Tecophilaea/plant mixes, etc.
Rodger Whitlock (Mon, 01 Aug 2005 10:23:58 PDT)
On 30 Jul 05 at 22:04, Alberto Castillo wrote:
...not long ago I explained that the solution to drainage
problems lies in making good sized drainage holes in the
containers' sides close to the bottom. Now that Rodger moved
his T. cyanocrocus to an 8 litre container they will explode
into growth but unless he makes better drainage holes, the
drainage will be slower and the core of the mix will remain
wetter for long. In other words, the bigger the containers
the better the results but drainge must be gradually more
substantial as the pot size grow bigger.
It might be worthwhile to do a few quantitative measurements on
these matters. Anybody interested enough to make it all worth
my while?
Phil Pearson and Steve Doonan, previously referred to, did
something along these lines at one time.
Further thought: Phil and Steve's Grand Ridge Nursery (now
closed) is situated in the Cascade foothills, with something
like 100" (2500mm) of precipitation a year, mostly rain. For
successful growth of *alpines* in these conditions, they
devised very lean, very open, non-retentive mixes. I've heard
more than one alpine gardener here, after adopting their soil
mix formula, lament the number of deaths that resulted. The
difference is that here in Victoria, we only get about 20"
(500 mm) of rain a year, and such lean, fast-draining mixes are
not appropriate during our long summer droughts.
Moral/conclusion: whenever one reads a given recommendation re
potting or planting, keep a close eye on the conditions the
recommendation emanates from. In the present instance, I
wonder if what works very well for Alberto in Buenos Aires
might not be off the mark in other climates with different
temperature/precipitation patterns.
Stay tuned.
--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
Maritime Zone 8, a cool Mediterranean climate
on beautiful Vancouver Island