Date: Thu, 18 Jun 1998 17:45:17 EDT From: JDPDX@aol.com To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg2096$foo@default> Subject: Soil Oxygenation
<< CP'ers
I have been wondering about this for a month or two. Sarracenias like
to
be kept wet BUT it is bad to let the soil get depleted of oxygen so long
periods
in stagnant trays can cause problems. >>
Rick,
I think I may have a simpler solution for you. An orchid grower shared a
technique that so far, seems effective to get oxygen to stagnant soils. Use a
solution of Hydrogen peroxide diluted 3:1 with water. He does it on orchids
about every two weeks with great results. So far I've tried it on S.
psittacina, Flytraps, D. capensis, and D. aliciae. The results have been
encouraging. The peroxide, besides releasing oxygen to the roots, also has a
bit of a sterilizing effect which helps to slow down pathogens.
Be sure to dilute it though. I tried last week using the straight 3% solution
right from the bottle and burned a flytrap. (I was trying to see if I could
kill some fungus and slime mold.)
Let me know how it works if you experiment with this.
Jeff
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