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Does Flowing Water Benefit Plants Significantly?

Zath

Enthusiastic Enthusiast
Hey guys, sorry I've been away for so long. Hope to be more active again soon. :/

I'm setting up a second terrarium (knew it was going to happen eventually), as I started to re-pot some of my seedlings a couple days ago and realized I was going to end up with WAY more pots than I could handle.

So I dug out my old snake enclosure (a 50-gal. aquarium) and cleaned it out.

The mistake I made was to do some engineering in my head at Lowes, while in the aisles looking at stuff.

I came up with what is potentially a pretty nice system for my seedlings / utrics (the terrarium plants). That is...if it even matters.

50-gal-prototype.jpg


I can fit an aquarium pump inside one of those PVC couplings...run it through one side of the tray, and have it drain on the other.

Will moving water benefit my plants at all, or should I take everything out, plop the plants in the bottom of the tank and fill it with an inch of standing water?
 
What you have basically designed is a simple partially enclosed hydroponic system (fully with lid). I'm not one of the utricularia experts on TF so I will not give my opinion there but many plants benefit from being grown hydroponically. One issue with transparent hydroponic setups is unwanted algal growth just fyi.

Good luck, it looks great =)
 
What you have basically designed is a simple partially enclosed hydroponic system (fully with lid). I'm not one of the utricularia experts on TF so I will not give my opinion there but many plants benefit from being grown hydroponically. One issue with transparent hydroponic setups is unwanted algal growth just fyi.

Good luck, it looks great =)

Thank you, but I feel I should clarify a couple things you brought up.

It -will- have a lid. In fact, it does, it's just not included in the pic. I cut it out of clear plexiglas with three small holes; two for my fingers, so I can manipulate it, and one for electrical cords.

Second, it's not going to be transparent. I bought some mylar-like material that I'm going to wrap around the outside to reflect light, but there's no sense in doing that until it's ready for plants to go in.

I'm also curious why you call it "hydroponic". It was my understanding that hydroponics use either no soil, or synthetic soil replacements like gel (or....something). Mine are going to be potted as usual in peat / sand with sphagnum foundations and top-dressings. I'm mostly wondering if the moving water is going to make any difference to the plants or not.
 
Sounds like a great chance to experiment!
As far as I know, I don't think there's a specific preference for flowing water other than that such a setup wouldn't go anaerobic or stagnate.
If any of the rheophytic species were in cultivation, this might be a really good way to provide for their needs.
Other than that, the only species I can think of at the moment that has a preference for flowing water is Genlisea aurea. In it's natural habitat it usually grows with cool water flowing over the rosette.
 
Thank you, but I feel I should clarify a couple things you brought up.

It -will- have a lid. In fact, it does, it's just not included in the pic. I cut it out of clear plexiglas with three small holes; two for my fingers, so I can manipulate it, and one for electrical cords.

Second, it's not going to be transparent. I bought some mylar-like material that I'm going to wrap around the outside to reflect light, but there's no sense in doing that until it's ready for plants to go in.

I'm also curious why you call it "hydroponic". It was my understanding that hydroponics use either no soil, or synthetic soil replacements like gel (or....something). Mine are going to be potted as usual in peat / sand with sphagnum foundations and top-dressings. I'm mostly wondering if the moving water is going to make any difference to the plants or not.

Awesome, It seems you're all set to test some plants. I had no idea what medium you would be using; but yes, sand & sphagnum are commonly used in hydroponic systems & work great. Nutrient delivery still takes place through the water, or no nutrients are added with plants that require little to none. I know nothing about utrics apparently as w03 knows. lol. I've been trying to upload some pics of the ones I'm currently killing.
 
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Awesome, It seems you're all set to test some plants. I had no idea what medium you would be using; but yes, sand & sphagnum are commonly used in hydroponic systems & work great. Nutrient delivery still takes place through the water, or no nutrients are added with plants that require little to none. I know nothing about utrics apparently as w03 knows. lol. I've been trying to upload some pics of the ones I'm currently killing.

No worries. I blithely assumed that when I said "seedlings" most people would assume I meant Drosera and Sarracenia, lol. Come to think of it...I can't even think of a single instance hearing about someone growing a utric from seed, and most Nep growers have a dedicated greenhouse or tent, rather than a terrarium, lol.

Anyway, this is primarily for Sarracenia seedlings, and the few plants (like utrics) that I can't grow outdoors in full sun. I just decided that since the 50 gal. gave me so much room height-wise, I might as well use it for something constructive.

I should be around a little more soon, but don't worry about your utrics, I'm sure they'll be fine, lol. I just had to rescue my U. calycifida "Yog Sothoth" because it's sphagnum media was starting to congeal @_@. Not sure what that was about, but I made a pot of fresh stuff and transplanted a few large pieces, and I've ceased to worry about it. U. sandersonii is probably the first plant I've had that I'm going to have to selectively kill, even though I love it. I have two 4" net pots of it that look like chia-pets, and they won't stop, lol.
 
Your system is definitely hydroponic by the strict definition of the word. In hydroponics the media is just a means of holding the plant in place, and nutrients are supplied by the solution which passes through it. Hydroponic media vary widely.
 
I think moving water helps get Air to the roots and allows the plant to grow more and healthier, but that is my opinion. I sometimes top water my plants to get air too the rot
Ot systems and they seem to be growing great! I haven't done an experiment with two of the same plants in same condition to test the theory of its healthier to do it as opposed to tray watering but i just might do it now that i think about it lol! Let us know what happens!
 
Well, since the general opinion seemed to be, "experiment!", I went ahead with my plan. After one (hopefully last) trip to Lowes to get some tubing and a fitting, and after much tweaking, trimming, and swearing, I've ended up with this:

water-output.jpg


pump-output.jpg



Some simple holes in the other end provide drainage, and I made sure they allow enough through that the pump doesn't inadvertently flood the tray. The water flow seems good, and has some cross currents (the center is actually pulled towards the nozzles, then gets pushed back out along the sides).

Now I need to figure out how I'm going to affix a fan somewhere in there, hook the lights up to a timer, and it'll be ready for plants to go in. :)
 
  • #10
Welp. I got it finished and started putting the plants in yesterday, and was able to begin re-potting again today.

nursery-terrarium-complete.jpg


Only 4 more pots left. Two of S. leucophylla "Hurricane Creek" and two of Darlingtonia (Gasquet Co.) ((really hope I'm punctuating those correctly, lol))

I'm also going to start some flower stalk cuttings soon. Already have two pots of D. 'Marston Dragon' going in there, and soon I'll have fresh stalks of D. filiformis 'Florida Red' an D. binata 'Dwarf Red'.

Fingers crossed that they like the new conditions. :D
 
  • #11
I don't grow many Sarrs but have you considered a simple flood/drain setup. My CP medium easily stays at the proper moisture for 10 days or more, I have to flood the tank at the 7-9 day mark due to the orchids in there.

Page 2 here looks a lot like what you made http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php/135880-Terrarium-tank-stand-build-log/page2 I'm using a 20g fish tank to hold the fert solution, it really is low maintenance compared to anything else I've built.

Most of the aquatic or semi aquatic Utrics I've tried benefit greatly in a flowing system.
 
  • #12
I actually just saw your thread today, and facepalmed that I hadn't thought of that. I've seen some ebb / flow systems, but it would take some time to figure out how to automate it to my satisfaction (even your admittedly foolproof system would be subject to my random bouts of forgetfulness / neglect, lol).

However, if I decide to make modifications to this tank, I will likely copy your designs somewhat. I'm also planning on doing something similar to your setup for my outdoor plants at some point.

I honestly have no idea whether the running water is going to do anything except (as was pointed out previously) prevent stagnation, which -was- a minor issue in the 20-gal. (Mostly due to me never completely cleaning it out, just refilling it as it evaporated, lol).

(Edit)

Most of the aquatic or semi aquatic Utrics I've tried benefit greatly in a flowing system.

Funny you mention that. I was actually planning on trying to get some U. gibba established in this new tank. Maybe it will be the only plant that receives any great benefit from it, haha.
 
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  • #13
Av8tor1 has a thread around here somewhere with a flood/drain system that would work better for how you have things set up but I could not find it :)
 
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I think ur set up looks great :) tell us how things go with it im bery interested it could be a fun thing to try with the older kids or just myself when we get the funds situated and get back to where we neex to be. at the moment im just trying to get the sun porch greenhouse renovated to use as a exploitation and learning greenhouse though it only has limited space but it will have to do. I'm interested in what happens with your expiriment please keep us up on the latest news :)
 
  • #17
@ KATastrophe

Disregarding the recent squabbling on the forum, I'll simply say this:

I find DIY projects such as this to be not only mentally stimulating but also immensely satisfying once complete. If nothing else, this is essentially the typical "tray-system", only with circulating, instead of standing, water.

If you wanted a fun project to do over the weekend, I would suggest a "field-trip" to Lowes (or your equivalent hardware store), and explain / show to the kids what everything is for.

I expect my plants to do well, since they've gotten to where they are by sitting in 3/4" of standing water for the past year. I have no doubt that they will be happy and healthy in the new terrarium. The real question is...will they do any better? :)

Happy growing.
 
  • #18
Hahaha that will be the real test to see if they will do better or stay the same just happier conditions!
Well keep us posted.

As much as id love to take field trips - i don't drive and its hard to get parental permission for things Like that especially with the younger kids. But hopefully someday we'll be able to do more then park visits and exploration into plants outta my home! :) id really like to take the kids to the little wooded areas and bike trails we have in town to show them the little ecosystems their, but it's hard without all the help we'd need too do such things. But i think this is something right up our Ally or atleast something like this, but it would have to wait till we get more settled into our new greenhouse/sunporch after we renovate and such.
Its been raining for the past 2 days and they said tomorrow aswell :( so the fun activity i was planning is on hold. But i guess it's a good thing cause im still trying to get suggestions on what we could do with the plants other then repottong them and painting the pots and teach basic care for the plants.. I was thinking of contacting a local buisness close by to see if theyd allow us to plant them in front of their place or something but idk yet i still got to figure things out.

Sorry to go on a ramble!

I'll be checking in on this thread please fill us in if anything changes in the plants or anything noticeable health/growth wise in your plants :) id really be interested to see if it will help or just be a happier place for them to grow. I actually like the idea of running water cause i hate stagnant air and water. It happens in our bagged plants all the time
 
  • #20
I actually like the idea of running water cause i hate stagnant air and water. It happens in our bagged plants all the time

I actually build a lot of setups intended for stagnant air and water. No fans, just a small open area at the top. Here are a few if your interested http://www.terraforums.com/forums/showthread.php/128737-Exo-Terra-Nano-Tall-Setups?highlight= Plant choice and experience helps a ton.

I do change out the reservoir water once or twice a year (does require frequent top-offs, but TDS easily remains under 50ppm)

If you are adding any ferts you would be better off replacing that water more often, I went to an orchid lecture about ferts and many of the compounds will be removed from the water through various over my head means over the next few hours/days/weeks/ect.

If you don't want to use ferts, or you don't want faster growth (I know I want my Pings to STOP growing....) then ignore this.
 
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