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#1
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
I posted this one before, but I'll try again.
My Lillies and Water Hyacinths seem to be deteriorating from the inside out. Looks like they're burning up. PH seems to be about 8, KH 300+, Total Hardness 75 or so. Nitrates and Nitrites are nil. Plants did very well last year, WH took over the pond. I have not added any Potash yet. GF seem OK. Algea is doing well. Tested all this a couple of more times and checked the local water supply. A more resonable set of readings would be PH 7.5+. KH 150+ and GH about 75. The local water authority claims PH of 7.5, KH of 80+ and GH of 141. I've got a limestone waterfall, so that's why the KH is higher. The strips say to read them at 25 sevconds, but if I leave them they keep getting darker and darker. So is 150 KH the real number? Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", assuming my chemistry is reasonable? The lillies have two flowers now, but have stopped opening during the day. Too cool perhaps. I've added a heaping teaspoon of Potash to my 500 Imp gallons for now. Any help appreciated. |
#2
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
"Bill Stock" wrote:
I posted this one before, but I'll try again. My Lillies and Water Hyacinths seem to be deteriorating from the inside out. Looks like they're burning up. PH seems to be about 8, KH 300+, Total Hardness 75 or so. Nitrates and Nitrites are nil. Plants did very well last year, WH took over the pond. I have not added any Potash yet. GF seem OK. Algea is doing well. Tested all this a couple of more times and checked the local water supply. A more resonable set of readings would be PH 7.5+. KH 150+ and GH about 75. The local water authority claims PH of 7.5, KH of 80+ and GH of 141. I've got a limestone waterfall, so that's why the KH is higher. The strips say to read them at 25 sevconds, but if I leave them they keep getting darker and darker. So is 150 KH the real number? Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", assuming my chemistry is reasonable? The lillies have two flowers now, but have stopped opening during the day. Too cool perhaps. I've added a heaping teaspoon of Potash to my 500 Imp gallons for now. Any help appreciated. This is probably a long shot, but are the leaves turning brown from the outside inward? It may be there is too much salt in the water. If so, you might try a partial water change. San Diego Joe 4,000 - 5,000 Gallons. Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar. -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
#3
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
"San Diego Joe" wrote in message ... "Bill Stock" wrote: I posted this one before, but I'll try again. My Lillies and Water Hyacinths seem to be deteriorating from the inside out. Looks like they're burning up. PH seems to be about 8, KH 300+, Total Hardness 75 or so. Nitrates and Nitrites are nil. Plants did very well last year, WH took over the pond. I have not added any Potash yet. GF seem OK. Algea is doing well. Tested all this a couple of more times and checked the local water supply. A more resonable set of readings would be PH 7.5+. KH 150+ and GH about 75. The local water authority claims PH of 7.5, KH of 80+ and GH of 141. I've got a limestone waterfall, so that's why the KH is higher. The strips say to read them at 25 sevconds, but if I leave them they keep getting darker and darker. So is 150 KH the real number? Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", assuming my chemistry is reasonable? The lillies have two flowers now, but have stopped opening during the day. Too cool perhaps. I've added a heaping teaspoon of Potash to my 500 Imp gallons for now. Any help appreciated. This is probably a long shot, but are the leaves turning brown from the outside inward? It may be there is too much salt in the water. If so, you might try a partial water change. The lilies are getting long perfectly straight cracks in them from the edge to the middle. Then seem to be rotting away from the outside tp the inside as you indicated. Until a couple of weeks ago the pond was getting constant water changes, before I fixed my leaky waterfall. I'm not sure where any salt would be coming from, how can I test for salt? Perhaps I was not adding enough dechlor. The Water Hyacinths look awful too, pale yellow and seem to be rotting away from the outside. I did notice that one has a very large hole in it. I suspect a bird did this. The Iris are completely gone now, eaten/rotted away. I also noticed that last year's WH are doing much better than the new WH. The old WH have small air filled bulbs, while the new WH have large fibrous bulbs. The old WH were kept in the aquarium during the winter with the GF and had basically NO roots when I put them outside. They've got 4" roots now. It might just be a lack of sun, it's been a very poor summer. San Diego Joe 4,000 - 5,000 Gallons. Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar. Thanks Joe |
#4
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
"Hal" wrote in message ... On Fri, 9 Jul 2004 20:33:56 -0400, "Bill Stock" wrote: Tested all this a couple of more times and checked the local water supply. A more resonable set of readings would be PH 7.5+. KH 150+ and GH about 75. The local water authority claims PH of 7.5, KH of 80+ and GH of 141. I've got a limestone waterfall, so that's why the KH is higher. The strips say to read them at 25 sevconds, but if I leave them they keep getting darker and darker. So is 150 KH the real number? Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", assuming my chemistry is reasonable? The lillies have two flowers now, but have stopped opening during the day. Too cool perhaps. I've added a heaping teaspoon of Potash to my 500 Imp gallons for now. My blooms only last for three days then drop below the surface and fade away. I don't know what to tell you about test strips, I use a differnt test with drops and 5ml tubes from Aquarium Pharmaceuticals, Inc, but your limestone waterfall caught my eye. I use a sock full of ground limestone to buffer my pH and it ususally keeps it around 7.8 mornings and 8.2 evenings. My lilies are in pots with garden soil and stones to keep the fish from rooting through the dirt and expelling it to the pond floor. Yes my Lillies are in stone covered baskets to keep the GF out. PH seems to hover between 7 and 8. I think my limestone (KH) keeps it pretty stable. I've only seen water hyacinths rot in a 20 gallon container of water from very acid water, pH below 6 caused by rain. I've heard they don't grow well in very high pH either. I hope someone else can help you. I had not heard this. I'll have to do some more reading. Thanks. Regards, Hal |
#5
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
WH can't take up the nutrients when the pH seems to be very high or very
low, I don't know what the exact numbers are, but my educated guess is 6.5 to 8.5 with the middle being the best. As with all plants, taking up nutrients becomes less and less as the scale goes higher or lower from their best point. Which, btw, is also how efficient one's bacterial works in one's filter. WH though have been an enigma around here, making me wonder if the south finally found a way to control them, sprayed the lot unknowingly to vendors, who shipped them north and now they're all failing to thrive? I've got a pH of 8 in my koi pond and usually by this time have HUGH WH in my filter, they rotted away this year. Yet ones that were put in holding tubs with lilies and a few tadpoles lived, didn't grow vigorously, but are green and have small babies. One of those I just recently moved to the filter to see what happens. Salt level 0.08% and I've had WH thrive in salt of 0.12% before. ~ jan I've only seen water hyacinths rot in a 20 gallon container of water from very acid water, pH below 6 caused by rain. I've heard they don't grow well in very high pH either. I hope someone else can help you. I had not heard this. I'll have to do some more reading. (Do you know where your water quality is?) |
#6
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
"~ jan JJsPond.us" wrote in message s.com... WH can't take up the nutrients when the pH seems to be very high or very low, I don't know what the exact numbers are, but my educated guess is 6.5 to 8.5 with the middle being the best. As with all plants, taking up nutrients becomes less and less as the scale goes higher or lower from their best point. Which, btw, is also how efficient one's bacterial works in one's filter. WH though have been an enigma around here, making me wonder if the south finally found a way to control them, sprayed the lot unknowingly to vendors, who shipped them north and now they're all failing to thrive? I've got a pH of 8 in my koi pond and usually by this time have HUGH WH in my filter, they rotted away this year. Yet ones that were put in holding tubs with lilies and a few tadpoles lived, didn't grow vigorously, but are green and have small babies. One of those I just recently moved to the filter to see what happens. Salt level 0.08% and I've had WH thrive in salt of 0.12% before. ~ jan Yep, not sure what's up with the WH this year. I've added Potash, so we will see. I've only seen water hyacinths rot in a 20 gallon container of water from very acid water, pH below 6 caused by rain. I've heard they don't grow well in very high pH either. I hope someone else can help you. I had not heard this. I'll have to do some more reading. (Do you know where your water quality is?) According to my crappy test strips. PH 7 - 8, KH 150+ and GH 75+. Not sure why GH is so low, when the tap water is 140+. |
#7
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
In article , "Bill Stock"
writes: Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", I had some WH I bot start to turn brown and rot, but I added potash once a week for 3 weeks and they are now putting out new growth from the rotted area and are a healthy looking green. Also, when I lived in Houston, TX I had a ph of 9 in my pond and my WH and WL did fine, grew like mad, so I'm not so sure a high ph will kill them. Karen Zone 5 Ashland, OH http://hometown.aol.com/kmam1/MyPond/MyPond.html My Art Studio at http://members.aol.com/kmmstudios/K....M.Studios.html for email remove the extra extention |
#8
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
Bill
Your plants are'nt doing well because they have nothing to munch on!!! You say your Nitrates are NIL. Either remove 2 thirds of all WH or add more fish to keep the balance. I would just remove most of the plants that are'nt looking too hot and give it a week or so. The Nitrate should build up again and your plants will flourish. Also add that Potash aswell. -- **So long, and thanks for all the fish!** |
#9
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Chemistry/Plant help Please!
"Bill Stock" wrote:
I posted this one before, but I'll try again. My Lillies and Water Hyacinths seem to be deteriorating from the inside out. Looks like they're burning up. PH seems to be about 8, KH 300+, Total Hardness 75 or so. Nitrates and Nitrites are nil. Plants did very well last year, WH took over the pond. I have not added any Potash yet. GF seem OK. Algea is doing well. Tested all this a couple of more times and checked the local water supply. A more resonable set of readings would be PH 7.5+. KH 150+ and GH about 75. The local water authority claims PH of 7.5, KH of 80+ and GH of 141. I've got a limestone waterfall, so that's why the KH is higher. The strips say to read them at 25 sevconds, but if I leave them they keep getting darker and darker. So is 150 KH the real number? Any thoughts on my "rotting plants", assuming my chemistry is reasonable? The lillies have two flowers now, but have stopped opening during the day. Too cool perhaps. I've added a heaping teaspoon of Potash to my 500 Imp gallons for now. Any help appreciated. This is probably a long shot, but are the leaves turning brown from the outside inward? It may be there is too much salt in the water. If so, you might try a partial water change. San Diego Joe 4,000 - 5,000 Gallons. Goldfish, a RES named Colombo and an Oscar. -----= Posted via Newsfeeds.Com, Uncensored Usenet News =----- http://www.newsfeeds.com - The #1 Newsgroup Service in the World! -----== Over 100,000 Newsgroups - 19 Different Servers! =----- |
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