Further north than expected
All of the DIY substrate materials arrived today, with one exception. The perlite had gone to Scotland.
All of the DIY substrate materials arrived today, with one exception. The perlite had been sent further north than we were expecting. To a depot in Scotland, in fact.
So we went looking, and found an awesome small business selling all sorts. We came back with perlite, cheaper than the lot we'd ordered, so that one can stay in the Hebrides as far as I'm concerned. Pictured is the stuff. It's not exactly fascinating inside the bags, but there is pumice, grit, coir and, finally, perlite. With compost ready to go as well, we're mixing our own from now on, at something like 80% less than buying it.
We also came back with something else. Look, they were very friendly and gave us a discount (or saw us coming, or maybe both). We made a saving, which is how I'm justifying it, and bought a proper propagator. The shoe rack isn't unemployed, as there is always a need for space. The lights were ordered cheaply online: a lot more DIY than the shop's, but full spectrum, effective, and pennies a month to run. Kirsty has hooked up a custom fan for the time being (it's a USB desk fan, but shhhh).
A bunch of seeds arrived today too. Seeds are an amazing way to get the plants you want insanely cheap, and I'll update as we go. For now the monkey puzzles are in, snug in their custom substrate, and will hopefully germinate in one to two months.
With a lot more room, I'm also running an experiment. Larger plants that are annual here but perennial elsewhere tend to struggle through winter, so the bonchis and the coleus have gone in, along with one of the cuttings. The other cutting is staying on the windowsill, and is a fair bit stronger. For science. Hamish also got a haircut and a rethink of his style; if he puts on weight quickly in there, I may hack back some more.
The Countess has a new home for the winter as well, as the humidity will suit her.
