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  Re: Chemistry of Waterlogged Soils
From: "Julius Boos" ju-bo at email.msn.com> on 2001.03.27 at 15:11:36(6093)
Dear Ted,

Just one MORE thought---I grew Urospaths, Dracontioides, Anaphyllopsis,
Cyrtosperma and many other tropical wet-loving Aroids, all of which were
known 'swamp dwellers', but many other growers had failed before me in
trying to grow these plants in pots placed in a saucer of 'static' water.
MY thoughts were that in most 'swamps' (there must be tremendous variations
in the chemistry of the soil in the many habitats in which these widly
distributed plants grow!) there is movement of water through the substrate,
no matter how slow, and this plays a big part in the plant`s ability not
only to 'survive' these seemingly 'bad' conditions, but to thrive and
reproduce in them. By putting the soil in the pot on a thick layer of
'lava rock' which keeps the 'soil' ( I tried to limit the amount of 'soil'
contained in my 'mix', using peat moss, chopped sphagnum, and coarse 'play
sand') above the level of the water in the saucer, good regular applications
of weak mixes of liquid fertlizer, and regular changes of the water in the
saucer, these previously 'impossible-to-keep-growing' plants literally
thrived in my collection, producing seed which were sent to friends
worldwide.

Chemistry is NOT the only item at 'play' in this equation!
Hope the above is of help.

Julius

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