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JustinF · 05-30-2009, 03:03 AM

I know this thread is a bit old, but I thought I would dredge it up anyways. I have considered the use of organic fertilizers in an effort to replicate the quality of rainwater falling on the frogs and their surroundings in their natural environment.

A surprisingly high amount of nutrients is provided by falling rain. For example, at a site near Manaus, Brazil, rain brought three kilograms of phosphorus, two kilograms of iron, and ten kilograms of nitrogen per hectare annually.(Those numbers are from a report and some of the important ones for plant growth) If you further consider the nutrient acquisition strategies Epiphytes have evolved from symbiotic relationships with ants to basket shapes to catch fallen debris to harness the nutrients released at the debris decays, it is far more then a simple "let frog poo and dead feeders fertilize the plants". It's akin to feeding a child nothing but Kraft diner and calling it a satisfactory diet.

Rain water can contain all kinds of particulate pollution long before it hits the point of collection, which can also contribute forms of pollution, this is a whole discussion on it's own. I mention Epiphytes here because they are the ones you are concerned with feeding with water. Plants you have planted in various soil mixes so long as they contain nutrients are not really relevant atm.

So if you are like me, using some kind of filtered water, RO/DI or something similar, and do not have a full load of insects replicating the natural environment various Epiphytes come from, and you are not using rainwater collected from the Rainforest, your plants are more then likely in a nutrient limiting situation. That is if you even provided adequate lighting, which sadly screw in compacts are not.

I would love to find studies if there are any on the water chemistry or even basic water values of water sampled from Bromeliad axils in the wild, or even what the contents of the axil may be.

05-30-2009, 03:03 AM	#24 (permalink)
JustinF Member Join Date: May 2009 Location: Port Moody BC, Canada Posts: 34 Real Name: Justin Fournier	I know this thread is a bit old, but I thought I would dredge it up anyways. I have considered the use of organic fertilizers in an effort to replicate the quality of rainwater falling on the frogs and their surroundings in their natural environment. A surprisingly high amount of nutrients is provided by falling rain. For example, at a site near Manaus, Brazil, rain brought three kilograms of phosphorus, two kilograms of iron, and ten kilograms of nitrogen per hectare annually.(Those numbers are from a report and some of the important ones for plant growth) If you further consider the nutrient acquisition strategies Epiphytes have evolved from symbiotic relationships with ants to basket shapes to catch fallen debris to harness the nutrients released at the debris decays, it is far more then a simple "let frog poo and dead feeders fertilize the plants". It's akin to feeding a child nothing but Kraft diner and calling it a satisfactory diet. Rain water can contain all kinds of particulate pollution long before it hits the point of collection, which can also contribute forms of pollution, this is a whole discussion on it's own. I mention Epiphytes here because they are the ones you are concerned with feeding with water. Plants you have planted in various soil mixes so long as they contain nutrients are not really relevant atm. So if you are like me, using some kind of filtered water, RO/DI or something similar, and do not have a full load of insects replicating the natural environment various Epiphytes come from, and you are not using rainwater collected from the Rainforest, your plants are more then likely in a nutrient limiting situation. That is if you even provided adequate lighting, which sadly screw in compacts are not. I would love to find studies if there are any on the water chemistry or even basic water values of water sampled from Bromeliad axils in the wild, or even what the contents of the axil may be.