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  Soilless mix
From: Durightmm at aol.com on 2002.04.03 at 03:31:28(8428)
In the discussions about the minutiea of mix parts and types no mention of watering habits has been made. It is the water not the mix that is damaging. While a porous mix is critcal it need not neccessarily be any different than the soil in which it growes naturally. The right balance is important but in it's absence prudent watering can also solve problems. Determine the moisture holding capacity of the mix based on the plants need and adjust accordingly Good growing Joe

From: "Celeste Whitlow" politicalamazon at charter.net> on 2002.04.03 at 16:38:04(8434)
The only thing I would add to this excellent advise
is this: when anything is grown in a container, modifications must occur
because the limited space the media occupies dramatically alters water drainage,
CEC, ability of the media to maintain an even temperature, etc.

--Celeste

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From: angel morales angel151 at earthlink.net> on 2002.04.04 at 04:31:35(8456)
on 4/3/02 11:38 AM, Celeste Whitlow at politicalamazon@charter.net wrote:

> The only thing I would add to this excellent advise is this: when anything is
> grown in a container, modifications must occur because the limited space the
> media occupies dramatically alters water drainage, CEC, ability of the media
> to maintain an even temperature, etc.
Hey, what is the acronym name for the "CEC" , in this sentence. thanks angel
--
Angel151@earthlink.net

From: "Celeste Whitlow" politicalamazon at charter.net> on 2002.04.04 at 16:37:17(8463)
CEC stands for "cation exchange capacity," and it is a measure of how
"fertile" the soil is. It indicates the soil particles' ability to hold on
to "fertilizer" (minerals) which exist mainly as cations in the soil
solution (water in the soil). If your soil has a higher CEC, they say you
don't need to fertilize as often or as much.

Soil/media with a lot of organic matter has a high CEC. Clay soil has a
high CEC. These both, obviously, also hold a lot of water which is not good
for aroids, from what I hear.

Sandy soil has a low CEC. So you get excellent water drainage but low
ability to "hang on" to fertilizer and water.

I would think that in a large commercial operation, they probably
"fertigate": that is, every time they water, there is fertilizer in the
water. Often that is how it is done with other plants. Again, aroids may
be different.

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