greenbliss
Member
I am curious about what sort of substrates everyone that grows aquatic aroids emersed (Lagenandra, Cryptocoryne, Bucephalandra etc..) uses? I am personally currently using "Westland Pond plant potting soil" as well as regular compost mixed with grit (sand) and I definitely need to change it for most of my plants as a lot of them seem to be suffering. Also this soil mixture was only going to be temporary but due to circumstances I ended up neglecting the plants and ended up never repotting them. However I am currently getting around to it and it definitely got me thinking a little.
First of all, I definitely want to stop using a "one size fits all" solution, as Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra can be quite diverse in their geographical distribution and as a result are found in multiple types of environments that can be vastly different. Of course, most sources of information about Cryptocoryne emersed cultivation do provide you with the information that tells you exactly what sort of soil mixture to use for most species, even being available for ones that aren't so commonly available in the aquarium trade if you search a bit more. However the issue is that I want to start growing Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra on a larger scale, where using substrates such as "beech tree soil" (soil found around beech trees where the soil has poor lime content) would simply be impractical due to it not exactly being something I can source easily in large quantities. Keep in mind this soil type is mainly used for growing Cryptocorynes found in blackwater areas. I wonder how I could recreate this soil using ingredients found in garden centres etc... so that I wouldn't have to be constantly going to some forest and digging up the soil? The main thing is it needs to be very acidic (a PH of around 4), rich in humic compounds and obviously needs to be something I can reliably source year round. Nothing more than that.
But this also makes me think that maybe the reason such a specific soil type is required is because these plants are literally found in what is basically a peat bog in the jungle, despite having it's differences it's a very similar environment to the peat bog in many ways, although it is still quite unique. Many growers report poor result when they have grown blackwater Cryptocorynes in peat. Is it really necessary to use Beech tree soil though? Maybe there is a probability that people that grew these Cryptocorynes in peat failed due to other reasons than the soil type? I definitely want to experiment more in a few months time when I build a greenhouse and have more space and plants to (potentially) kill.
As for the other, less demanding species I should be able to get away with grit + clay (possibly some lime sprinkled in for hardwater plants) or a mixture of grit + peat, and they should thrive in this sort of substrate mixture. But I'd still like to hear what everyone has to say and what others use or are planning to use for their plants. I would specifically like to know if anyone here has grown more delicate, sensitive species in more easy to source substrate mixtures and if you had great success with them. Obviously I'd want the plants to be able to grow well and definitely flower. If it's nothing too obscure to get I'll definitely give it a shot if it sounds worth trying.
In the end I just desire simplicity and don't want to be using too many specific soil types and I don't want to mess about with soil mixtures that have 5 or more ingredients, as plant keeping to me is meant to be a simple and non technical hobby (despite obviously having a scientific aspect). One type of soil for blackwater plants, one for hardwater ones, as well as a general purpose one for the ones that will thrive in almost anything.
First of all, I definitely want to stop using a "one size fits all" solution, as Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra can be quite diverse in their geographical distribution and as a result are found in multiple types of environments that can be vastly different. Of course, most sources of information about Cryptocoryne emersed cultivation do provide you with the information that tells you exactly what sort of soil mixture to use for most species, even being available for ones that aren't so commonly available in the aquarium trade if you search a bit more. However the issue is that I want to start growing Cryptocoryne and Lagenandra on a larger scale, where using substrates such as "beech tree soil" (soil found around beech trees where the soil has poor lime content) would simply be impractical due to it not exactly being something I can source easily in large quantities. Keep in mind this soil type is mainly used for growing Cryptocorynes found in blackwater areas. I wonder how I could recreate this soil using ingredients found in garden centres etc... so that I wouldn't have to be constantly going to some forest and digging up the soil? The main thing is it needs to be very acidic (a PH of around 4), rich in humic compounds and obviously needs to be something I can reliably source year round. Nothing more than that.
But this also makes me think that maybe the reason such a specific soil type is required is because these plants are literally found in what is basically a peat bog in the jungle, despite having it's differences it's a very similar environment to the peat bog in many ways, although it is still quite unique. Many growers report poor result when they have grown blackwater Cryptocorynes in peat. Is it really necessary to use Beech tree soil though? Maybe there is a probability that people that grew these Cryptocorynes in peat failed due to other reasons than the soil type? I definitely want to experiment more in a few months time when I build a greenhouse and have more space and plants to (potentially) kill.
As for the other, less demanding species I should be able to get away with grit + clay (possibly some lime sprinkled in for hardwater plants) or a mixture of grit + peat, and they should thrive in this sort of substrate mixture. But I'd still like to hear what everyone has to say and what others use or are planning to use for their plants. I would specifically like to know if anyone here has grown more delicate, sensitive species in more easy to source substrate mixtures and if you had great success with them. Obviously I'd want the plants to be able to grow well and definitely flower. If it's nothing too obscure to get I'll definitely give it a shot if it sounds worth trying.
In the end I just desire simplicity and don't want to be using too many specific soil types and I don't want to mess about with soil mixtures that have 5 or more ingredients, as plant keeping to me is meant to be a simple and non technical hobby (despite obviously having a scientific aspect). One type of soil for blackwater plants, one for hardwater ones, as well as a general purpose one for the ones that will thrive in almost anything.