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Last
winter, I was reading a horticultural magazine. I came across a new product called Higromite.
It looks very similar to Diatomite in appearance;
however, it is reddish brown in color, it is more porous and
it has volcanic ash in its composition.
I contacted the company and obtained some samples.
I then conducted a small-scaled experiment growing
several genera of orchid seedlings on bark, Diatomite and
Higromite in February.
Being
an orchid hobbyist, I face the ever-increasing problem of
finding good media for repotting every season.
In fact, I have been looking for better and cheaper
alternatives as potting media.
Over the years, many so-called potential potting
media have come and gone.
Each one has its strength and weakness. Some seem to work well for a while, but not so well in the
long run. Some
are getting dearer and rarer by the day.
Higromite caught my eyes because of the following
reasons: 1) its
composition of volcanic ash is known to be fertile for
plants growth. 2)
it is mined abundantly in North America, thus the price will
be cheaper than the Australian Diatomite.
3) the independent laboratory analysis showed
exceptional plant response and good physical/chemical
characteristics as a potting medium.
What
were the results of my experiment?
At first, the seedlings did not show any significant
difference in growth rate and vigor in all 3 media.
I almost declared this new product a failure.
This poor outcome may be due to the fact that frigid
February is not a good month for deflasking.
I was “stingy” to keep my greenhouse at merely 20
degree Celsius to minimize gas bill payment.
As April approached, things were drastically
different. The
seedlings in Higromite were showing a definitive faster
growth rate than seedlings in other two media with
conditions remain the same.
During the experiment, I observed that Higromite
takes up water more readily and has a steeper
water-releasing gradient than bark and Diatomite.
The high porosity of Higromite is another advantage. As water evaporates, the minute space is replenished with
fresh air. It
does not stay too wet for a prolonged period of time as
compared to Diatomite. Higromite seems to work very satisfactorily with my
watering and fertilization schedule.
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I would like to emphasize that individual growing
conditions vary, and results may be different.
Nevertheless, you will not know unless you try it
out. You can
use it alone or you can add it to your favorite potting mix.
Higromite will be available to you at local
hydroponics stores or garden centers in 3 different sizes in
0.75 cu feet bags early this summer.
For more information, you can visit the website: www.higromite.com.
Clarence Yu
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