Fearless Gardeners Award Winning Soiless Mix Layering Method
This incredible growing method is one of the fearless gardeners best kept secrets and has been for some while. It has taken this long to convince him to let the cat out of the bag! The fearless gardener has been hiding in his grow room all these years making only the occasional trip outdoors to study how a plant can flourish in its natural habitat. He found that the plants had larger flower tops with many more per plant in the plants grown in their natural habitat than any that he had ever seen grown in containers indoors. This is where the fearless gardener began digging for answers.
As a matter of fact, that is exactly what he did. He noticed that as he dug down the soil was not the same consistency throughout. The decaying leaves formed a nice silt fine top layer in which seeds could easily germinate. Below this a loose soil layer compacting with depth making a great medium to support a big root system and plant. Under this he found a pebbly layer which provided more air space and allowed for excellent drainage. Now he started to begin to understand why. His container grown plants with soiless mix were getting satisfactory results but just couldn't give him optimal conditions.
The feeding and watering of plants is probably one of the least understood and most mismanaged aspect of gardening. Even under optimum conditions, getting the amount of water oxygen and nutrients is a traumatic experience for plants grown in containers. The roots are in competition with the soil mix for water, which to some degree is made physically unavailable by its absorption into the peat moss. Every time the medium is saturated the plants roots are deprived of air. Then as the medium dries the air becomes available to the roots but the nutrients and water become less available. This gives the plant a very narrow window of opportunity to have everything available in the proper quantities at the same time.
The respiration takes place in two areas of plants: foliage and root tips. It is essential to the health of the plants that a free flow of air be made available to both of these areas. This free exchange of gases is very important. Like humans, plants have to breath to live. We take in oxygen (O2) and give off carbon dioxide (C02). Plants do just the opposite - they take in carbon dioxide and give off oxygen. This transfer of gases is called the 'gas exchange'. Whether involving plants or animals, this transfer can only take place in air. Air spaces are present in plain soiless mix but to a lesser more restricted degree. By providing the root system with additional air space by using the fearless gardeners soiless mix layering method the plant is given a big boost.
The fearless gardener got right to work as soon as it hit him and started mimicking the layers he found in the plants natural habitat with readily available materials. In seven gallon pots he lined the bottom with thin sheets of preconditioned rockwool that he cut from slabs being careful to cover all the drainage holes. Next he poured in about three inches of course grade perlite (#3) on top. He then filled the pot with his favorite soiless mix. The magic began to fill the air and the way the fearless gardener would grow in containers would change forever.
By providing the extra air space for the plants roots, he found that he could feed his plants more without over watering. By applying a simple feeding method and schedule he could give his plants the same optimal conditions as he found in their natural habitat. By using a saucer, the fearless gardener learned that he could sub-irrigate or bottom feed his plants by pouring nutrient solution into the saucer. This would eliminate dry spots and turn a stagnant, non-breathing growing media into a freely active and breathing environment. The nutrient is drawn up to the root system by capillary attraction. The air spaces between the particles in the three media: soiless mix, perlite, and rockwool form many little tubes or capillaries. The molecules in the water cause tension such as water beading on a smooth surface. It is this tension that starts the process of capillary attraction. By the capillary attraction drawing nutrient solution up to the roots which always has access to moving air and transpiring it through the plant and evaporating it through the top of the soil. The roots have all the essentials continuously passing and moving through in a continuously replenishing environment. This leaves behind the narrow window of optimum conditions which only occurs for just a short time after each feeding and gives the plant optimal conditions all of the time. The results are just phenominal and responsible for many first place awards in numerous flower shows.
According to information obtained by M.Y. the fearless gardener has kept in hiding and has been taking first place for MOST BLOSSOMS and LARGEST FLOWERTOPS at almost every flower show throughout the country. Since he is now onto something new and he believes in giving back, we are promised that he will share his principles of watering and feeding and scheduling in the next issue of Maximum Yield. That which completes the latest phenomenon and yet another chapter of the great fearless gardener.