>could someone help me? I have trouble with cultivation of european
>Pings on vertical soil (mixured from peat, limestone gravel and
>sphagnum). I've prepared watering system, which contains waterpump,
>filter, containers (60x30x5cm, inclination almost 50 degrees).
> !!! Should I be affraid of soil's washing away? !!!
I have described the cultivation of Pings with a 45 degrees inclination
growing setting in the march issue of CPN Vol. IV: 8-18 (1975). In the
meanwhile I have changed to a completely vertical system (90 degrees). For
both systems I recommend to pay attention to the following points: (1) The
watering system should not run 24 hrs. but only for 0.5-1hr. at normal
teperatures and twice 0.5-1 hr. on warm days. (2) To avoid washing away
the freshly prepared substrate the water flow must be reduced to occasional
single and small drops!!! If you can't sufficiently reduce the water flow
install a branching tap (fork faucet) in order to recycle the surplus water
directly back into the main container. (3) After some weeks the uneroded
substrate surface will be overgrown first by algae and then by moss (after
about half a year) and the water flow may be increased. (4) The essential
point is to have a substrate which doesn't rot. Why mix limestone gravel
(alcaline) with Sphagnum and peat (acid)? Its better to make two different
substrates according to the preferences of the species.
Good growing Juerg
___________________________________________________
Juerg Steiger, Institut fuer Aus-, Weiter- und Fortbildung IAWF
University of Bern, Inselspital 37a, CH-3010 Bern, Switzerland
Office: ++41 31 632 98 87, Fax: ++41 31 632 98 71