Re: Soft water plants

[" Thomas Barr"<tcbiii at earthlink_net>]

> Tom:  I've noticed that some plants do indeed
> seem to
> do better in softer water (especially Blyxa sp.
> "Vietnam").  I think that for most plants it
> doesn't
> matter.  Can you say why that might be?

Yes, I think a few plants do better in soft water, but conversely there are
those that do better in hard water.
One is not necessarily better than the other.

A few things off the top of my head:

Optimal enzymatic activity at slightly lower pH's.
Normally from acidic low Ca/Mg/HCO3/CO3 soils(they do not need to worry about
keeping any excess Ca etc out of the plant in nature where they grow, our
tanks are not nature etc).
They have ways of keeping the Ca/Mg/HCO3/CO3 etc out via the roots, but not
through the leaves and stems.

One person also reported temps effect their ES. The same notion applies to
enzyme's optimization of pH as it does to Temperature. Both play a _very_
large role in enzyme activity.
Which enzyme? I don't know, could be one that takes in -H2PO4, -NO3, or CO2. 

They normally put out submersed growth only for a little while during a wet
growing season to get through the period of inundation and as the water
hardens up as the waters receed, that their signal to stop putting out new
submersed growth and prepare for emergent growth.
By not letting the water harden, this "fools" the plant.

Lots of possible causes. Most will be plant specific I'd imagine to further
stymy the issue.

But all is not lost.
A few plants seem to fall into each group.
Placing a possible note by each as to the successful cultivation methods while
generalizing that most plants do not give a hoot, it gives flexibilty without
spreading FUD and myth.

Regards, 
Tom Barr 

 







  
> 
> Cavan