Plants / Coco Fibre

[jm87]

Afternoon all

can someone give me some pointers on preparing and planting into Coco Fibre (my chosen substrate for two planned D. Azureus)...

Am planting a Boston Fern, Another fern (will get name when im home) and a peace lilly in a 12x12x18 (will all require a little pruning). Bought from Crews Hill garden centre (UK) so will be washing the soil off the roots to get rid of any fertilisers there may be - i should use warm water for this, so as not to shock the roots, right?

I will also be putting some moss in - any ideas where i can get this and what is good to use?

Aside from this I have decided to forego the waterfall / stream in this tank but will save that for the next when I have more room. I will just use a small water bowl and mist 2/3 times daily. Eventually may get an auto-misting system

Thanks

James

[Chu'Wuti]

Hmmm . . . I wonder if anyone has more experience than I with potting in coco-fiber? Are you planning to use it alone or as a soil amendment?

The reason I'm asking is that from what I've read, using coco-fiber alone can result in problems with your plants. According to one horticultural expert, coconut fiber contains a large amount of taurine, a substance not common in plant fibers, and this leads to failure to thrive. In addition, I've read that coconut also starts a quick, though microscopic deterioration the minute you start regular watering. Various fungi start to attack the fibers, such as snow mold, and sour the coconut fiber. These may not be visible until it is way too late to do anything about it and then your plants are in jeopardy.

For washing the roots, use lukewarm-cool water. If it feels warm to your hand, it could be too warm for the roots, especially if there are delicate hair roots.

IMHO, you might want to look at some of the threads about vivarium design/construction for info about other possible substrates.

Have fun!