# Peat types and peat lifetime



## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Hi all!

I recently have to repot all my emersed crypts because of a mistake done with the soil used and a fungus attack or something similar. I'm growing emersed crypts since end of 2007, and from the begining I potted my plants with carex peat (black peat), following the advice from another local crypt fan, with good results, except with the blackwater crypts (this plants ar almost frozen).
Now I'me repotting my crypts with this same carex "black" peat, and I have some doubts about it.

Comment: I can't use ADA soils or similar because I can't find it in my country.

Which peat is better for our crypts, carex "black" peat or sphagnum "blond" peat? I've that the latter is more acid, so maybe I can use this for the blackwater crypts. What type of peat do you use in your crypts?

The other question is about the lifetime of the peat. Reading this article http://bonsaimalta.org/resources/articles/josephfarrugia2.htm, I saw that maybe it has months or at most a year of lifetime, but I don't know if they talk about something relative to nutrient release or something like this. I mean, if I don't have any "problem" with my plants, should be necesary to repot my plants every year?

Thanks in advance for your help, regards
Fernando


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## niko (Jan 28, 2004)

Testing the pH of the peat has shown me that the acidity disappears in about 2 weeks under water.

I don't know if the peat is still beneficial to the roots of the plants. But after 2 weeks the peat does not affect the water in any way.

I've used the light brown peat.

--Nikolay


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## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks Niko, I ask this because is the best material I can find to use in blackwater crypts y because I've read in some page that some people have use it with good results.

Anyone else?

Regards


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## Seattle_Aquarist (Mar 7, 2008)

Hi ferchu22,

Here is a great site on growing crypts emersed! Ghazanfar Ghori grows some amazing crypts. Hope this helps!


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## JeffyFunk (Apr 6, 2006)

If you're looking to grow the more difficult species (i.e. the acidic needing, blackwater crypts), most people follow the advice of the following article and grow their crypts in beech leaf mold:

http://www.xs4all.nl/~crypts/Cryptocoryne/Botanical/documents.html

Scroll down and look for the article by N. Jacobson titled "Cultivation of some difficult Cryptocoryne species in humus-rich leaf-mould".

Hope this helps. (BTW.. I do not grow crypts emersed - This is only what i've read...).


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## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Thanks both, I know both sites, but the point is that I don't have access to leaf mould (I have no forest near my house), so I want to try with peat mix, which I have.


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## deftones2015 (Dec 7, 2007)

I have been keeping C. Griffithii and C. Longicauda for around 3 weeks using 50/50 sphagnum peat and sand mix with RODI water tds reading of 0. So far so good with that. New leaves form a lot and they seem very happy. I can't say the long term effects yet though. I'm where you are as well, I really don't have access to any kind of leaf mold so I'm just giving the peat a shot. Jan's site says it works with most crypts and so far so good.


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## ferchu22 (Oct 27, 2007)

Great! Yes, I've read Jan's site.
Do you know what kind of peat are you using? The blond "sphagnum" peat or the black peat?


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## deftones2015 (Dec 7, 2007)

blond spaghnum, that's supposed to be more acidic. Like I said it's been working great so far but I can't say anything about long term success right now. I would like to find some oak leaves or something and make my own leaf mold but that takes a while to do I'm sure. I have read other posts a few years old where people grew their blackwater crypts in peat and sand with great success as well. I believe Kai even grew his in peat until the leaf mold became popular.

Be careful though because I started mine out with the 50/50 mix with no fertilizer and the leaves started turning yellow and dying off, I started adding miracle grow at 1/4 of the dosing weekly and that stopped. So from my experience when using peat and sand, the plants will need fertilized lightly.


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