Two Mangrove Questions: Temp & Tap

[Dave Legacy]

Hi,

I've decided to do a little experiment with one of my Rhizophora mangle saplings. Right now they're in a 25G rubbermaid container with 5" of silica sand, 1.015SG, minor amounts of trace elements, and under 65W 6700/10,000K Power Compact Lighting.

I'm going to plant on of them in a 2 Gallon Bucket with a 50/50 mix of silica sand & "Scotts: Earthgro Potting Soil" and placed outdoors in full sunlight. I'd like to see if there are any drastic growth improvements.

However, in order to do this I will need to extract the sapling from a bucket of many in a tightly packed sand bed. I'd like to use a hose to blow around the sand enough to free up the roots. Is it safe to temporarily expose the saplings to tap water without suffering any ill effects? What about being exposed to freshwater?

Second issue is temperature. Right now in the Los Angeles, California Area the the temps are Mid-80's to High-50's. Is this way too cold for the mangroves to survive in? Too much of a swing?

Thanks in advance,
Dave

 

[Samala]

Could you siphon out the sand in the area so you dont need to use the hose blast? I dont think the temporary freshwater 'wash' would be that detrimental myself.

I'd make the change to full sun and more heat gradually.. if possible. Shade them with insect screening perhaps. I have lost mangroves trying to put them in buckets to grow when I had acclimated them to aquarium life for a few weeks prior.

>Sarah

 

[Dave Legacy]

I'll siphon the sand out rather than shooting it with hose water and maybe I'll put the sapling in front of the window for a few weeks before giving it full exposure to the sun. Right now none of them are in aquariums, but they are in a controlled enviornment.

Thanks for the advice.

 

[Samala]

Ohhh I forgot one important element in your post! I'm not sure how the temperature change will effect them. 80F, no problem. 50F, thats seems low for mangroves... just judging simply off the typical weather throughout Florida and other areas in their natural distribution. Its not totally out of the question, but I would experiment with a few to see how it goes. We certainly have low temperature days and nights during fall and winter though.. hmm.

Sorry I didnt catch that earlier.

>Sarah

 

[Triterium]

I have grown mangroves in temps of high 30s with no problems. They just grow slow.