Date: Fri, 31 Jan 1997 14:40:57 +0100 From: wim.leys@vlaanderen.be To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg447$foo@default> Subject: Re: CP-beginner
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Niels Asger Nielsen writes from Denmark :
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> The water I use is tap-water with ferro-sulphur (or ferro-sulphate?)=
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> added, to lower the PH-value. Will the chemical eventually kill the=20
> plant? (my Gardenias love the water)=20
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I have never used ferro-sulphated water for my plants, but the=20
presence of iron seems to be a risk. Iron- and copper-salts are used=20
to kill weeds (moss).
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During a long dry, hot summer I have once used oxalic acid to soften=20
tap-water. It forms a precipitate with the chalk (calcium oxalate). I=20
took a barrel of =B1 200 l tap-water, added a pre-prepared oxalic acid=
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solution and stirred well. It was then left to stand for two days. A=20
white layer was formed around the walls and the bottom. To minimise=20
disturbance, a water hose was used to regain the purified water. If=20
you wonder how much acid I used, I must confess that I used the=20
(dangerous) rule of thumb : "a little is good, more is better". My=20
plants though have never complained.=20
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In the UK, Sarracenia Nurseries uses sulphuric acid to precipitate=20
chalk from tap water. I believe most, if not all of their plants are=20
given treated water.
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Whatever you use, be careful with these chemicals : oxalic acid is a=20
poison and sulphuric acid is a dangerous stuff.
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Whenever available I prefer rainwater, it's easy to gather (if one is=20
not living in an apartment) and the price / quality is superb. I don't=
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know about the weather in Denmark at this moment, but melted snow can=20
be used as well.
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> Which species should a beginner go for when he does not want an ugly
> (his wife thinks) and space-requiring terrarium in his small=20
apartment?
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I know of only one place where a Nepenthes out of a terrarium or a=20
tropical greenhouse is doing well, and by well I don't mean lots of=20
leafs and no pitchers. A friend of mine has a big aquarium with=20
water-turtles in it. The water is heated and there is no glass cover=20
on top of it (as is mostly done above an aquarium with fish, to=20
prevent the "evaporation" of fish and water). He has hung his=20
Nepenthes above the aquarium, the warm water evaporates and reaches=20
the Nepenthes. The plant thrives and has pitchers of 20 to 30 cm.
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When I begun growing CP's, all my plants were grown on a windowsill=20
(south facing) in a saucer with rainwater : they were Sarracenia=20
flava, S. leucophilla, S. purpurea ssp venosa, Dionaea muscipula=20
(Venus flytrap), Drosera capensis and D. rotundifolia. They all grew=20
very well and captured lots of insects, the reason why they were=20
allowed by my mother to stand in the living room. All other=20
Sarracenia's will also grow very well out of a terrarium.
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Wim Leys
Belgium
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