Worm Tea, Physan 20, and SuperThrive - has anyone tried combining the three?

[samnkyle]

I'm looking to put Physan 20 and SuperThrive in my worm tea this weekend.

Has anyone tried this and did it work for you?

Or will the Physan kill the rooting agent and the fertilizer?

[tucker85]

These are three good products but I don't see a reason to combine them. Physan 20 is a bacteriacide/fungicide often used to prevent disease organisms from establishing themselves on our orchids or in the medium. Some growers use it as often as once a month. I use it about four times a year. Worm tea is full of nutrients but it's often used to encourage beneficial bacteria in the medium. That's just the opposite of physan 20. Superthrive is a vitamin/enzyme product that is only used in small doses. I think Superthrive and worm tea can be used together. I would only use physan 20 occasionally as a preventative treatment. All three are suppliments. You still need to use a fertilizer.

[samnkyle]

Ok, so no on combining with Physan but yes on combining worm tea and superthrive... I thought worm tea replaces the fertilizer... and I was using Physan 20 once a week! Yikes!

Thanks tucker85!

[tucker85]

I read a little bit since I posted and I was wrong about worm tea. It is considered an organic fertilizer. I haven't used it, but according to what I'm reading it does contain enough nutrients (nitrogen-phosphorous-potassium) to be used as a fertilizer. Worm castings is the one that is only used as a suppliment. I use a different organic fertilizer once a month to replace my normal balanced commercial fertilizer and I've had good results. The problem is that most organic fertilizers do not tell you how much of each nutrient is in the product. You certainly can experiment with worm tea and superthrive if you want to go organic. Another plan would be to alternate between worm tea and a balanced fertilizer. Either way, I would love to hear about the results you get. Good luck.

[Bud]

Physan 20 if applied in strong amounts will damage new buds, new leaf and new roots...but if you have a heavy fungal or bacterial infestation then thats the time you apply it to the plant...it is also good for sterilizing tools before you use to cut any part of your orchid..it is used to cleanse the surroundings of your orchids (tables, floors and paths if infected with algae and bacteria)
I use worm tea mix together with seaweed mix and alternate it with AlgoFlash liquid orchid fertilizer every other week...

[samnkyle]

o.m.g... so many different choices!

I got the worm compost from one company and worm casting from another... I'll give them a try with the superthrive and alternate with the orchid food (miracle/orchid gro or something..)

Let you know if they work!

I'm planning on using them on my seedlings which I got from Oak Hill. The last two batches aren't doing so well so I want to do something different.

I'll probably get some heating mats...
Just now looking at Ray's website... again, so many choices! I feel like I want everything!

Thanks guys for the quick feedback!
I love this board!

[Otis226]

From the little I know of these 3 products, combining worm tea and Physan, will negate any positive benefit you could get from using the worm tea alone. The Physan 20 would probably kill any/all of the good aerobic bacteria in the worm tea. As for superthrive, I consider it snake oil until the manufacturer stops making the fantastic claims and actually print the ingredients on the label. I prefer liquid seaweed to superthrive every time.
Cheers,
Tony

[keithrs]

Seaweed will give your plant much more nutrition(if you want to call it that) than worm tea.

To give you a back round of what worn tea is used for... Its used to feed the roots of plants that use potting soil mainly... It adds and feeds the mycorrhizal fungi and beneficial bacteria at the root zone. It has little useful nutrition to plants. Different worms will give you different NPK's.

If you use physan, tap water or any product that has ingredients used to kill bacteria or fungus with worn tea, or any product that has natural beneficial ingredients or even water separately. You void the any benefits the "fertilizer" has.

Secondly..... Wormtea, seaweed, or fish fertilizers aren't complete fertilizers as Tucker pointed out. Seaweed is good macro fertilizer and works great when added with Ca Nitrate, but I don't recommend that you use that combo every feed. I recommend you purchase some MSU and use @ 1/4 rate. You need a fertilizer that has NPK along with Ca, Mg and other micro and macro ingredients. If you want to use worm tea and water with tap than I recommend a KDF or carbon block filters.

What problems are you have with your seedlings?

I have never used superthrive because of the snake oil effect.

[Bud]

LOLZ @ snake oil effects

[samnkyle]

what snake oil effect? yikes!

I have to digest all the info keithrs and you all have given... I keep reading up on something that worked for someone so I was just copying (on the worm tea and all)...

ok so on my seedlings, I had them burnt one time.. and overwatered (rotted root) the other time... lessee what else... oh I had their leaves turn yellow one point (not sure if it's the cold or too much water again.. or too dry?)... got them moldy (with sphag-n-bag)...basically, I've just been successful at torturing them before they die!

So I just bought some heating mats last night (can't wait to get them in the mail)... and I'm going to lower the temp on my makeshift, plastic GH...

I have my shopping cart for the Dyno-Gro stuff and whatever is the new revolutionary media (ViaStone or PrimAgra or CocoGro or ....) but now looks like I gotta research the other fertilizer also!

I think I'm coming close to spending more on the supplies.. and the plants that I'm killing than the cost of my actual remaining live orchids!!!