artificialive: other medium

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other medium?
« Thread Started on May 16, 2007, 11:27am » Hi all,
Ive been thinking of other medium for CPs especially Neps. We usually use sphagnum moss and peat moss, but there in their natural habitat, they thrive well on soil. Perhaps other members know what soil is it?
Seeing Gracilis grow at Cheras that day, i believe that the soil there is laterite. However, some Neps also grow very well on clay.

p/s: Honestly, my pockets are burnt with holes to buy peat/ sphganum moss!
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #1 on May 16, 2007, 12:03pm » Naj,
I'm trying to grow one of the gracilis on normal soil I'm using for planting flowers and stuff.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #2 on May 16, 2007, 12:31pm » Ask KLtower. He grows most of his Nepenthes in soil that the plants grow in the wild... Choong, where are you? Need you expertise here.

I've seen other growers grow Nepethes in normal soil also but I've never tried it before.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #3 on May 16, 2007, 1:31pm » Normal soil? Kinda risky hehe. Well i've seen nurseries grow them in 100% polystyrene! XD Peat/moss is best so for best growth. Though I'm sure there are other things. Is cocopeat cheaper? Wash that stuff 3 times in tap water and 1 more time in rain/ro/distilled water and it should be safe.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #4 on May 16, 2007, 2:45pm »
Quote:Normal soil? Kinda risky hehe. Well i've seen nurseries grow them in 100% polystyrene! XD Peat/moss is best so for best growth. Though I'm sure there are other things. Is cocopeat cheaper? Wash that stuff 3 times in tap water and 1 more time in rain/ro/distilled water and it should be safe.

yeah, though u claim that peat/moss is the best, i think that mimicking their true natural habitat is the best. Im not saying that peat/moss is not the best, but they grow very well on soil in the forest..
Well, perhaps the analogy is like this. It is good to take supplementary pills of Vitamin A and C, but still, eating fruits to obtain the vitamins is still the best (im sorry, but im kinnda bit old fashioned)
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #5 on May 16, 2007, 3:28pm » Haha for that go to where they are thriving, take some soil, and run a ph and ppm test. I think that's what it's called?... And somehow test for the content of it~ Then maybe we can find out?
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #6 on May 17, 2007, 10:55am » Has anyone test the pH of the soil?
Well, according to this simple document found on the Internet, it is not good to use burnt soil for neps:
http://www.usc.edu/CSSF/History/2004/Projects/J0924.pdf
Burnt soil contains more NPK!
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #7 on May 19, 2007, 9:44am »
Quote:Is cocopeat cheaper? Wash that stuff 3 times in tap water and 1 more time in rain/ro/distilled water and it should be safe.

Zak, is this cocopeat or coconut peat?

I am just worried whether washing 3 times with tap water and 1 one time with RO/distilled/rain water would wash away any desolved mineral salts in the media completely. Have you tried it before?

I know that it is dangerous to use coconut peat harvested from coconut trees that grows by the seaside as it contains mineral salts? However I've heard good reports on the use of coconut peat that were harvested from inland.

I have not heard anyone using coco peat for CPs before. I tried Tea peat before. Bad idea. Each time I water, the water that comes out from below the pot is brown like tea. I think it would be the same for coco peat. And the tea peat grows fungus. « Last Edit: May 19, 2007, 9:54am by David »Link to Post - Back to Top LoggedMy Wantlist zakhren
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #8 on May 19, 2007, 11:06pm » Cocopeat is coconut peat. It's just like normal peat just brown. The water doesnt seem to be coloured, but normal peat would come out blackish or brownish if you dont cover the drainage holes a bit too. I always put a small ammount of sphagnum moss at the bottom of pots to stop any loss of media. Besides, normal peat grows fungus too.

"I am just worried whether washing 3 times with tap water and 1 one time with RO/distilled/rain water would wash away any desolved mineral salts in the media completely."

Worried that it WOULD wash away? It's supposed to. I'm trying it with my nep seedlings and they are doing fine. Starting to grow the 2nd set of leaves.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #9 on May 20, 2007, 1:02pm » I know what coconut peat is and I have used it before. Just a caution to growers who want to use it. Perhaps the ones we bought were not contaminated with that much mineral salts or non at all. So it is ok. Just to be safe my advise it to wash more than 3-4 times to be sure rather than limit it to just 4 times.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #10 on May 20, 2007, 6:40pm » Yeah more never hurts. You could put the peat in a strainer and run water through it for a few minute too. Then wash it all off in ro water.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #11 on May 20, 2007, 7:38pm »
Quote:I know what coconut peat is and I have used it before. Just a caution to growers who want to use it. Perhaps the ones we bought were not contaminated with that much mineral salts or non at all. So it is ok. Just to be safe my advise it to wash more than 3-4 times to be sure rather than limit it to just 4 times.

I used only coconut peat for my rafflesiana too, so far it grow very well, and the new develop pitchers is bigger. But coconut peat invite a lot of very tiny white color bugs, but it didnt harm the plant.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #12 on May 20, 2007, 7:53pm » Yes and cocopeat is loved by ants. If ants get to the cocopeat they would try to move in.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #13 on May 21, 2007, 2:12am » A couple of my Nepenthes are in almsot pure peat-cant be quite that bad compared to free draining mediums, as the mixta x maxima thats in it is growing about 5 upper pitchers and is growing a new lowland pitchers on all its smaller growths!
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #14 on May 21, 2007, 2:03pm » Where can I get some of this cocopeat? what do the nursery people call them?
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #15 on May 21, 2007, 2:39pm » It's actually coconut husk and tree trunk that has been cut into small tiny pieces. You'll see it in almost most nurseries. Hmm, what you call it ahh. I've never asked for it before. It is usually outside where you can see. i'll just pick it up and pay. If you say coconut peat I doubt the nursey guys woould know.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #16 on May 21, 2007, 2:47pm » Neopith is the most popular brand. Pet shops also sell it sometimes. It's sold as dried cubes. Don't let the size fool you. It can get 3-4 times bigger than the size of the cube when it starts soaking up water.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #17 on May 22, 2007, 4:33pm »
Quote:Neopith is the most popular brand. Pet shops also sell it sometimes. It's sold as dried cubes. Don't let the size fool you. It can get 3-4 times bigger than the size of the cube when it starts soaking up water.

I used to use neopith but the nurseries here don't sell it anymore. I think it's from Thailand ?

Also i found that neps will grow on any kind of medium but ensure it's well drain.


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Re: other medium?
« Reply #18 on May 22, 2007, 7:22pm » The nursery near sunway pyramid sells neopith. And my local aquarium shop has it too for some reason. He deals with terrariums and other animals so maybe it's for one of them.
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Re: other medium?
« Reply #19 on May 22, 2007, 7:43pm »
Quote:

Also i found that neps will grow on any kind of medium but ensure it's well drain.



Well drain is easier to achieve, but nutrient free is some what challenging
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