Aquariums and gardening.

[Niki_up]

I'll tell you guys what gets me, time and again. You go to your garden centre and the plants are absolutely thriving. They look so healthy. And then when you get them home, within a couple of weeks it usually all starts going wrong, not everytime, but enough to make it annoying, and very puzzling at the same time.

My houseplants section in my garden centre is very warm and humid. The plants, some of them quite big, are all close together, and it is literally like walking through a jungle. All you need to finish the effect are some hidden speakers with howler monkeys and parrots sound effects.

And yet, get this, the succulent section is in the same humid room, and some of those cacti are stunning. I don't know how they can get cacti, which are supposedly arid and dry air loving plants to thrive in the jungle atmosphere. Go figure.

They have created one type of atmosphere (humid) in one big room, where ALL their houseplants are. But they have a broad range of plants, yet they all look beautiful!!! I don't know how they do it.

One thing to remember is that these places dont have these plants long term as they sell their stock. Some of the plants might already be shocked from the travel to the store and when you buy them and take them home that could be the shock that causes them to go downhill.

 

[esoxlucius]

One thing to remember is that these places dont have these plants long term as they sell their stock. Some of the plants might already be shocked from the travel to the store and when you buy them and take them home that could be the shock that causes them to go downhill.

Yes, I'll take that as a win then, it's nothing to do with me, it's their journey to the store which sets them on the downward spiral into plant oblivion, nothing to do with my crap horticultural skills once I get them home!

Cheers, Nik! Lol.

Sussing fish related stuff out is quite easy for me, but plants, and all their varying needs and preferences is really confusing sometimes, lol.

 

[Niki_up]

Yes, I'll take that as a win then, it's nothing to do with me, it's their journey to the store which sets them on the downward spiral into plant oblivion, nothing to do with my crap horticultural skills once I get them home!

Cheers, Nik! Lol.

Sussing fish related stuff out is quite easy for me, but plants, and all their varying needs and preferences is really confusing sometimes, lol.

Now your on the right track!
Some plants are just drama queens too!

 

[esoxlucius]

When I bought my anthurium last year I proudly posted pics of it, you may remember way back in this thread. It was absolutely beautiful with stunning red flowers. It soon lost all those, yes, drama queen, lol. I found out I wasn't providing enough light, so I moved it. And after a while it gradually started flowering again, but the flowers were quite small compared to its original blooms when I bought it. It's doing quite well, it looks nice, but it isn't what I'd call thriving, for whatever reason I don't know.

I went to the garden centre the other day and they had masses of tiny young anthuriums, and their flowers were huge. They were bigger and almost as numerous as the leaves! I couldn't believe what I was seeing, lol.

I don't know the garden centres secrets but I aim to find out, lol.

 

[Niki_up]

When I bought my anthurium last year I proudly posted pics of it, you may remember way back in this thread. It was absolutely beautiful with stunning red flowers. It soon lost all those, yes, drama queen, lol. I found out I wasn't providing enough light, so I moved it. And after a while it gradually started flowering again, but the flowers were quite small compared to its original blooms when I bought it. It's doing quite well, it looks nice, but it isn't what I'd call thriving, for whatever reason I don't know.

I went to the garden centre the other day and they had masses of tiny young anthuriums, and their flowers were huge. They were bigger and almost as numerous as the leaves! I couldn't believe what I was seeing, lol.

I don't know the garden centres secrets but I aim to find out, lol.

Are you using any fertilizers at all?

 

[esoxlucius]

Are you using any fertilizers at all?

No traditional fertilizers whatsoever, the kind you buy at the garden centre anyway. All my plants get is old fish tank water, with my filter sponges squeezed in for extra goodness and bits. I store it in 5 gallon tubs, I have loads of them. People keep saying that old fish tank water is probably the best stuff you can give plants???

The thing is, even old fish tank water could be missing some vital nutrients that would maybe allow some of my "average" plants to kick on and thrive, I don't know.

What do you reckon?

 

[Niki_up]

No traditional fertilizers whatsoever, the kind you buy at the garden centre anyway. All my plants get is old fish tank water, with my filter sponges squeezed in for extra goodness and bits. I store it in 5 gallon tubs, I have loads of them. People keep saying that old fish tank water is probably the best stuff you can give plants???

The thing is, even old fish tank water could be missing some vital nutrients that would maybe allow some of my "average" plants to kick on and thrive, I don't know.

As good as fish water is your correct that it’s missing elements needed by the plants.

you probably know this but didn’t give it much thought. when A plant is growing green leaves, flowers, or fruits it will have different nutrient requirements and need more or less of each element. (I do not pretend to know what they actually need bc I don’t but know they need fertilizers for different stages)

 

[esoxlucius]

As good as fish water is your correct that it’s missing elements needed by the plants.

you probably know this but didn’t give it much thought. when A plant is growing green leaves, flowers, or fruits it will have different nutrient requirements and need more or less of each element. (I do not pretend to know what they actually need bc I don’t but know they need fertilizers for different stages)

I had a few tomato plants earlier in the year and I knew that tomato plants needed plenty of feed to prosper, so I bought some tomato specific fertiliser. It was dark coloured and stank.

The funny thing was when I started collecting old aquarium water with the gunk from the filter sponges squeezed in too, it smelt very similar to the tomato feed, which cost me money!!

That's when I began to realise that my old fish tank water was probably just as good, and it was totally free! Maybe, like you said, although it's good, it's not as good as a proper plant specific fertiliser. I suppose all it needs is a couple of trace elements missing and the plants could suffer.

At the end of the day proper fertilizers have measureable trace elements that appear on the packaging so you know where you are, whereas old fish tank water which you've collected yourself is a bit of a stab in the dark I suppose.

 

[Fishman Dave]

N-P-K
Fertiliser contains and hence plants all require these three things.
Nitrogen- for leaf growth
Phosphorous- for roots, flowers and fruit
Potassium - for general health and well-being

I fed my tomatoes tank water early in the season but because I had also enriched the soil with manure I soon found I was overdosing on nitrogen and not a lot else.
So had to switch to tomatoe feed.
Generally fish water will be low in the other two elements (I believe) and hence one reason for your poor flowers.
My tank water is great for the garden green plants, especially my bamboo which is generally going wild.
You can still use your tank water but might need to supplement with a low nitrogen fertiliser too, to cover the other two requirements.

 

[Wisconsinbadger]

You have a fantastic garden