

With a low TDS, there is much less algae and bryophyte problems. It still happens occasionally. If you are getting a lot of bryophyte germination, then it is a good indicator that all is not well with your mix.

Also, peat stelilization in the microwave on high for 4-6 mins will destroy any spores. I use this method for seed with a potential for a long wait to germination, but keep your eye on it to make sure it doesn't dry out and burst into flame.

I agree with you regarding pearlite, and greatly prefer silica sand to make the mix in all but a few instances where greater aeration is needed, and I use it only because I have no access to pumice or laterite. Note that the sand or pearlite likewise should be rinsed for optimal results: as far as total dissolved solids go, the lesser the better.
 
Thanks Tamlin. I was not sure about the minerals but thought something had to make the algae grow. I never thought of having the rain wash the perlite, that is a great idea. I also think perlite is ugly in any combo.

Travis
 
Interesting topic! Keep in mind that over time a low PPM of RO water for example will quickly leach all minerals away I did an experiement, I water my orange tree with nothing but RO, weeks later it degraded because the fertilzer was gone and the minerals were gone with it too, added fertilzer and watered with regular water and it came back from a sickly state. I run 5-8ppm in my RO water. If you hate the blaring ness of perlite crush it up into fine grains (WEAR A MASK) this will mimic a peat/sand mix and you can "get away" growing sand loving CP'S in it. I have some pygmy's in both mixes and each group are doing equally well.
 
  • #10
Were do you get "silica sand"?
 
  • #11
Thanks Nep G. for the tips. I will take that into account.

Warped54321
I am guessing Home Depo, Lowes, or Mal*Wart...I never used so I can not really tell you.

Travis
 
  • #12
Two groups of sources: Pool supply stores (used for pool filter media) and Sand blasting suppliers (many different grits used for sand blasting).
 
  • #13
[b said:
Quote[/b] (Steve L @ Oct. 24 2003,15:37)]Travis, Anytime you would like to see the CP collections at Frederik Meijer Gardens, Just give me a shout. I am the Manager of Indoor Horticulture and in charge of the CP here.

I think your problem may be with the peat and perlight. I know this mix works for some growers, but I have never liked it. I think it stays far too wet. I would recomend finding a good source of silica sand. and useing a mix of peat and sand. You can then add a bit of LF sphagnum if you want a coarser mix. It has been my experience that the straight peat/perlight mix is nothing but trouble. Good Luck.
AH ha ha! I knew you would find this place eventually! I'm a fan of the collection
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Saw it first when it was still a bunch of odd pots shoved in the old gift/plant store thingy
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I LUV your VFTs.
 
  • #14
... I know this may be moot by now, but I fill the pot with the mix and run tap water through till it's clear and then run .25-.5 of a gallon of distilled through... I also microwave my soil. Since I started doing both of those steps, I haven't had any algea.
 
  • #15
Not meaning to bring up an old subject. But I have D. capensis growing in peat/perlite. Actually it is not the same D. capensis that spit out the fake seeds/dead flowers it was the D. capensis seeds the Tamlin gave me about a year half ago. So actually I have two different kinds...one seems red and the other has no color. Any who, I washed the soil many times and seems be holding a normal soil color texture.  
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Thanks for the tip Darcie - I may give that a try if this method does not work.

Travis
 
  • #16
Since I started microwaving my peat, I've had much less algae, and far fewer fungus gnats and slime mold. It still feels odd to be popping a bowl of peat into the nuker, but darn it, it works!

Capslock
 
  • #17
Hey I have a question for you all about peat. Have you ever noticed it starting to mold inside the bag? I have noticed this on the last couple bags Ive gotten. It sorta looks like what happens if you leave bread out for too long. I have still been using it for my plants, although I do rinse it very good and nuke it before I use it. I was just curious if anyone else has noticed mold in their peat bags?
 
  • #18
Steve,
"Starting to mold" is an understatement. I had three bags of sphagnum peat moss last year that were ruined by mold. It completely covered the peat were ever it was against the plastic bag with hyphae invading the peat itself. I bought all three bags late in the fall and they were Schultz brand, which is normally good stuff. Microwaving to kill the mold just made it smell worse
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.

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BCK
 
  • #19
Huh? Mold in the peat inside the bag...that is odd. I have never had a problem with mold maybe it is the dry air. Or I just buy toxic peat in which it puts a slow clock choke on my plants.

Well if my dews due fine I may transplant my vfts this year. I just need to wait and see what happens to my capensis

Travis

ps
Capslock
[b said:
Quote[/b] ]It still feels odd to be popping a bowl of peat into the nuker, but darn it, it works!
Thanks! I read that little comment giggled at work. I had to play it off as a hacking cough.
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Just struck me funny.
 
  • #20
Hi Travis,
Last fall was the only time I had this happen. The mold was already in the bags when I got them. I wasn't a happy camper. I'd just got some gemmae from Vic and they needed planted ASAP. And all I had were 3 bags of worthless peat.
 
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