An Analysis of the Rational Use of Coal Ash in the Cultivation of Succulents
If you want to learn about succulents, an analysis of the rational use of coal ash in succulent cultivation, the editor will introduce it next.
For many years, many succulent players and enthusiasts have been confused about the use of coal ash. As a medium for growing succulents, coal ash is relatively easy to collect and has a cost close to zero. For enthusiasts who grow in large quantities, the rational use of coal ash is a good choice to reduce the cost of cultivation. Let's first talk about the selection of coal ash and its advantages and disadvantages!
The main components of coal ash are silicon and aluminum oxides, with a porous structure and a certain specific surface area, having adsorption activity. Moreover, in today's society, it is not uncommon to pass off inferior coal as good quality, resulting in the decreasing quality of honeycomb coal, causing the coal to be of poor quality, containing more impurities such as sand and stones, and sometimes mixed with loess to pass off as good quality. When the combustion is incomplete, wood pulp is added to improve its combustion effect, which results in the coal ash from thorough combustion being harder than that of good quality honeycomb coal. This type of coal ash is what we need for planting media. Of course, after good quality honeycomb coal is thoroughly combusted, it turns into ash, which crumbles easily when pinched by hand, and is clearly not the type of medium we need. The particles sieved from this honeycomb coal are few, which would waste a lot of effort and would not be worthwhile!
This results in some advantages of coal ash:
1. It is breathable and water-permeable, and its effectiveness is no worse than that of lan stone, pumice, or植金石.
2. It contains numerous trace elements, such as iron oxide, calcium oxide, magnesium oxide, etc.
3. It contains a large amount of combusted stones and loess, which are the media needed for growing succulents.
4. It reduces the cost of the medium to almost zero, especially for those who grow in large quantities, providing a significant advantage in terms of filling.
The disadvantages of coal ash:
1. After combustion, it produces substances like sulfur, making it alkaline, which requires soaking in water before use.
2. Sometimes, some honeycomb coal is not fully combusted, resulting in a higher number of black particles during screening. It is best to manually pick out and discard this type of honeycomb coal.
3. If used directly without screening, the dust can be excessive. If used directly as a soil amendment, the roots may rot due to poor aeration. Sometimes, when the medium is completely dry and then watered, you will find a particularly fatal issue: water cannot penetrate the medium, causing the floating medium to create mud splashes everywhere. I suggest screening to achieve a reasonable particle size, then rinsing with water and drying before use.
Of course, some enthusiasts say that in the greenhouse, they directly crush loess and coal ash and use them because most of the plants are grown in the ground and do not need to be sieved, and they grow very well. This is also true, but the cultivation methods in the greenhouse can only be used for reference and cannot be applied to balconies or small greenhouses. This is because the environment and terrain of greenhouses are not comparable to those of balcony gardeners. Greenhouses have high humidity and temperature differences; they pursue growth speed and quantity. In this case, such media are more water-retentive. When the sun comes out, a significant amount of moisture is produced in the greenhouse, which is commonly known as humidity. With temperature, there is temperature. People often say, 'Wow, the fog in the greenhouse is so thick,' and this environment is indeed suitable for succulents to grow well and look lively. This environment is not achievable for balcony gardeners. Everything has two sides, advantages and disadvantages. If such plants are moved to a drier environment, they recover slowly and have less resistance compared to plants grown in exposed or semi-exposed environments.
II. How to Use Coal Ash
I will now talk about the rational use of coal ash, that is, how to mix coal ash to create a reasonable planting medium. The climatic conditions and environment in different regions will affect the proportion of coal ash in the mixed medium. In my understanding, in the humid south, a higher particle content is better, which helps the medium dry quickly and is beneficial for root growth, preventing the medium from being overly moist and causing root rot or decay. In the dry north, reducing the particle size is better, making the medium relatively more water-retentive than in the south, so that the medium does not dry too quickly, affecting root growth. I won't write more; I don't want to go on and on. It would be tiring for both me to write and for you to read. It's always the same old things. Simple and easy to understand is better. In the southern region, coal ash can account for 30% to 50% of the mixed medium, while in the northern region, 20% to 40% is suitable. I am in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, and coal ash usually accounts for about 40% of the mixed medium here.
The so-called soil mixing is still about using local materials, using them rationally, reducing costs to a minimum without affecting the growth of succulents. After all, growing flowers is just for entertainment, in people's leisure time to take care of, appreciate, leisure is the main thing, too detailed, too detailed, but a bit by the flowers陶冶的感觉. My Sedum soil is very casual, usually coal ash 40%, decomposed leaf soil or peat moss 30%, orchid soil 20%, coarse sand 10%.
The soil for cacti is a bit more particular, with coal ash 30%, decomposed leaf soil 20%, red jade soil 20%, orchid soil 20%, and lan stone or pumice 10%.
Details:
1. Coal ash has different moisture levels in different seasons. It dries slowly when it rains for a long time and dries quickly when the weather is good. It is recommended to add some red jade soil to the medium to balance the moisture, which works well. It's not that red jade soil is bad here or there; if it's not used properly, it can also fail to grow plants. The key is how to use it rationally.
2. Another tip is to mix small and medium-sized particles when mixing coal ash, which makes the medium more loose and breathable, more conducive to the growth of succulent roots.
Alright, that's all for the soil mixing. It's a simple knowledge that I hope can provide some tips and help to other flower friends. It was written in a hurry, for reference only, and as always, everyone has their own needs and strengths!
The above is the full content of the analysis of the rational use of coal ash in the cultivation of succulents, hoping to help you and also hoping that everyone will come to see more green plant and flower experience and common sense!