NanaNut2

My Siam Ruby (8") and Tacca (3") seedlings from ebay arrived yesterday alive and healthy. This is amazing since shipping took 4 days. 28 hours of which they were loaded on a truck waiting to be delivered, with night time temperatures between 31 deg F and 38 deg F here. Although tiny,they both have two perky leaves and lots of roots. And the Siam Ruby is showing lots of red already. I'm happy!

Our water is too alkaline (7.4 to 7.6 ph) so I decided to give them distilled water (5.8 ph), not the usual filtered water (6.0 ph). Am I correct in thinking that alkaline water will change the ph of the soil eventually? Perhaps I should mix tap water with filtered water. I know about adding peat to take down the ph, but I'm letting them rest a few days before I repot them just in case their roots are a little bruised or frost nipped.

NanaNut2

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NanaNut2

NanaNut2

Pics of my new babies


Siam Ruby seedling



Tacca seedling, white or black. They lost the marker

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NanaNut2

Richard

Yes, it will raise the pH. It can happen slowly or quickly depending on the soil mixture. If your filtered water has pH = 6.0, that's great. I don't understand how your distilled water is 5.8! By definition, pure water is pH = 7.0.

My native soil is slightly alkaline and so is my water supply. It is too cost prohibitive to filter my irrigation water. Instead I have a fertigator from EZ-FLO Fertilizing Systems. I use it to add seaweed extract and humic acids to the irrigation water -- which effectively lowers the pH to around 6.2. For my super acid-loving plants, I also supplement with a granular acidic food.

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NanaNut2

Thank you for the info Richard. I have no idea why the distilled water I bought has such a low ph. But I just checked it with my aquarium ph test kit, it was lighter yellow (lower) than the lowest range of 6.0 that my filtered water tested out at. And my tap water tested at 7.6 again. Perhaps the distilled water is also filtered.

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NanaNut2

sandy0225

a little bit of distilled vinegar will adjust the ph too for a cheap price. I used to use it but then it got too expensive for the amount I need and now I use citric acid.

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Sandy Burrell



Northern Tropics Greenhouse
1501 East Fuson Road
Muncie, IN 47302
www.northerntropics.com


specializing in bananas, heirloom tomatoes and water gardening plants~
check out our new online store at our website!

Richard

Good idea. How much do you pay for citric acid by the gallon?

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NanaNut2

Great idea!! But does the vinegar neutralize the chlorine and flouride in the water as well? That's what I was initially worried about when I started filtering the water.

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NanaNut2

Richard

Neutralize (by buffering): yes. Reduce salt build up: no. You'll still need a mechanism to flush salts. That's easy and routine with potted plants, in the ground it means adding some liquid gypsum initially to the site and then again every other year or so.

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Bch Grl

NanaNut...

The Tacca are very finicky plants. I have killed many while trying to find the right conditions. They are very suseptible to root rot and like lots of heat and humidity! Check/treat immediately for rot if they appear wilted and don't respond to watering!

I first saw them as "weeds" in a friends greenhouse, under Orchids, growing in the sandy soil/ floor.
I have 3 about the size of the one in your pic and they are struggling. Hope they perk up in warmer weather.

Good Luck!

Margie
...5 days to ski trip!!!!

NANAMAN

A ph of 7.4 to 7.6 should not be problem at all. If you are growing your plant in a potting mix that contains peat, it's probably still slightly acidic. The real problem is using tap water at all. The chemicals added to the water supply are there to kill any thing that is alive. When added to the soil, it also kills microbes and such, which is what makes the soil fertile. That's a very basic explanation, I know, but you can research the subject and get much more detailed info. I only use well water at my house for that very reason, which has a ph of about 7.8 . Our concern in S. Fl. is saltwater intrusion due to extended drought conditions, so far no problems. If you are using any chemical ferts. they will also tend to acidify the soil. The addition of compost to the soil will tend to buffer acidic or alkaline conditions. That is just one, of many reasons why compost is so..... good!

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NanaNut2

Thank you NanaMan. I have been worried about the chlorine and flouride effects on my plants. That's why I filter. I'd heard increasing reports of the harmful effects of flouride on delicate plants turning the leaves yellow or brown. And have read here with interest about the microbes that roots require for healthy growth which I must be killing off with chlorine. Of course, their's no guarantee that the distilled water is free of these chemicals. There are so many reports of bottled water being just plain tap water. And of course they don't want bacteria growing in their product as it sits in warehouses and on the shelves, so it would be logical that they may use chlorine. I originally got the distilled water for my bladderwort, but think I will start filtering it as well. Or just leave it out and open for 24 hours prior to use to let the harmful chemicals, if any, evaporate.

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NanaNut2

magicgreen

Thanks for this thread nananut. I wondered why my leaves yellowed on one of my DC. I gave it direct water from the faucet! I have water sitting in jugs to let chemicals leech out and to be at room temperature. I didnt realize how important this was!
Thankyou all for the info. (still a newby)
Magicgreen

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(Started growing bananas July 2007)
(Zone 6)

NanaNut2

Hi Magic,
Yellowing of leaves can be caused by many things, two being over or underwatering. Letting tap water sit out for 24 hours should allow the chlorine and flouride to evaporate and reach room temperature. Or so I have been told.

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NanaNut2

magicgreen

I think it was the tap water and i had just brought it up from the basement to (wake-it-up), i repotted it. So it probably was in a lil shock from that.
I also think i overwatered it too! :-(
And ive been so careful all winter, to not overwater! It won't happen again! LOL
But i do appreciate this thread; I seriously need to go back to some older threads and read up about PH, acids, and soil!
MG

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(Started growing bananas July 2007)
(Zone 6)