floating island experiment

[JRFxtreme]

Last summer I decided to build a floating island for some plants out of a large net pot and some empty drink containers with the idea that I would put it in the lake behind my house.

Some info:
-The lake water TDS tests at around 170-180 PPM.
-Media is around 60/40 to 70/30 perlite/sphagnum moss with a higher ratio of perlite near the bottom and higher ratio of sphagnum at the top.
-Guinea pigs used: Cuban variety of Drosera intermedia, Drosera binata var multifida, Drosera filiformis "Florida All-Red", Dionaea muscipula and a sickly looking Drosera petiolaris.

Here are some pics shortly after the island was constructed (June 2012):

And here they are today (February 2013):

The Drosera intermedia seem to be doing the best and have expanded their territory through seeds. The Drosera binata var. multifida are also doing well but seem a little lacking in the dew department. The Drosera filiformis and Flytrap are both dormant at the moment and the Drosera petiolaris has split and shrunk but is still hanging in there for now. I'll post again in a few months to mark their progress.

 

[That One Guy]

That is awesome! Pics of them out there, floating? You should add some purps or something.

 

[Jcal]

Very neat idea. Good to see that the plants are thriving, and that ppm isn't effecting their growth.

A big mass of floating purps would look awesome.

 

[lil hokie]

Hm I would have thought, especially for the flytrap, that the ppm was too high. I do agree that a big mass of floating purps would look awesome!

You should totally stick a little pirate flag on the raft as well.
Ahoy!

 

[David F]

This is the coolest thing ever.
-Dave

 

[BioZest]

Awesome! I bet they'll get a bunch of bugs in the summer from all of the larva hatching. You should definitely post some pics of it floating on the water.

 

[Vbkid]

Very neat idea! Do you think doign a similar model but with just an inner-tube holding the pot and providing floatation might work?

 

[BioZest]

I think It would deflate after a while, but if you could get a really heavy duty one, it might work

 

[pearldiver]

Ace!

 

[richjam1986]

Very cool

 

[fdfederation]

I think a floating island of Darlingtonia californica would be nice. I wonder if you can also grow some Utricularia with the bladders growing into the water, making the island resemble a Physalia physalis.

 

[carbonetc]

I'm also surprised the PPM isn't too high. That's higher than my tap water (maybe I just have good water). The fact that it's always moving is surely a benefit.

I'd keep my eye on the bottles keeping it afloat. UV rays make plastic, especially plastic not designed for the outdoors, extremely brittle. If enough of them crack your island could sink.

 

[corky]

if you were bothered about the bottles cracking and sinking you could buy a can of expanding foam and fill them with that

 

[BioZest]

@fdfederation you could have just said a man of war jellyfish.

@JRFxtreme you should post some pics of it floating in the lake! Awesome idea BTW.

 

[n bicalcarata]

yea pics of it floating !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[pearldiver]

There's a large pond some ways from me near and office complex, that I was considering spiking with U. gibba and Aldrovanda. Probably should not, but the only thing in there is algae and a few mosquito fish.

 

[Api]

Introducing new species into a different habitat isn't very great....

 

[JRFxtreme]

Here are a couple from today. The coots and turtles were waiting for my dad to come outside and feed them:

And one from earlier this year:

I like the Sarracenia purpurea idea and know where I can get some cheap so I might try that later this spring.

 

[lil hokie]

It looks really cool out to...lake.

 

[bluemax]

Fun idea and great results. I'm looking forward to seeing if the D. petiolaris recovers.