Hello Anil
Anil Kaushik wrote:

Theo

Excellent! You and I are on the same wavelength!
;-)
I think SYENTHIC cultural
practices in US is the result of too much hype created for the readymade
(lazy-man's) products by the manufacturers and their agents probably with
the motive of making profits.

probably due to production and to avoid patopgenous that can destroy
young breed
I read of a Japanese master that when buys some plants in nurseries he
knows that are hevily under chemicals to keep them fine so during one
year he leaves the new bought plant grow and to get free fo chemical to
rebuilt his own defenses
I think he is right

As the mother feed is the best for a baby,
likewise mother earth (natural soil) is the best food source for a plant.
Highly infected, infested and polluted soil will not support plant life.
But where is the need to get such stuff then sterilize or autoclave it! I
take good fertilesoil, dry it in the Sun and then sift it through a sieve
that has 40 x 40 meshes per sq.inch, to remove the fine dust. Similarly we
use well rotted leaf or dung compost after sifting it through 20 x 20 mesh.
And adding coarse sharp sand or inert grit to it, the mixture becomes quite
porous and easily last one year without clogging. In the next repotting, we
recycle the old mixture by sifting it again (to remove the broken fine
particles) and mixing it with the fresh mixture in 50-50ratio, adding some
broad spectrum organic fertilizer. All plants grow very well in this
medium.
yeah
I normally steam-sterilize the lava or gravel I use as it comes from
soils and places I do not know so I wash and than put in a plastic bag
with some water in microwave
so I can recicle it over and over again and adding a little old
soil plus new home made compost it helps to colonize with *home* bacteria
Akadama is getting not only expensive but also degradates quite quickly
so I use just a third with lava and the compost
for needles I use less compost with maples 30% is ok
my coarse lava or gravel is about 4-5 mm and porous so helps in air
circulation
aftere ripotting the old soil aka + gravel or lava + old compost is
sifted the dust is thrown in nature or in my geraniums pots and the
solid gravel is washed sterilized and stored for others plants whene
needed in months to come

As for the micro-elements are concerned, these are sufficient in organic
fertlisers and soil.
guess so , and anyway there are also in biogold fish emulsion and so on
Regards


MSN messanger / or ICQ 25 666 169 4
Private Mail :
«»«»«» Just for today... don't worry .....be happy «»«»«»