Date: Wed, 12 May 1999 08:31:33 -0400 From: "Mellard, David" <dam7@cdc.gov> To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com Message-Id: <aabcdefg1642$foo@default> Subject: RE: Acidic soil
>I need to find what kind of soil is acidic in my yard!
>I have a few CPs coming in a couple days, and I need
>to get a terrarium fixed up for them. How can I tell
>if soil is acidic enough for CPs or not? Is compost
>acidic? I have alot of that, but it is mostly horse
>manure (!). Is that acidic?
Hi Amy,
Unless you live in coastal areas of the Southeast or Gulf Coast, it's
unlikely that your soil will be acidic enough for cp's. It's better to
create your own mix by buying sand and milled spaghnum moss. A mix of 1:1
will do for most cp's. Compost and horse manure will kill your cp's so
avoid them.
You have a few options when setting up your terrarium. If you put your cp's
in pots then the above mix is fine. If you're putting the mix in the
terrarium then I suggest adding a bottom layer of horticultural charcoal and
mixing some charcoal into the lower portions of the mix, keeping the upper
portion that the roots will grow in just sand and peat. The charcoal will
prevent souring.
The cp FAQs on the ICPS home page (?) (maybe someone has the internet
address for Amy) will give you advice on setting up aquariums.
David
Atlanta
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