1. Hi. I grow swamp plants, and need to have the soil box inside a box filled with water. But I recognize that the water develops an odor, and wonder if it makes sense to do something about it, and if, how and what to do. I don't want the plants to suffer, but I want to get rid of the foulish smell of the water. 2. Also, I see that much of the white sand and white stones become covered with a light green algae or something like that. If I would decide (not sure yet) to get rid of the green algae, how best to do this?
Do you somehow aerate the water in your swamp? I’m just thinking the smell may be from anaerobic organisms. But having said that, I do not know that much about swamp plants or if they care what organism are present, but for other plants, aerobic microbes seems preferred over anaerobic microbes. I'm sure someone here know more about that.
Agree with fourd. Seems to me that aerating or circulating the water would cut down on the smell, as well as being OK for your plants. Even in a swamp the water is not completely stagnant. Do you use straight tap water? If so, perhaps there is some chemical additive in it that causes or creates the smell. As for your issue #2, sounds like what happens in a fish tank. I know that light stimulates the growth of this stuff...as does the presence of certain chemicals. (Might be that the smell and the algae growth are interrelated, eh?) With the fish tank, everything just had to be hauled out of it and hosed off once in a while.--- Perhaps there are some fish (plecostomus or the like) or other algae-eating creatures that could be happy living amongst your plants. By the way---what kinds of plants are they?
Hi, and thanks, you two. I grow Drosera ("Sundew"). The box with the soil is inside a box with the water, since it is required to cover one inch from the ground of the soil with permanent water. No fish tank involved.
Well, when it rains here, it rains quite a lot (during the rain season in the tropical belt). But I would have to find a way to catch the rain, I don't have something I can put out, at the moment. But I will do. But it rains only during two months of the year, in a good amount. During the other times, it rains a little bit, and unpredictable. So I hardly can catch the water since I am at work.
