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Northamptonshire, United Kingdom

Can someone tell me, are those wonderful Alpines in shows planted in bits of broken rock and stones, with
J.I.No. 3 mixed with grit sand underneath ?




Answers

 

I'd have thought JI No. 3 would be way too strong, its really intended for long term planting of shrubs in pots, but Bulbaholic will know

23 Feb, 2017

 

Me???? Well I do quite a lot of showing of alpines in pots, some wonderful but mostly average ;-).
The alpines in pots at shows are usually in the pot for two or three years until they outgrow it and need potting on. Most of us have our own 'special and secret' compost mix, of course, but generally it would be similar to a soil based JI#2 or even a #1 for high mountain species with the addition of lots of grit for good drainage. The top dressing of grit gives a tidy apperance but is also to keep water away from the plant. I would not use a peat compost under any circumstances and would say that grit sand on its own would be too fine for decent drainage - I use 6mm grit.

23 Feb, 2017

 

Well, its more your area than mine, Bulba, but I would have hazarded a guess at using JI No. 1 ...

23 Feb, 2017

 

I use a non peat based multipurpose compost and add 6mm grit and crushed ceramic stuff(when I can get it). Say half and half. Works for me for most things. Bulbs probably need a richer mix and I have spoken to growers who do not like to use a sharp grit with bulbs as the particles may damage the bulb. No proof of that has ever been offered though.
My Auriculas are in the first mix, but with slow acting fertiliser added when repotting.

23 Feb, 2017

 

Bulba and I have never had a problem with 6mm grit (not 'sharp' grit) in the compost we use for bulbs in pots. In fact when we are potting the bulbs on it seems, at times, as it there is more grit than anything else! They certainly don't need a richer mix - think how they grow in the wild. I am not thinking about narcissi that grow in very wet conditions - I've never seen those on the Show Benches. I suspect it would be difficult to make the mixture too lean to be honest but, one thing we do is feed religiously once a week after the the flower has died with half strength liquid tomato feed.
I guess, in a sense, it is down to how you have grown your plants from seedlings if they've alway been grown in lean conditions, as they would be in nature, then it seems to work.
Now something like a Dionysia needs a very different compost mix. Cyril Lafong undoubtedly has several different ones he uses for different alpines but Bulba's advice is good generally.

23 Feb, 2017

 

Diane I think you might be thinking of building an alpine bed. Do have a look at Bulbaholics blog on 3rd January 2012. He shows in detail the building of a raised bed in his garden. Drainage seems to be vital if you want to replicate the natural environment of these plants as closely as possible.

24 Feb, 2017

 

Never thought of that being the actual question Scotsgran but, if it is, then Bulba's blog has the answers :) Takes a good bit of work to create properly, not something you can do in an afternoon or even 3 afternoons! Bulba created the one he shows in the blog about 15 years ago when he was able to lift the heavy rocks etc. He also had the knowledge to be able to build from below ground level to the completed height as a rolling process thanks to his father.

24 Feb, 2017

 

Thank you everyone. I have already built a Crevice Garden. Got my son to take me to Seasons this a.m. to fetch two more rocks to total 12 getting it a bit better
balanced, some Grit sand, and the dreaded J.I. No.3, then pebble gravel. Maggi says No.3 then to bolster the stems with the pebble gravel to boost the stems.
Its too cold today. When it warms up a bit more I will
carefully take out the GC compost, as this seems to destroy the plants. Then poke the plants into the Crevices with a pencil, as she says.
We live and learn.

24 Feb, 2017

 

Have copied out all this information. My Crevice garden has more rocks than Bulbas ! Will carry on searching out the Crevices and see what happens.

24 Feb, 2017

 

Bulba didn't create a crevice garden he created a raised bed with dykes on both sides. I did create a crevice garden but, to the best of my knowledge, there are no photos of on GoY. Made years ago and not in any way raised.

24 Feb, 2017

 

As an addendum the 'soil' in a crevice bed needs to be very, very lean primarily grit and the rocks so close together you can barely plant between them. A crevice bed wouldn't suit the sort of alpines you see on the show benches, this is for small plants that will creep and grown but won't gain much height. Friends of ours had a fantastic crevice bed built on a slope when they lived just south of Edinburgh, alas when they sold the new owners totally trashed the green - heart breaking!

24 Feb, 2017

 

Thats is MG ! I am getting there now. I am just going
to improve my Crevice Garden gradually, a day at a time.
I think I will use my Gerbil compost without the blood, fish & bone, thinly with grit on the base, then leave a gap in the Crevice, and put the plants in the cracks with a pencil, as Maggi said. Only she washed hers to get all the compost out. Then they clung to the rocks and grew. Fascinating ! Will do a few at a time and see how they get on. Later on I will get a special sign 'The Crevice Garden' to put at the back.

24 Feb, 2017

 

I'd be careful of using the gerbil compost, much too rich! Have you seen a 'crevice bed' in situ in the alps? Basically there is no soil just grit and anything that has blown into the crevasse, at times it looks as if the wee plants are growing out of the rock and, effectively they are! Mix together grit and a vert poor quality garden soil - nothing more... no gerbil poo please!

24 Feb, 2017

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