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June 14, 2012 | #16 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Campbell, CA
Posts: 4,064
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James,
I have heard from others that Reptile Bark also works better than the Pine Microbark but again, very expensive at Pet Stores. Maybe, we could find a Distributor who sells it to Zoos, and buy it in bulk??? In any event, based on tom-ato's results I will fill a few 'Tainers next Season with the 3:2:1 Combo Mix using Orchid bark instead of the Pine for an "A/B" trial. Raybo |
June 14, 2012 | #17 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
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tom-ato, Thanks!
You certainly came out of the box with some "hot" posts and results! Hence all the questions.... Raybo, Reptile bark? I had to look that up. Even more expensive - appears to be just plain fir bark. All in the marketing I guess..... Better business idea for you Ray - hook up with a local nursery, package a premade "Uncle Raybo's Earthtainer mix" put your photo on the bag and start selling!! Side kit of all the ferts, etal that you have trialed. Another alternative for both of you - I also trialed hydroton in an Inntainer this winter, had good success inside, so I completely switched over to it for outside in the Earthtainers this year. Plants are looking incredible, lots of flowers and fruitset, and I really need to post some pictures. Hydroton - costs about $32 for a 50L bag (13.21 gal) also not inexpensive, but can be reused year after year without having to be renewed. EDIT: I take no credit for the hydroton idea, I got it from this thread with (big surprise) raybo, amideutch, dice and sprtsguy76 all weighing in on its potential. http://www.tomatoville.com/showthread.php?t=14049 FYI - (Raybo knows this as he gave me the ratio -more for others who may be reading) I am using Promix BX in an 8-5-2 ratio - 8 BX, 5 hydroton, 2 perlite - BX has perlite baked in already, hence the ratio change. Raybo, sent you a pm on another matter. Last edited by JamesL; June 14, 2012 at 03:55 PM. Reason: Added thread info |
June 14, 2012 | #18 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: yorba linda, ca
Posts: 27
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June 14, 2012 | #19 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Mar 2012
Location: yorba linda, ca
Posts: 27
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Raybo,
Have you tried eliminating the bark and using a larger diameter perlite? I would think a 1:1 ratio of Pro Mix or a very course and chunky peat moss, and #3 perlite would work great. Light, airy, consistent and readily available across the country. http://www.hydrofarm.com/product.php?itemid=11478 |
June 14, 2012 | #20 |
Tomatovillian™
Join Date: Nov 2011
Location: Long Island NY
Posts: 1,992
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tom-ato,
Never heard of the Croutons until you mentioned them. (but that isn't saying much) I have looked at coir but not used it either. Did a quick search - It appears a lot of the Big M growers are using it as an alternative to Leca clay in hydro use. The negative for hydro use, ebb and flow system, with tomatoes (which of course we are not doing) would appear to be that the coir functions best with a ph of 5.5 to 6.0 or you get nutrient lockup, and tomatoes need higher than that. Not sure if that info translates at all to containers. Croutons don't appear to be that much cheaper than Leca either. Might be worth some further research though. Pulled the below from one of the Big M sites: Coco is manufactured into three major catagories, or grades. Essentially, these grades are a catagorization of the "coarseness" of the various grades of Coco. They are as follows in order from the finest to the most coarse:
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