Problem: Emersed Glossostigma Elatinoides

Honest Question Make Me honestly Happy--Let's Explore

Hi Patrick,

Okay I love fungi! Actually I love all kinds of living things.

I’ll get to some ideas on how to correct the problems or some smart people will show up and tell us.

Before the smart folk show up can you tell me about the “hard to the touch growing thing in the substrate line?”

Can you describe the object? Is it round, cylindrical or more oblong? How long, wide, any noticeable deformities? Is it club shaped?

Does it break into pieces or more like a stick?

What does the substrate smell like? What does the “hard-to-the-touch-growing-thing-in-the-substrate-line” thing smell like?

Can you photograph the thingy?

• Take it out clean off obvious dirt and debris, perhaps even rinse it.

When you press on the substrate with your finger making a ½ inch (1.3 centimeter) depression, how long for water to pool?

Do you mind sharing where you live, is the pan exposed to the outside world, open windows so on? Are there cats or birds about?

I suspect the aluminum pan may be part of the problem. Reactive materials are generally a bad idea, maybe Azaleas and Hydrangeas would be the exception.

I suspect the substrate is too wet.

Biollante

 

Fungiturbation, Floralturbation Oh My, And I Thought This Was A Family Friendly Forum

Hi Patrick,

Yes, those small fibers binding the sand are probably fungus. Your “substrate” is undergoing fungiturbation, which seems to be competing with your desired floralturbation. Oh the drama of the soil bio-mantle! friendly

In a sense the fungus is trying to help Mycorrhizae (fungus root) the soil. The soil fungi infect plant roots trying for a symbiotic relationship, increasing the surface area available for contact with nutrients tenfold, in return the fungi get sugar.

So the whole fungus thing may not be all bad, I had thought possibly you were talking the take over the world fungi. Actually I was sort of hoping… Cats, birds and kids are major sources of contamination.

Okay the smell is good; you are still in reasonably good shape.

Ease up on the watering, while keeping the plants moist. I know this sounds contradictory, but what you are looking for is high humidity with moist or damp, not saturated soil. :gw

You may need to wick away moisture from the soil using paper towels.

You are looking for something around 8 to 10 seconds for the finger depressions to fill with water, we want to develop a “capillary zone” of sorts, that 3 millimeters deep the fungi are trying to tell you about, we would like to see the top 3-5 millimeters take a good bit longer to fill with water.

All aluminum cookware (all aluminum) is reactive, the reason one does not (should not anyway) cook tomato based recipes or whip egg whites and so forth in aluminum pans (unless it is anodized, which means the molecular structure has been changed).

Aluminum reacts with acids and bases; could be why aluminum oxides are said to be amphoteric.

I really do not know if the aluminum pan is going to ruin the project. I recommend you transfer it to a plastic container.

Generally I use plastic tubs, Sterilite are cheap and available most everywhere, Rubbermaid are sturdier but more expensive.

Should you choose not to transfer your start up… Well, you can try, maybe someone here has experience. I will ask about.

Biollante