cah925

Does anyone have any extra dolomite they could part with?

gasteriaphile

Just keep in mind that the dolomite is for those folks with water that is too acidic! Not everyone needs dolomite. Out here in the Western U.S.A. most of our soils and water is basic, i.e. alkaline, i.e. high pH. Check your water's pH first before automatically adding dolomite. FWIW, Breck

bonklers

Does it help/speed up the process when blowing a computer fan over it? I guess it would aerate the soil some more and evaporate the water faster, right?

AaronT

I can't see that helping all that much. Patience is really what gets the job done.

SnyperP

Interesting! I've heard of mineralized soil before, but I don't believe I've heard the part of using clay in there. Any idea if thise would work as a substrate for emersed setups? Another question I have is regarding nutrients in the water column. Are there nutrients available in the water column for non rooted plants such as mosses or pellias?

AaronT

There's enough nutrients in the water column released by the plants themselves and the fauna in the tank to keep any epiphytes happy.

I am using this substrate in many of my emersed pots right now and it works great.

SnyperP

Thanks for the quick rely Aaron. It's a bit cold here now so I guess i should start minearlizing the top soil. I'll try it out with an emersed setup first.

Wish me luck =p

AaronT

Good luck!

Manthalynn

I'm really looking forward to trying this. Of course, we're getting our two weeks of rain right now, so I'll have to wait to dry it out.

I also appreciate how well written your instructions were. Wonderful!

Speaking as a horticulture student, I wanted to add a few words of caution or advice on comments I saw.

Muriate of potash is a common term in agriculture. We dose it on our orchards and soils a lot. It may have meant something technical a lot time ago (like a food Calorie = 1,000 heat calories) but for us Aggies, it's just something you dose with.

Dolomite should be readily found at any hardware store or garden center.

When digging up soil from a forest, if it's a pine forest, make sure to start digging below the layer of pine needles. Also keep in mind that pine forest soil is usually very acidic.

Thanks again for the wonderful article!

AaronT

Thanks. I'm glad you enjoyed the article. You can thank my lovely wife for editing well for easy reading.

Yes, Muriate of potash is sort of a general term. In this case we're after KCL or potassium chloride.

The dolomite often found at garden centers is not always the same thing. A lot of times it has additives and such that we should avoid. We're looking for it in the crystal form as seen in this picture.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dolomite

Yes, definitely dig down a bit if you're going to use soil from your own yard.

Good luck!