Re: Lupines? Help!
- Subject: Re: Lupines? Help!
- From: "Mike Open" m*@ntlworld.com
- Date: Tue, 4 Mar 2003 10:34:27 -0000
I'm surprised that vermiculite is likely to contain asbestos, though I have
read part of the US government paper on it and am not really able to get
through the geological jargon.
Fine perlite would be an acceptable alternative (though its water retention
properties are not so good as vermiculite). A few minutes research yielded
the following brief paper suggesting that there is no health risk with it...
http://www.perlite.org/Health.pdf
(I have absolutely no connection with the vermiculite or perlite industries
and am a (not very good) amateur gardener).
The fundamental of the situation is that damping off is a fungus, the spores
of which thrive in peat, but which are rarely present in 'inorganic'
products. If you are dealing with only a small amount at a time, you can
always sterilise the compost in the microwave (though the smell isn't all
that pleasant). I give something like 3 minutes per kilogramme plus three
minutes. But an inorganic environment for seedlings to spend the first
couple of weeks of life is preferable...
Mike
----- Original Message -----
From: "Kelly O'Neill" <kellyo@wetrock.com>
To: <propagation@hort.net>
Sent: Tuesday, March 04, 2003 4:27 AM
Subject: Re: Lupines? Help!
> I agree with mike and others. For all seed without unusual needs I
> use chicken grit (small crushed rock) on top of potting soil. The grit
> goes on top of big seeds and small seeds are watered into the grit.
> Lupines self sow here in a pure rock driveway among other places.
> They plant themselves in summer and I first see them growing in
> the winter. They may sprout warm, however, they are a cool season
> grower. If you get them planted out when it is still cool, they will be
> unhappy during summer. If they survive summer they should be
> large and nice the following Spring.
> Another issue for indoor seeding is drainage. If you keep seedlings
> in trays that don't drain for an extended time, regular watering with
> tap water leads to salt build up (and damping off). I like to get seed
> pots into well drained trays where I can over water them heavily on
> occasion. How often this is needed depends on your waters salt
> content and how much evaporation you replace.
> We still use moist vermiculite in snack size ziplocks to mix with
> seed that needs to go in a refrigerator. Vermiculite is currently
> likely to contain asbestos and so we don't plan to buy any more
> when we run out. I am not sure what we will replace it with, maybe
> sand? If you use it, keep it moist when you work with it to avoid
> breathing it. Happy Spring, KellyO
> --
> Kelly O'Neill
> Wet Rock Gardens Flower Farm
> U-Pick and more at the farm (open particular times and by
> appointment):
> 2877 N 19th Street
> Springfield, Oregon 97477
> To contact us:
> gardens@wetrock.com
> http://www.wetrock.com
> (541) 746-4444
> Business Office for mail or by appointment only:
> 1950 Yolanda AVE
> Springfield, Oregon 97477
>
>
> On 3 Mar 2003 at 21:33, Mike Open wrote:
>
> > I had several years losing thousands of seedlings to damping off. I
> > tried using Copper fungicide - no use. Finally I took the advice of a
> > former subscriber to this list and used vermiculite to germinate
> seeds
> > (about half an inch on top of normal compost.
>
>
>
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