[APD] RE: generalizations

["Thomas Barr" <tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Laura's post that started this thread  inspired many dissenting or
partially 
> dissenting responses.  She said, essentially, that generalizations about 
> aquatic plant culture aren't particularly helpful since there are many
approaches 
> that work. 

Bill cuts to the chase(again!).

If you ask "how to grow plants", ..........expect a dozen answers, each one
quite valid.
If you ask how to grow plants w/o carbon enrichment, maybe 4 answers each
also valid.
If you ask how to grow plants without carbon enrichment, but with soil
based substrates, no fertilizers beside fish food, maybe 2 answers.
If you ask how to grow Hygrophila polysperma without carbon enrichment,
soil based substrates, no fertilizers beside fish food, perhaps one answer.

A general question will yield a general answer. Many folks start off
general and focus things down.
They do this as a natural progression. It might take 2-6 post exchanges to
focus the question/issue they want to discuss.I give them a break and keep
working with them till the issue is resolved. Sometimes years or months
pass and then they have another issue. Some newbies start off the bat
having 100 specific questions and want to know everything at once and work
like dogs learning all they can and dot all their i's.     

We _all_ were newbies at some point, no generalization there.

Books are not very useful IMO(IME as well), I'll make a glowing exception
for Diana Walstad's book. Certainly my favorite but not a newbie book that
much but one I'd recommend to a newbie that is interested in that method
and.or is truly interested in aquatic plants.

Many complain of all the different competing methods out there for culture.
Picking out the useful info off a google search is tough.
You have too much information and then when you ask for help, you get 12
different answers.  
But you eventually pick a method based on your goals, what makes the most
sense to you and try to become competent with it. 
I know the frustration first hand. We all see it on the web often enough. 

This list caters to everyone, there is not an "advanced" nor a "beginner"
section here.
That can add to frustration. "What does DIN, SAE, DOC mean?"
"I don't like this art talk about design" "I'm really tired of all this
redox potential mumbo talk about substrates" ad nauseum.....
I try and make a jokes about things. DOC=> damn onerous cat and so on.....
Sometimes it helps to laugh at your frustration, it helps to deal with it.
So some salt and some patience really goes a long way from both the newbie
and the expert.  
 
>  I don't think many here disagree with that, although there are 
> other plant forums where the moderators to not appreciate any post that
deviates 
> from their standard.

Who/where are they?:-)
I'll muurrderize them:)

> So the dissents puzzled me.
> Bill

I think every approach/method to culture tends to be more similar than
dissimilar.
__Although__ to the newbie, the overwhelming array of methods really causes
confusion.
So let them pick one, let them pick their goal, path and then help where
you can with the least amount of pain as possible.

Regards, 
Tom Barr


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