Indoor Gardening and Houseplants: Spider plant advice needed, 1 by tapla

tapla wrote:
EJ - Virtually all water that comes out of the tap has dissolved solids in it. These are calcium, magnesium, iron, sodium, ...... and others. Whenever water evaporates, the dissolved solids are left behind. This is what makes water spots on your crystal or those white crumbly-looking things on top of your plant's soil. When you water in little sips (because you're afraid of root rot), ALL the dissolved solids from tapwater and fertilizer solutions are left behind in the soil. Eventually, these salts do the same thing to your plants as curing salt does to ham or bacon. They can get soo concentrated that they actually PULL water from plant cells. This is technically called plasmolysis because it causes plasma membranes to be pulled from cell walls when it occurs; we commonly call it fertilizer burn.

Using a porous, well-aerated soil that you can water copiously allows these accumulating salts to go back into solution and be flushed from the soil via the drain hole when the water drains from the pot. Heavy, water-retentive soils than make it necessary to pot up in little jumps leave you on the horns of a dilemma --- Do I water copiously to flush out the salts and risk root rot - or do I water in small sips and allow the salt to build in the soil?

Unfortunately, your spider plant is one that tolerates high levels of solubles in the soil solution very poorly; so with this plant you need to use extra care.

JB - It's just me musing, but I think when people understand how plants work and the principles behind manipulating cultural conditions, the potential for an increase in the effort:reward ratio, if you will - the satisfaction they get from growing plants - the fun, increases dramatically. Plants grow best when their requirements are met, and the hobby is what it is - it doesn't grow more or less complicated based on our level of knowledge or because someone puts information in front of us to consider. In the end, I think it's easier to make a case for the observation that the more we know the less complicated we're able to make things; so hopefully, you'll be growing things and having fun for a good long while. ;o)

You might be interested in reading this: http://forums2.gardenweb.com/forums/load/houseplt/msg0214172...

Take care.

Al