Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

LOL I still don't understand how you guys can have so much idea to type out...I only red threeeeee and I'm already dizzzzyyyyy

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi Richard,
Yes, I have heard good results from others using chopped up polystryrene and flora foam as substitutes. However I never try it myself.

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi NepNut and those interested,

It would be good if the plants grow as well in a polystyren mix as they would with a Pertlte mix because I heard that Perlite can be hazardous if breathed in or handled.

Also polystyren is free and a waste product so it would be better for people and the environment if people used it instead of perlite.

Are you suggesting that the people have used polystyrene for years without any adverse affects on the plants?

Please let me know what you find out about it or of anyone with experiences with it.


Regards Richard.

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hmmm, don't we have a separate topic about artificial or inorganic potting mix... found it. It's here:

https://forum.petpitcher.net/showthre...rganic+potting

I am not a fan of the use of styrofoam as potting medium, I bought some neps that have been potted in cocopeat but under is actually styrochunks, half an inch or so in size, that is why the medium would dry up quickly and thus eventually killed those plants that were not repotted after being bought.

That said, I imagine that if you chop them up or shred them down to bead form, maybe they will act the same was as perlite, except that they do not absorb water, so that they will prevent the potting mix to become too compact.

Me? I'd rather use clay/hydro balls though.

TTFN
Arvin

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

One thing to remember is that most plants have roots that like air. Roots like to grow on moist surfaces that are also airy. You might have had the experience of growing a plant (not necessarily Nepenthes) in a pot placed on a wall or some solid surface. After growing it there for some time, and if you picked up the pot, you might have noticed a mass of roots growing outside the pot on the surface of the wall. That's because the surface of the wall underneath the pot stays moist, and there's some air between the bottom of the pot and the surface of the wall.

The growing mix should have spaces between the bits of whatever is in it (peat moss, perlite, LFS, coco peat, etc.). When you squeeze a handful of the growing mix in your hand and then relax your grip on it, the growing mix should fall apart. The components of the growing mix are all low in nutrients, so what goes into the mix doesn't matter as much as whether the combination allows the roots to breathe.

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi JK and those interested

Thanks for the letter.

If we knew what is the best percentage to compact the potting medium by a pure medium like pure sphagnum moss could be used and it should have sufficient air spaces without having to mix anything else with it. Vincent mentioned vermiculite could also be used.

What potting medium or mix do you use?

If you put the damp medium or potting mix into the container in as loose manner as possible, approximately what percentage of the original volume would you reduce the volume to when you press it down while potting the plant?

Your help is appreciated,
Regards Richard.

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi Richard,
From my experience when dealing with using pure SM (sphagnum moss) as media, after sometime, the media will get compacted by itself. It doesn't matter how "loose" you pack the media originally, it'll get compacted as you water it. That's why it's recommended you mix with other inert media to keep it from compacting and keeping it "loose".

If you still prefer to use pure SM as the only media, the only other way I see to avoid compaction of SM without the use of other media, you have to water it gently, as little as possible (something like drip watering system) until the media become moist, then the original compact ratio should hold and maintain (in theory). This is however, will be time comsuming. To help increase the space between SM, you can try using the whole strand of original unchopped SM, that might help to create some void in the SM media (again, in theory). Using chopped SM as the only media will create a very tight media as the surface volume of chopped SM is much greater thus occupying more volume without leaving much empty space.

I agree with jk, circulation (both air and water) is very imporatant to nep particularly those intermediates and H/L varieties. I think that should be the priority.

I sincerely hope you can find your "perfect" media... good luck :smile:

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi NepNut and those interested,



Thanks for the letter.



I would use whole strand or uncut sphagnum and water with a hose with a gentle pressure.



From what you say, I can see a problem with not packing the potting mix or media at least to a point and letting the watering compact it. If you did that, you would pot the plant and have the pot filled with the potting media to the level you want. Then after a few waterings, the level of the media would go down and the volume of the media would reduce. That would mean that the amount of media in the pot will not be the amount you want and the pot would be no where near full of media which would mean that there would not be as much volume in the media for the roots to grow as you originally planned. Therefore, wouldn't it be best to compact it a certain amount during potting to avoid this happening? I would think from what has been said it would be best to compact the media as least as possible, but still compact it enough so that the volume would not significantly change after the plant has been watered several times.



Perhaps, what could be done is that a potting mix or media could be put into a pot in as loose a manner as possible. Then the pot could be watered for a long time with a hose with the pressure that you would normally use. You may need to leave the water run for an hour or so to simulate how the volume will change over years of watering. Then you would see by what percentage the volume of the media would be reduced by. Then, when potting plants you would press the media to reduce it by the same percentage. This could be an accurate way to calculate it so long as no other long term factors cause the volume to reduce. For example many separate waterings over years may have a different affect than one long watering.

What do you think?



Your help is appreciated,
Regards Richard.

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi Richard,

That's why I prefer to mix media to maintain it's volume because

1) minimal media compaction unlike using 100% SM

2) they comes with all different size and weight thus help in "open" up the media

2) inorganic media takes much longer time to breakdown (if ever) thus maintaining the "opening"

3) organic media like coco chips, orchid bark and etc have larger dimension thus will not be broken down as fast as SM.

It's hard to quantify how media will compact over time and it's volume reduced as it involves many factors (nothing is constant when it comes to nature/biology *biggrin2*). I don't think you can measure what will happend to a media only with 1 watering even for hours to compare that to natural compaction and breakdown. You have to test it out and experiement to see how all this will turn out for you and your neps for a longer period of time (> 6 months minimum). As I said, what worked for me doesn't mean it might work for you and vice versa.

There's no stopping organic media from being naturally broken down. Factors like utilization of fertilizer, tempreature, break down by microbes (including algae and fungus), growing environment and minerals/ nutrients content in water will ultimately affect the rate of SM being break down thus reducing your media overtime (might happend as soon as few months). That's the fact you have to accept and you'll need to repotted the media from time to time. Not unless you keep your plants in a 100% sterile environment... :smile:

Re: How compact should potting mix be and what should be used.
 

Hi



A mix with equal parts Coir chip and Sphagnum moss may be good provided there is no salt or other impurities in the Coir. There may be a simple way to test to see if there is any salt in the Coir. If you know of any that can detect the small levels of salt that could be bad for Nepenthes, please let me know.



Vermiculite may be a good way to go. Vincent had good results with it. Has anyone tried a media of pure Vermiculite?


Your help is appreciated,
Regards Richard.