Happy Growing Season!
This is going to be my last blog entry about plants. I'll create a miniblog inside here directly. Sometimes I just want to write general stuff rather than updating indivitual plants (its also tedious which is why it happens so rarely)
Not only has the growing (warm) season started, but my little green kids are doing amazing as well! Not because of me having a greener thumb, but the changes I made.
If you dig through my plant page, there's failure all over the place and well, I started to get annoyed to the point of giving up on the hobby. Not entierly, but removing certain plant types and never try again because they die anyway. Well... plans changed.
*drumbs* Semihydro Culture! Lifechanger for me (or well, my plants). Yep, I dug into a different medium which I figured could make my life easier. My expectations weren't high, I'm not going to lie, but what I assumed, worked! The biggest issue, or killer, I always struggled with was either root rot or roots being to dry and dying off, or a mixture of the two. No matter what I tried and how I watered, it just didn't work, unless it was super hot (summer) and even then, some plants died before. I started using this medium in earily spring (march), long before warmer weather hit us, and already saw improvment. I also saved a bunch of plants that, I'm pretty sure, would have been dead by now.
I use, and do the following:
(items likely unavailable unless you are from germany, but I listed what some consist off)When switching to this medium, the roots need to be free from any dirt. As close to 100% as possible.
I first started with fine purmice, this is what most of them are in right now
Mixture of much bigger stones I discovered soon after (Purmice, Lava rock and Zeolite). Just as good, but heavier
Plants need food!! I use fertilizer from green24 specifically for hydro. You can use any that is suitable. Its important to note that you can't just use any, it has to be for the needs of plants in water! Otherwise your plants will likely die. Its important to add this to every watering, as stones alone can't provide enough resources for the plant to thrive and grow.
I shower them every week, and water them with the solution. How much fertilizer you need per liter likely depends on the brand, I have to do one cup to 1,5L, which is one watering can. This solution will stay in the pot, its not emptied. Unlike plants in substrate, the water is kept for self watering.
I don't own self watering pots, I have one pot with holes inside the main pot. Works completely fine. One downside is roots growing out of the pot get squished (because the pot isn't hanging with room underneath) but I want the roots to stay in anyway.
That's it. Just put them somewhere bright, and sit back. Other than refilling the water with the fertilzer, nothing else has to be done. Or well, actually, I have to make sure the leaves aren't pushing each other or growing into each other because of how quick that shit grows.
PS: I don't put succulents in this medium. I think you can, but I don't have nearly as many issues with this plant type and leave them the way they are.
Success Pics *yippieee*
Alocasia silver dragon. My newest addition. Took the longest to adjust actually (it also came infested with bugs). Is now growing a new leaf, pest free and doing well! It only lost one tiny leaf (oldest I think) in this whole process.
OGs will remember Walley, my philodendron. He was big and got killed by pests. I was unable to grow him ever since. I saved small cuttings in water and they all died in subtrate every time I planted them. This was my last try with him. Not only does he survive, but he grows now. Cute tiny leaves still, but its awesome. Not a single cutting died or rotted.
My mini peace lilly!!! Or well, not so mini anymore. (its a mini variant tho) The small leaf was the standard size I was able to get out of this plant. (its 3 years old btw, those aren't baby leaves). It also (almost) died several times. idk how many different things I tried with this plant.
The other half of this plant in another room even flowered!! This thing never flowered in all the years I've had it.
Big pothos mixed with monstera adansonii. Grows so dense I have issues watering. I had it hanging at first but wanted to put it up later. That's why some leaves go in funky directions still. Next to it is the peacelilly from above, together with the money plant which, you guessed it, almost died lmao. This thing didn't survive a single cold season and always ended up rooting in water again, rootless. Let me tell you that thing is exploding now and has strong growth. I was able to grow it before, but not strong, full and big.
There are many more, many not even part of my plant page because its just too much to post about for me. But they all show similar growth. A favorite is also the ivy I randomly brought home. Just planted it in this out of boredom and it loves it.