Floating gardens, simple hydroponics with living soil for difficult plants

[partisangardener]

What I got it in, was some silica sand and very acidic peat. What I added was granite gravel underneath and top soil from a forest on granite (this one foremost beside the actual plant and the original soil). Most volume is my homegrown Sphagnum as topping and cover of this planter.

The water it is actual floating on is Ph 5.5 which is supposed to be too basic. I will add some vinegar acid today. Have not done it since last year autumn.

[partisangardener]

Schrankia nutallii came back this year. Late as usual. Winter minimum was down to -18 for some weeks in December.

[partisangardener]

Some strange tiny beauty started to flower. I don't know what it is.
Would be grateful for some help. It reminds me of Cymbalaria hepaticifolia, but I do not remember to have sown it, nor do I know where from.

[partisangardener]

My in vitro Cypripedium calceolus were planted end of March.
They did nothing at all until now. I checked every other week and they were still white and somewhat dormant.
Now end of June they decided to take a chance, at least three plants with several growth points turned green.

[partisangardener]

This seedling from Sarracenia leucophylla (Hurricane Creek White- cross between different clones)) is quite interesting. Comes up very early for the species and takes our winters 6b without any issue yet.

[partisangardener]

Drosophyllum is supposed to require experienced growers.
It needs next to none maintenance on a hydroponic floating device with two third of an inch substrate maximum.
In this case two flat layers of Styrofoam and some micro fleece to keep it moist. It started to flower in its second season.

[partisangardener]

There are three adult plants on this floater, apart from quite a lot of some Drosera species.
The one you just saw the lower part.

[partisangardener]

And the two other ones.

[partisangardener]

The little Cypripedium calceolus look good by now. 5 plants already up now.

[partisangardener]

At the moment I experience on a few islands a invasion of Tipula larvae. These Crane flies could be very harmfull. Mine feed up to now mainly on mosses.

Today I had a chance to take pictures of some.
The two islands with Cypripedium calceolus were covered with moss, which grew on without hesitation. A few weeks ago it started to disappear very fast.
I knew the culprit from last autumn and lo I found them.
The Cypripedium and some other plants look still undisturbed. 

[Maggi Young]

At the moment I experience on a few islands a invasion of Tipula larvae. These Crane flies could be very harmfull. Mine feed up to now mainly on mosses.

Today I had a chance to take pictures of some.
The two islands with Cypripedium calceolus were covered with moss, which grew on without hesitation. A few weeks ago it started to disappear very fast.
I knew the culprit from last autumn and lo I found them.
The Cypripedium and some other plants look still undisturbed. 

Wow! really lucky you knew what to look for.

[partisangardener]

Lucky indeed, my first encounter on my hydroponics was just last year.
I had a square island for Pygmy Drosera. While it was over the winter inside, suddenly all the mossy mounds  (created out of the cut off  legs of military underwear, filled with substrate) lost their living green skin and the cotton fabric with it.
The mounds fell apart and the Drosera did not like this.

There the culprits could not escape while they were looking for more food. In winter I had finally some of the Crane flies hatched. So I was sure what it was.
I missed to take a picture then.

Naturally nematodes would be their enemy, but I want to observe what happens next. Birds don´t like them, anyway I keep those away.

[partisangardener]

Such systems could be simple energy saving cooling devices on roofs or in the streets and backyards. Makes an excellent water-retention for strong rain and are good for reuse of empty plastic containers and of synthetic tissue which is not easy recyclable.
In addition solar panels above such systems would make it even more effective.

On a large scale we could even copy the CO2 retention of moors.

[partisangardener]

I had to renovate my first non floating hydroponic planter for my Cypripedium reginae. The flourished there  better than on floating devices.
Unfortunately I constructed them with viscose fleece and sponge cloth of organic origin. This decayed after a few years and this summer the plants had to endure less favorable conditions.
The construction was not yet shown so I use this opportunity.

Only very little of the original wicking fleece was left and all the holes in the plastic coasters were closed with fine organic debris.


I cleared out everything and put under each layer of the plastic coasters some spacers (pieces of Styrofoam).

[partisangardener]

I added some wick from synthetic micro fiber fleece to prevent substrate being flooded into the water body and wick water up to the substrate.
After this I filled the space on the sides with pebbles and covered them again with the same fleece.
I used discarded second hand underwear from an army supply.
Three plastic tubes under the fleece  for  excess water make the moisture level ideal and keep the oxygen level at an optimum.
In the end I added the different soil layers and the plants into my planter.

To re-water the reservoir in case of drought I placed a pebble filled sleeve into one corner of the planter which connected to the bottom.

This is all in all the same setup as the original one, only I have now a non-decaying wick system in it.

I expect the Cypripedium reginae will have better growth than this year.