Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XI
tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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tapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
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Container Soils - Water Movement & Retention VI
Comments (152)4-6 lbs of dolomite will generally raise the pH of 1 yard of media by 0.5 - 1.0 point. 16 (fl) oz of dolomite weighs about 1 lb, so we can use ounces interchangeably (fluid vs weight) for lime. Bark/peat soils usually come in at an unlimed pH of 4.0 - 5.0, so we want to raise them about >1.0 point. There are 80 oz in 5 lbs of lime, or 160 tbsp, which will raise the pH of a yard (202 gallons) of soil about 1 point. The big batch is about 35 gallons (4.5 cu ft) or 1/6 of a yard. We need 1/6 of 160 tbsp or 27 tbsp to raise the pH about 1 point. There are 16 tbsp in a cup, so 27 tbsp is 1.7 cups. Since we need to raise the pH more than 1 point, we round the 1.7 cups up 0.3 cups to 2.0 cups. The change comes as a result of realizing that supplying a single cup of lime might not have raised pH high enough. This can ensure that Ca remains reactive and relatively unavailable instead of (in the case of adding more dolomite) residual and exchangeable. Al...See MoreAffording Soil to fill up all these containers?
Comments (11)That's most of it, yes... The ingredients are sometimes difficult to locate. If you can find Bark and Perlite, you can make a decent vegetable mix. Five parts bark, one part Perlite, one part potting soil (or peat). To this, you would add a Tablespoon (if I recall) of Dolomitic Garden Lime per gallon of soil. Check this Thread out. Two types of mixes are described in detail. Josh Here is a link that might be useful: Container Soils - Water Movement and Retention XI...See MoreContainer Soils - Water Movement and Retention XVII
Comments (202)Exactly, the paper i pasted from describes the same phenom you have been describing for over 10 years. I have always raged that the big greenhouse media suppliers claim that 30% perlite into a peat is a high porosity mix. And so many growers prefer short squatty containers [helpful for blow over prevention but nothing else] Container Geometry is almost as important as the mix. i remember in 1984 I took a 400 level greenhouse management course at University of Delaware. The prof soaked a rectangular sponge and held it by the edges parrallel to the sink flatwise and let water drain, then he rotated the sponge on the shorter vertical axis and more water drained, when that free drainage ended he then rotated the sponge vertically in it tallest plane and more water drained. When I read your suggestion about using a draping shoelace as draining wick to lower the PWT the distance of the wick, I shouted YES at the elegant simple brilliance. In 1977 I grew a marijuana plant in a milk crate full of gravel, the stalk was over 2 inches in diameter [no different than growing in glass.] BTW, in your gritty mix what are the ratios and actual particle size for each component? I would think to use slightly larger particle sizes than i think you were using and i would probably consider using zeolite or a calcined DE or calcined clay. BTW, Ep minerals makes several absorbents both DE and Clay, Calcined or regular as various spill absorbers available in any auto parts store. 5o pounds for about 10 dollars. Don''t know the particle sizes but likely need to be screened to eliminate the fines. The clays are generally calcium bentonite and not sodium bentonite so less sodium and less swelling. I beileve Arcillite and Tuface are calcium bentonites. I was just thinking that decomoposed granite and even bark add no water holding capacity but with DE and Proper sized ceramics you could add more waterholding capacity but still maintain the airspace. The airspace in the ep mineral clay was pretty low when I measured it last, but I did not screen it. Somewhere I have a spreadsheet with AFP, WHC, TP, TPv, etc for over a dozen components and mixes. I have run quite a few in both 16 oz and taller 32 oz cups, [1 liter exactly when filled to rim overflow which makes that size intuitively easy for all the math. I think i found your posts about 3 years ago and then lost them. Am I correct in thinking you have some water release curve data around somewhere. Someone posted some WRC showing that Axis DE or perhaps the Axis clay media held huge amounts of water but easily released over 75% to the plant. TI can not find that post. I was actually searching for Vertical hydraulic conductivity, Capillary Rise and Capillary rate and wicking when your links showed up. The axis DE is like $90 a bag for 50 pounds so i think I could more cheaply reproduce from other products but have to screen. where I live in idaho, there is a Celatom DE plant less than 60 miles away, 2 zeolite mines, a sodium bentonite mine, WHC and Airspace mid 20s in the 2 larger particle sizess. Also the best white pumice [Hess] source mine a few hours away. I had hoped better water holding capacity. I plan on rerunning all the mixes again in a few months now that i have more standardized my process using multiple cup sizes, some of them tamped or shaken to settle, some top watered, some bottom water, measure distance of subsidence if any. I also have a vegetronix tensionometer now and will take additional measures at various depths to measure the exact tension and also verify depth of pWT which i can usually see through the transparent cups if I use a marking dye and saturate from below. Anyway I will share those spreadsheets in the near future If i were to guess, you have some sort of plant and soil science background or some civil engineering background and a love for plants. At any rate, your explanations and examples are some of the best I have ever come across, and your shoelace suggestion is brilliant, truly. i read so much WRONG advice or the wrong analysis for reason why something works or does not work. it is refreshing to come across accurate information Garret Goyette...See MoreContainer Soils - Water Movement and Retention 4/11/20
Comments (123)Since I am new to Al's gritty mix, I got to start fresh looking for sifting solutions for the Turface. I thought I would share what I found. It may be useful to others, or it may be me doing it wrong and you can let me know. I ordered these screens off of Etsy, https://www.etsy.com/listing/1019347355/18-classifier-sifting-pan-stainless?ref=hp_rv-4 for about $28 each. I got the 1/8 and 1/12 sifter. They stack and are advertised to fit in a 5-gallon bucket. I don't have that but it fit in one of the larger planters I have. It is fairly easy to rock the bucket/sifters and the Turface grades pretty quickly. This is the material sizes you get: Complete dropthrough fines Caught by 1/12 screen Caught by 1/8 screen Because a significant amount falls through as fines, I decided I would use the two larger sizes and just sift with the 1/12 screen to separate the fines. This leaves a mix that looks like this: Hopefully this is not too great a variation in size and I hope you let me know. But if I sift to only use the largest size, then a significant amount of a 50lb bag of Turface is not usable. Here is the breakdown of the amounts I got. For the amount I sifted to both screens, I got a huge amount of fines (on the left). Two pots of the 1/12 sift, and only one pot of the larger 1/8 sift. That is not much useable material unless I accept everything but the fines. I am planning to use the fines in the drainage for another rain garden I am planning as part of an absorbent filter along with maybe a thick layer of peat moss. My theory is the layering of Turface with peat will help excess rain filter more efficiently into the ground. We have pretty heavy clay soil in our area....See Morejojosplants
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