[Bubbs]

Hi all,

Since it is mid Spring in Australia and the weather is warming up I've decided to start an outdoor emerse culture using a large foam box I got from my LFS.
So far, I'm planing to use the following plants:
Anubias Nana
Anubias Barteri
Cryptocoryne Wedntii Green
Cryptocoryne Tonkinensis
Cryptocoryne Pontederiifolia
Cryptocoryne Parva
Echinodorus 'Red flame'
Echinodorus Schluteri 'Leopard'
HC
These plants will be potted in terracotta pots and plastic pots with drainage holes. The box will be place in an open area and fully covered with plastic wrap and protected by 70% UV protection shade cloth to keep bugs and too much sun out. The box will get 6 hours of direct sunlight around this time of the year and maybe longer in summer. I will also have a pump attached to a sprinkler to keep plants wet and to circulate water. I'm not sure it the sprinkler is neccessary but think it may help as Australian summer is usually hot and dry.

Any how, what I would like to know is what type of substrates have people found successful for any of the types of plants OR similar spieces I have mentioned?

I have a few ingredients that I think may be useful but am unsure of a good mix for the types of plants I have. They are: Coconut Fibre, Peat Moss, Garden Soil (the type sold in bags at the Nursery), Blood and Bone, Vermiculite, Terracotta Clay (brownish-reddish colour), Plain 1-3mm gravel, Plain 4-8mm gravel.

This is my first attemp at an emerse setup so advice is very much apprieciated!

 

[niko]

You wil do yourself a huge favor if you use AquaSoil. Especially for the HC.

You can grow the plants in very much anything but with the AquaSoil you will have instant good environment.

--Nikolay

 

[bluediscus]

Bubbs,

I tried an anubias and javafern hydroponic setup. I experimented with the substrate. Some were in cocofiber, some were without any substrate. All the plants were ok, though the growth rate was slower than I expected. It seemed like the plants in cocofiber were growing better and rooting better. Compared to my other emersed stem and running plants in soil though, their growth was slow. I think the complication with using an inert substrate is that you would need to fertilize properly. If you have access to the right fertilizer, growth can be phenomenal (I've heard). With regular potting soil, growth will not be as fast though you won't have to worry about nutrient deficiencies.