Date: Sun, 11 Jan 1998 23:36:14 -0500 From: aquilla2@juno.com (Michael A Sankovich) To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg140$foo@default> Subject: Rubbermaid tubs
Zachary,
I have used rubbermaid stock watering tanks for about 8 years. I have
used the 50 and 100 gallon sizes. Of the two I prefer the 50 gallon
size. I fill them with a 50-50 pete sand mixture, and build wooden
trucks with castors for wheeling them around. I have found that the 100
gal size used about 6 cubic feet of peat. with the depth anaerobic
conditions develop and it seems a big waste of peat. However the 50
gallon size works really well. Both have the same surface area. I
currently have one with six different clumps of Sarracenias in it. They
are growing in live sphagnum moss and through a matrix of cranberry
vines. The water levels fluctuate with rainfall and evaporation. I can
usually push my hand down between the moss and the sides to check the
moisture level, and water accordingly. Standing water has never seemed
to bother them. they all flower and produce seed. This year I was even
able to harvest cranberries for the first time. In the past I have
wheeled them to an enclosed unheated porch for the winter, and yes they
have even frozen with no ill effects. This winter I have decided to
cover one with plastic and place in an unheated garage,(filtered light)
which has the potential for longer and harder freezes. Wish me luck as I
have had this tub for 6 years. So far we have had a mild winter here in
the north eastern U.S. My other potted plants will spend the winter in
standing water outdoors at the mercy of the elements and I will just wait
till spring and see what happens. I have also built an in the ground
rubber lined seepage bog with a water collection sump in the bottom and
pump the water to the other end for 15 minutes of every hour, every day.
This never has the chance to go anaerobic. and is doing well into it's
3rd winter. It measures 3ft X 16 ft and 18 in deep.
I hope that I have been of some assistance to you . Any questions can be
directed to me at my Email address.
Michael A Sankovich
>I am looking at using a Rubbermaid 150 gallon plastic livestock
>watering trough as a giant pot/bog. The watering trough is oval at
>the top roughly 5 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet deep. Currently I grow all
>my Sarracenias in pots sitting in standing water. They have
>flourished under these conditions despite our low [as compared to
>their native habitat] humidity in the summer. I am concerned that if
>I transplant the Sarracenia into the watering trough, I will not be
>able to safely raise the waterline to the plants's roots. [Having
>a foot or more of peat constantly submerged underwater would lead to
>anaerobic conditions.] As it stands now, in the summer the waterline
>drops substantially during the course of a day on the Sarracenia pots.
>By the evening most of the potting media is getting oxygen. This
>sharp daily waterline fluctuation would not occur with the watering
>trough setup I envision. The volume of water stored is just too
>great.
>
>Why mess with what works already, one might ask. During the summer
>I have to add water daily to the multitude of Rubbermaid dish pans
>the Sarracenia sit in. During the winter I have to bail out the
>dish pans after every rain storm for my plants submerge rapidly.
>In the Spring I have to repot everything to accomodate the new
>growth. I now longer have the free time to continue with this
>practice. I also can't afford to leave town for any length of time.
>
>Before embarking on this endevour, I need to get some kind of idea
>how much extra benefit Sarracenias get having their roots
>reach into the waterline in hot dryish weather as opposed to growing
>in just moist to wet conditions in similar circumstances. I also
>could use input on how well peat/perlite mixes wick up water. [There
>might be a foot to a foot and a half of peat/perlite mix between the
>waterline and the surface of the watering trough. Might the bottom of
>the media be sopping wet while the top is bone dry?]
>
>I am looking for insight and opinions before I take the plunge and do
>this. No one will be held at all acountable for any bad advice. Any
>sort of relevant experience would be much appreciated.
>
>Thanks a lot,
>--Zachary--
>e-mail: zkaufman@hotmail.com
>
>P.S. The watering trough is designed to sit entirely above ground.
> It would basically be a massive pot.
>
>
>
>
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>------------------------------
>
>End of CP Digest 1324
>*********************
>
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