Date: Mon, 13 Jan 1997 10:57:44 -0500 (EST) From: jcavanau@indyunix.iupui.edu (john e. cavanaugh) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg170$foo@default> Subject: Sphagnum experiment
Hello again fellow CPers! Just thought I'd let you know how my
experiment is going. Complete failure, is how it's going. No, the moss is
actually doing very well, with the moss in the elevated pots doing the
best. The problem is that the experiment has a fatal methodological flaw:
elevation of the pots above the water brings them much closer to the light
source, so that the amount of light received is something like 4X more than
the moss in the pots on the bottom of the terrerium! Duh-Huh! I can't
believe I missed something so basic - and me an expert on methodology. To
do the experiment properly, I would have to use two identical aquaria, with
all the pots placed on inverted empty pots to bring them to the same level
below the lights, the only difference being the level of the water at the
bottom (1inch vs 8 inches deep).
Anyway, I think I figured out the original problem - the new batch
of moss just looks much healthier initially than the last batch did.
Additionally, I had a problem with overheating during the summer so the
moss probably got poached like my Neps did.
Finally, does anyone know if fertilizer is harmfull or beneficial
to sphagnum? How about misting vs. watering from above vs. watering from
below only (using diluted plant food?) Does fertilizer increase the risk of
damping off?
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