Date: Wed, 2 Dec 1998 08:38:19 -0500 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg3785$foo@default> Subject: RE: RE: Seed Germination and Light Levels
Hi Dave,
Thanks for your comments.
> I would give it a stratification period. That or forget about
>seeing any seedlings...
I can't see any seeds and so suspect that they have disintegrated. I've
planted a whole crop of fresh seed and am keeping most of them outside to go
through stratification, provided Atlanta gets to have a winter this year.
I'm starting to feel like I live in Orlando.
> Maybe charring some pine needles would be even more effective?
As long as I don't have to grind it up <gr>
> I don't really see why they would suffer damage (this doesn't mean
>I'm saying they can't)... Plants, in the wild, are often exposed to
>burnt wood/leaves without damage. Infact, isn't this how many nutrients
>from old growth become available to younger plants?
My guess is that the nutrients in charcoal are probably bound tighter than
the nutrients in ash. I was thinking that charcoal in the mix probably
reduces bacterial growth and thus might affect the pH of peat-based mixes by
not allowing bacterial action to lower the pH.
> > I'm throwing this idea out there so that more knowledgeable people might
> > comment on the pros and cons of adding charcoal to media. I'll add that
> > it's used in orchid media to extend the life of the media, although I'm
> not
> > sure about the mechanism that allows that to happen. Maybe by reducing
> > bacterial growth?
>
> I thought charcoal absorbs reactive chemicals (like poisons) and
>that helps keep the soil fresh (for lack of a better term.) Does
>bacteria live in charcoal?
You're right about charcoal absorbing chemicals. I've seen such terms as
keeping the mix sweet, which I've assumed has something to do with pH. It's
use is finite, however, eventually loosing it's ability to absorb chemicals.
I'm not sure if you could say charcoal is sterile. I doubt it but seem to
remember that it does have bacteriostatic properties, that is, reduces or
inhibits bacterial growth.
> Dave Evans
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