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Help algae problem!

hey, i transplanted my bare root cp's and they're doing fine, but later on the soil (perlite and peat) started to grow algae on the perlite and on the top of the surface of the soil, and the border of the pot is filled with it

i tried algaecide
-picking the soil off
-poking holes and mixing the soil around,

havnt tried peat-sand yet,

any sugestions?

all the things i tried still doesnt work
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i hate the smell of the algae, its begining to grow bak ahhhh, on my sarrs and vft,

is it the soil mixture or the quality?

im thinking of repoting to peat-sand

help me b4 i do it!!
help plz!!
 
is it the all too common green slime mold? if so, other than being ugly, it's won't harm your plants. it seems like you're on the right path with trying to get rid of it.

how's your air circulation? not enough air flow can lead to mold/algae growth.
do you rinse and or sterilize your potting media? i like to microwave my peat to kill anything that may be living in it, then mix up my peat/perlite mix. put it in post, then leave it outside in the elements for months at a time. i know that tamlin has written up some good posts on eashing your peat" before use. look around in the drosera forum for those posts.

tech...
 
I hate peat! I have never had success growing cps in peat. Even my D. Capensis died using that combo. All I can say is that peat suffocates the cps to death but their are others that have had success.
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Travis, did you rinse the peat? Maybe there was a high amount of total dissolved solids in there. My vfts are in pure peat and seem to be doing pretty well.

I have a little mold growing in some of my pure peat mixtures though.....but in the ones with sand there doesn't appear to be any mold or algae.
 
I let my pots dry out just enough to get rid of algae.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (firewired @ Aug. 17 2004,5:28)]Travis, did you rinse the peat?  Maybe there was a high amount of total dissolved solids in there.  My vfts are in pure peat and seem to be doing pretty well.
Pure peat? I have rinsed the peat before but never made a differnce.
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I was thinking of zapping the peat in the microwave but never did that.
 
I rinsed the pure peat and tested the total dissolved solids as Tamlin suggested and it was around 200. I rinsed several more times and got it down into the 50s. I have read that cps like a very small amount of tds. I tried zapping mine too before planting, and didn't on others, and it didn't seem to make too much difference. Perhaps it will in the long run.
 
When I get a pot with algae I leech it with lots of rainwater then sprinkle some fresh soil on the top and it seems to do the trick for a month or so.
 
[b said:
Quote[/b] (firewired @ Aug. 18 2004,1:02)]I rinsed the pure peat and tested the total dissolved solids as Tamlin suggested and it was around 200.  I rinsed several more times and got it down into the 50s.  
What is the name of the tester and were can I buy one?
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That may solve my problems with peat.
 
  • #12
Your welcome Travis. Glad I could help.
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