Orange sand...

From: Paul V. McCullough (pvmcull@voicenet.com)
Date: Tue Jun 24 1997 - 19:04:53 PDT


Date: Tue, 24 Jun 1997 22:04:53 -0400
From: "Paul V. McCullough" <pvmcull@voicenet.com>
To: cp@opus.hpl.hp.com
Message-Id: <aabcdefg2470$foo@default>
Subject: Orange sand...


>Hi Paul,
>CP digest 118 :
>> inch long on 4+" long narrow petioles. The medium they are growing
in
> >is a mix of acidic (orange) sand and peat moss. I recently contacted

>What do you mean with "acidic (orange) sand" ? I would interprete
orange
>sand to be an indication of the presence of iron oxides, meaning it was

>collected from soil above groundwater level.
>Kind regards
>Wim

Hi, Wim!
    You have to be careful in your choice of sand. Some are alkaline
and some are neutral or slightly acidic. The color isn't necessarily
important... I've seen yellow, orange, and even white sands that were
acidic or neutral. The sand I chose was labeled as slightly acidic sand
for gardening (perfect...) and the overall color is a yellow orange.
    Stay away from lime sand (Usually pure white)... usually used in a
child's sand box. Lime sand isn't good for CP.
    When using a silicate sand for planting material, invest in a
breathing mask- like the kind used when sanding wood or plaster boards,
etc. Inhalation of sand particles is extremely risky and can lead to
grave illnesses. The masks are usually a few dollars for packs of four
or six. You'll look silly, but you won't die from wearing the
protective gear.
    I donned a mask and dumped the peat and sand into a wheel-barrel for
mixing. My neighbors gathered at my garage entrance and were enthralled
by the spectacle. Okay, so nothing really interesting ever happens
here. There have been a few spider, ant and fly abductions reported
though... dixie cups are in short supply at the local supermarket, too.

    On another topic, how long does it usually take for seeds to be
produced by Drosera Capillaris? Do cap seeds need stratification? The
caps are sending a second wave of flowers up, btw. Neither of my VFTs
have flowered, as yet... are we beyond the VFT flowering period (if
there is such a thing)? Both have been growing since Feb. (or so...)

Cheers,
Paul

--
Paul V. McCullough
"3D Animation World" http://www.voicenet.com/~pvmcull
"CP Page" http://www.voicenet.com/~pvmcull/pics/cp/carniv.htm



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