RE: [Aroid-l] Let's talk commercial mixes, eh?

From: "michael mahan" agavestar at covad.net> on 2005.12.25 at 06:05:58(13650) Ya’ll are forgetting about capillary action perlite 100% has no transfer mechanizing capability add just 5% coir to the mix & that pot will dry quite fast ,even faster with more drain holes like the pots used by nurseries that use pure coir/perlite mixes, even faster than that when used in a CLAY pot (advantage to this mix for a nursery,no added bacterial action to sour the mix ,slow break down ,able to control ,ph,fertilizer) & fast growup ,then a sale & out da door . pure hard rock gravel will hold water if the sizes of pieces are such that no capillary action takes place Mike +More -----Original Message----- From: aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com [mailto:aroid-l-bounces@gizmoworks.com] On Behalf Of Russ Sent: Saturday, December 24, 2005 11:03 AM To: Discussion of aroids Subject: Re: [Aroid-l] Let's talk commercial mixes, eh? Susan, there's actually not much that absorbs water less than perlite, and you should not be afraid to use it. Perlite does not absorb water, but it does hold it in irregularities of the outer surface. Vermiculite holds water in the multi-layered body of the granule, MUCH more than perlite. I suspect that you might not have drained as much water out of that tub as you thought, and the water in the bottom kept wicking slowly to the top, keeping it damp enough to grow that algae. Only thing I can think of better than perlite to open a mix up is pumice, which is only available in quantity on the far west coast. Smooth round styrofoam beads, like I see in some commercial mixes, might be better than perlite if one could find it, but I've never seen it. Russ central Fla >>>....perlite never did dry, it did develop a nice green mold .... I've been leery of mix recipes that call for a lot of perlite to keep the mixture from becoming too moist. SusanB _______________________________________________ Aroid-l mailing list Aroid-l@gizmoworks.com http://www.gizmoworks.com/mailman/listinfo/aroid-l

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