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Post by phissionkorps on Jul 25, 2008 22:34:30 GMT -10
Bad idea if you're trying to root anything in those pots. Most plants, neps included, do not like to have their "rooting area" exposed to light while they're trying to make roots.
Also not a good idea. You have pica.
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Post by idontlikeforms on Jul 25, 2008 23:32:07 GMT -10
Phissionkorps I'm not trying to plant any cuttings in them. All the plants already have established root systems. I have eaten coral for years and have had no side effects so far. Coral is a widely used health supplement right now, particularly among the elderly. It's usually labeled as "coral calcium." Read the content of the bottle, it's nothing but plain old coral. Even Walmart carries it in their vitamin section. I've simply found a more economical way to purchase it. I gulp down with fluid about 1 or 2 teaspoons 2 or 3 times a day.
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Post by phissionkorps on Jul 26, 2008 7:54:14 GMT -10
Coral calcium = bogus. Very much a waste of money. Your body only absorbs 25-35% of any kind of calcium, and the "benefits" of coral calcium are either greatly exaggerated or totally false. You're probably getting enough calcium through your diet anyway, and if not, drink some milk. Coral calcium as a dietary supplement is nothing more than a waste of money.
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Post by mrflytrap2 on Jul 26, 2008 15:02:16 GMT -10
I still like the idea of the Nepenthes and I sharing a mid morning snack... One for the nep one for me, one for the nep one for me... 8)
But sadly, doubt the limestone rocks available in my area will work as nicely.
If I find either product I'll make sure to document the before and after process for you RF and share the results. -Nate
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Post by nepaholic on Jul 31, 2008 2:09:56 GMT -10
There is no need to use coral, you can use any form of limestone to increase the amount of CA in your soil mixture. Michael, stale coffee is a fantastic Nepenthes fertilizer. Apparently, the coffee bean has a near perfect ratio of nutrients for optimal plant growth. I use it to water my Nepenthes a few times a year and they have never looked better. Try it out on some of those "struggling" plants. Takes about six to eight weeks to notice the difference in th growth and health of the plant. Only apply it once, not sure what happens if too much is added and there is no need to water them with coffee more than once or twice a year. Very Interesting Dave. Do you have more info? I like to try it on some of my neps! Regards Jens
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Dave Evans
Nobiles
dpevans_at_rci.rutgers.edu
Posts: 490
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Post by Dave Evans on Jul 31, 2008 10:56:26 GMT -10
Dear Jens, Not much, other than it works really well. My struggling N. rajah has been the same size for about two years. Four months after applying the coffee in place of water as a normal watering, it has grown three new leaves, making the rosette about three times the diameter. Not bad in my book. Took photos of the process too. But I don't have them on the internet.
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Post by jgriffin on Jul 31, 2008 11:43:57 GMT -10
Hi Michael, Interesting topic. The coffee perks them up in the morning, but unless you maintain a steady supply, they start to droop in the afternoon.... Seriously though, what about hard water? If you let hard tap water sit...the chlorine will dissipate, but the rest of the compounds stay, including...calcium, bicarbonate, magnesium and sulphates. Unfortunately, our water has flouride too(great for the teeth around here!), so I may be out. Our site says 1 ppm on that. I have heard that flourides can build up in perlite(so I would have to forgo that if I used tap water). Maybe you would have to flush with pure water as a precaution. A little summary of our city water is below. Thoughts? Water Quality Parameters 12/13/07 Lincoln's water is moderately hard. Alkalinity, pH, and hardness are important if considering a water softner. pH (in pH units) 7.54 Total Alkalinity (CaCO3) 158 ppm Total Hardness (CaCO3) (12 grains per gallon) 180 ppm Total Dissolved Solids 318 ppm Calcium 51.2 ppm Chloride 17.1 ppm Iron <0.05 ppm Manganese 1.85 ppb Sodium 28.7 ppm Sulfate 66 ppm
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obregon562
Nobiles
"I do believe Im feeling stronger everyday."
Posts: 387
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Post by obregon562 on Aug 4, 2008 17:40:57 GMT -10
very helpful topic for everyone!
now with the coffee thing, is it just coffee thats not hot anymore? does the ground up cheap stuff work or does it have to be whole-bean? i definantly have some *cough-cough all* neps i want to grow faster!
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Post by rainforest on Aug 5, 2008 7:13:09 GMT -10
I'm not sure what the coffee does for the plants especially in the long run, but before jumping in wholeheartedly with your entire collection of especially very rare or irreplaceable plants, I suggest you experiment with just a few (expendable plants) first!
M
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obregon562
Nobiles
"I do believe Im feeling stronger everyday."
Posts: 387
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Post by obregon562 on Aug 5, 2008 7:20:18 GMT -10
Michael,
true. i wasnt going to do that right away. test it on a few as you said.
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Post by sdcarnivores on Aug 17, 2008 8:54:13 GMT -10
I tend to agree with "Idontlikeforms" on some points. I didn't become interested in the possibility of Nepenthes liking calcium until i read up about the important role calcium plays in all plants, as well as accounts of animal bones and even egg shells? being digested and absorbed by Nepenthes pitchers, obviously indicating the plants can and do make use of the calcium. Indeed most of what composes coral is calcium. More specifically, calcium carbonate. It's the same stuff as limestone, chalk, and in fact egg shells. Now obviously, to both humans and plants, the biological need for a pure element (calcium ions) is not met directly through compounds with that same element. In other words, any calcium compounds present in the soil or pitchers must be disassociated into pure calcium ions at some point before it can be absorbed by the plant. Otherwise it is completely useless (that goes for plants and humans, btw). Now, considering the polar properties of water, depending on the PH of water, temperature, and CO2 concentrations, water will of course dissolve and leach out calcium ions at some rate which are then absorbed by the plant (at the soil level). So adding calcium carbonates to the soil should indeed be a beneficial additive that effectively delivers some absorbable calcium. You could use eggs shells or coral to the same effect really. Then you can also look at the digestive capabilities of nepenthes pitchers. They have the ability to break down and absorb bones in vertebrae, snail shells (mostly calcium carbonate) and possibly eggs shells (I'm currently experimenting with that to see if they truly do break down in the pitchers). So it stands to reason that nepenthes have the enzymes necessary to cleave calcium from its pitcher contents, and effectively absorb it. I seriously wonder how an application of an ionic solution of calcium could effect Nepenthes (or any plant in general) when applied. *Consider also that calium in general moves very slowly through all plant organs, not just in the phloem. *Cement/concrete is also made from limestone as well as other materials. The end product is a mixture of calcium, aluminium, and silicon compounds. I believe there may also be traces of calcium chloride in concrete. Calcium chloride is commonly used as a fertilizer/calcium source. www.buildeazy.com/newplans/eazylist/cement.html
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Post by rainforest on Oct 31, 2008 8:34:13 GMT -10
Any updates on the coffee?
I have seen great results with incorporating coral chips into the media. This is also a more natural state where they occur in habitat growing too.
My initial findings for this was the way nepenthes grew roost right through the bottoms of mesh bots to get access to cement tile walls where they were perched upon.
M
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Post by nepromantic on Feb 2, 2009 11:00:10 GMT -10
The following article compares coconut fibre and cinders (scoria) for use in hydroponics. The interesting point with relation to media and this thread is that coconut fibre exhibited some calcium retention during the stabilisation period. I would think that the period for things to balance out in a hydropnic system (with constant nutrient flows and input adjustments) would be much quicker than in a standard pot. Also nitrogen levels at root zone was reduced by coco fibre and a small amount of sodium and potassium released as we would expect. Cinders had a very small effect only on manganese and phosphate. So all this also supports the argument of making potting mixes up ahead of time and allowing them to stabilise to reduce media fluctuations during settling in when you have just repoted a nep. quantumgrow.co.nz/site/hydrotech/files/Articles/ScoriaTomatoReport.pdf
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Post by rainforest on Feb 3, 2009 6:45:38 GMT -10
Other factors also play a role in this "stabilizing" period. Coco chunks break down and releases other things into the media. The overall effects of coco when it breaks down has potentials of creating a sludge build up. While coarse in the mixing stages, additional grit, scoria and even basic components (i.e. coral chips) will be beneficial in keeping the media from becoming too acidic or overly wet through soil decomposition. A media composed of more wood tree products decomposed is far better than peat moss, coco chips and even straight potting soils. I am still very fond of perlite and to some extent the addition of coarse sand/granite or other solid media components. After witnessing and having to repot everything grown in very heavy organic soils, I still would prefer a more grainy media over a purely organic one. Experimentation always works best and what works great for one may be deadly for another. Ultimately water quality, fertilizing techniques and the elements all play major roles in the condition of your media.
M
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Post by marka on Feb 3, 2009 9:09:29 GMT -10
Phissionkorps I'm not trying to plant any cuttings in them. All the plants already have established root systems. I have eaten coral for years and have had no side effects so far. Coral is a widely used health supplement right now, particularly among the elderly. It's usually labeled as "coral calcium." Read the content of the bottle, it's nothing but plain old coral. Even Walmart carries it in their vitamin section. I've simply found a more economical way to purchase it. I gulp down with fluid about 1 or 2 teaspoons 2 or 3 times a day. Its given to old people to prevent osteoporosis and the like, if your young and healthy, eating too much calcium causes other diseases such as low turnover disease and probably gallstones...
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