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Post by tomrade on Apr 21, 2015 23:11:37 GMT
hi yall, i've been growing cps as an amateur for a few years now, and I'm running up against some issues in my lil garden after i moved it into a new greenhouse space. I have mostly sarracenia, temperate drosera, a vft, all in pots of peat, perlite, and sand, sitting in trays of water. They are getting daily overhead watering [groundwater from the well], lots of light, and buffered night temperatures. One problem is the algae growth! green and brown shiny goo is beginning to coat the soil surface of a lot of the pots. Any general tips for controlling it?
Another strange issue is die-off. Everything is coming happily out of dormancy, but some of the sarracenia rhizome cuttings that lasted all winter are putting up new leaves only to curl up and die off suddenly while everything else flourishes. some of the open spring pitchers are becoming pale brown at the end and curling up; it looks less like a sun burn, more like some pest or disease, in my opinion. My VFT has been stolidly putting out wrinkled little leaves for some months now- i keep thinking the next round will look more normal, but now that the weather is nice and steady, i'm beginning to worry. i just removed its three (3!) flower stalks hoping to stimulate trap growth, but the latest round of leaves is equally small, wrinkled, and malformed. i repotted it maybe three weeks ago, to no noticeable effect.
my guess is some mineral or chemical in the water- are there any textbook effects of sulfur, etc., on CPs? do the symptoms fit any pest of chemical overdose? i do fertilize with Maxsea, very weakly, as misted foliar feed, but I've been doing that for years. looking at pictures of the same VFT thriving last year has me wondering! thanks for any help. i'll try to get some photos up to illustrate. --tom
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Post by hcarlton on Apr 21, 2015 23:51:00 GMT
The problem is almost certainly the groundwater. CP's require very pure water to do well overall, the algae is a sign of excess minerals and nutrients being added to the soil and the die-off you see is probably also due to mineral burn. Use distilled or rainwater instead.
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stevebooth
Full Member
Happy to be here
Posts: 140
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Post by stevebooth on Apr 22, 2015 12:28:36 GMT
As hcarlton suggests it sounds very like mineral burn, either from historic build up in the soil from previous watering or a sudden rise perhaps due to fertiliser in the run off to the well. If you get hold of a TDS meter that would give you an instant indication. If you have repotted in the last three weeks, if you flush the pots through with rain or RO water and continue to use that they should recover. Cheers and good luck Steve
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Post by ICPS-bob on Apr 22, 2015 17:45:29 GMT
I am a bit suspicious when you say the problem started after you moved the plants to a new greenhouse space. Was this just a coincidence? Did anything else change? I agree that what you describe is likely related to your well water, but why is the problem just now showing up after successfully growing your CPs for years?
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Post by tomrade on Apr 22, 2015 18:59:16 GMT
hey everyone, thanks for the replies! i think the groundwater is the most likely culprit too- i live and work on a small organic farm, and the CPs have just been moved to the main greenhouse where we start veggies, sprout grain for the animals, and grow some more finicky perennials. ICPS-bob, while I've been growing cps for years, this is the first year I've grown them on this particular farm in oregon I've moved these plants all up and down the west coast, and even built a mini greenhouse for the truck bed when my partner and i were traveling my last semi-permanent set up was in oakland, ca for a few years, in my own little greenhouse where i could dial in all the specs; the new greenhouse is shared space, and they're getting the overhead misting that all the veggies get once a day. it might be the new overhead watering schedule in particular thats interfering, because i usually take a watering can down to the creek to water the pots and keep the trays filled. so, do yall think that creek water might be a safer bet than well water? we're certainly downstream.. i just don't see myself being able to afford an RO system anytime soon, and i don't know when we'll be getting more rain! thanks again --tom
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Post by tomrade on Apr 22, 2015 19:02:58 GMT
oh, one of the distinguishing symptoms on the sarracenia pitchers is that the 'burned' tips aren't dry or crumbly at all- they're...spongey, kinda damp-feeling..the plot thickens...
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Post by ICPS-bob on Apr 23, 2015 18:28:49 GMT
I would test whatever water you might use with a TDS meter. What is the source of the overhead misting water -- any chemicals/fertilizer added?
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Post by jdallas on Apr 24, 2015 12:57:53 GMT
Hi Tom, What part of Oregon are you in? Most well water is too hard for cp, especially if you are tray watering. If you're seeing any white or red deposits on trays or misters, dead give away. The symptoms you're describing sounds very much like hard water damage. There's a very good chance your creek water could be softer and suitable but it depends. If it's a typical Western Oregon forest stream, the water should be fine. If you're in the Willamette Valley, not so much. It will really depend what's upstream. Getting a TDS tester to know where you're at with this is super helpful. Otherwise you're just guessing. An easy way to get a TDS meter and a filter that will take minerals out of small amounts of water is to get a ZeroWater filter pitcher. You just have to get one that comes with the meter. Otherwise you can find TDS meters fairly inexpensive these days online. Here's an example: www.amazon.com/HM-Digital-Thermometer-Measurement-Resolution/dp/B0002T6L5MJeff
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Post by tomrade on Apr 25, 2015 19:21:38 GMT
Icps-bob, the overhead misters in the greenhouse are straight from the well line, no fertilizers or anything added, but I suspect the natural sulfur or calcium content in the groundwater here is the culprit. I'm putting the little darlings on a creek water regimen to see the difference, and left all the pots outside for the recent rain to flush. I don't have a tds meter yet, but you can bet I'm investing in one this week thanks again yall!
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