Nitrogen question - Page 3 - Orchid Board

Slobo · #21 03-30-2012, 03:36 PM

Thanks euplusia,

I have no doubts that the product is good I'll try to find it here in Canada.

Slobo

mattryan · #22 03-30-2012, 07:39 PM

Well I spent most of the day trying to find out what was in my fert. plant prod. It sure does have urea, and here I was thinking I was doing good. Oh well I did find that Dyna-Gro is sold at an hydroponic store called Bustan down in toronto. A little far for me, but maybe if someone else knows of a product that is urea free that can be purchased through a garden store I would love to hear. I am also looking for osmocote and I can't find it anywhere in Ontario. I guess the politcians think everyone is a terrorist. I did find some fert on amazon, but I 'm afraid if I order it the RCMP will be knocking at my door lol. If anyone knows where I could purchase these products without having to tour Canada or get arrested I would really appreciate it.

Cheryl

keithrs · #23 03-30-2012, 08:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Slobo

Thanks Keith,

I very often visit Ray's site. I do believe that the products he sells are highly regarded by the orchid growing hobbyists, but the shipping cost and especially brokerage fees are horrendously high to bring anything into Canada from States.

I grow my plants indoor. Don't have any experiance with wormbacteria tea products. Is this something that is not smelly and can be used in the house?

Thanks,

Slobo

I'm sorry to hear about the shipping cost... I know that he(Ray) works with people from Canada if your willing to cross the border....

I have very good results with "worm" teas.... The main benefit for me has been with my seedlings... I have only lost about 6 seedling out of about 150... Before I lost 80% to fungal rot. My plants outside have shown very good root growth where my plants would have rotted the roots last year. You can buy worm teas at your local hydro store or brew it yourself. There is min. smell involved if done right.

Slobo · #24 03-30-2012, 09:18 PM

Cheryl I hear ya,

Sometimes it is impossible to find some things here that are readily available in States. I'll search for Dyna-Gro in some local hydroponics stores.
I did phone Schultz of Canada. They confirm that the product sold here is the same as in the US. High percentage of urea.

Keith, thanks again for your guidance. I'll think about crossing the border and picking up supplies from Ray if need to be, but first I really like to explore local market. As far as the worm/bacteria tea, I'll search the local hydro stores for it as well as for Dyna-Gro.

Slobo

mattryan · #25 03-31-2012, 10:06 AM

You'd think something that is supposed to be used especially for orchids wouldn't have urea in it. I looked on amazon and I can order stuff from there. The s&h is what kills you, but probably more cost effective rather than driving to the states. Happy hunting!

Cheryl

Slobo · #26 03-31-2012, 11:37 AM

I can stomach s/h but brokerage fee is something that is ridiculously high, in my opinion. Especially if one uses UPS. Sometimes when I buy in States I have them ship to a small town near the border and I go there to get it. This is only 1 hr away from my place. One thing that I can't understand is the big difference in availability of supplies between US and Canada. Maybe the canadian market is so small that importing is not very profitable for distributors.

I really like to buy locally as much as possible but very often it's frustrating experience.

Slobo

silken · #27 03-31-2012, 12:55 PM

Paramount in Calgary sells Dyna Gro products. Another fertilizer I didn't see mentioned here is MSU. As far as I know it is urea free and regarded as a very good plant food by some on here, including myself. We buy it in large quantities and then distribute in smaller quantities to our orchid society members. Part of a perk to belonging to the society in a city and province where not much is available for orchid growers. Hydroponics places seem to have the best sources if you don't have a good orchid place or large gardening resource nearby.

I would think being in Winnipeg, there should be access to Dya-Gro stuff. Do you belong to the orchid society there? If not you might consider joining. You will find loads of info from various members of what they use and where they get it.

Slobo · #28 03-31-2012, 01:52 PM

Thanks silken,

Now when you mentioned Paramount, I remember buying one of my orchids and some K-L-N from them at recent show here in Winnipeg. I'll contact them.

Unfortunately I'm not member of MOS (Manitoba Orchid Society). I should really join them, but they charge yearly membership fee, I think.

The problem here is, I think, me being so new to orchid growing hobby. I don't know all the places and tricks to get what I want/need.

The other thing is, I learnt so much in last two weeks that I now becoming so picky when I search for something. Before I would walk into the garden centre and buy what ever sales person would advise. But now I know exactly what I want and wouldn't settle for less. I didn't even scratch the surface yet in the learning, I can imagine how picky I'll become after I learn more and more. All this is a good thing and I really have to thank to all the wonderful people from this board for that.

Slobo

Ray · #29 03-31-2012, 02:20 PM

When dealing with Canadian customers, there is usually a 4-tiered approach, cost-wise:

Ship to one of those "shipping services" on the US side of the border, and the Canadian customer picks it up.
Some have friends in the US, so I ship there, instead.
For smaller orders, the USPS wins going into Canada. For example, I can dump a 2-pound jar of powdered fertilizer into a heat-sealed bag, and use a small flat-rate box for $13.95.
For larger order, the USPS gets horrible, so I use the last resaort of FedEx Intl Ground, but I have to collect taxes, duties, and a brokerage fees, as I am a non-resident importer to Canada.

eggshells · #30 03-31-2012, 02:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mattryan

Well I spent most of the day trying to find out what was in my fert. plant prod. It sure does have urea, and here I was thinking I was doing good. Oh well I did find that Dyna-Gro is sold at an hydroponic store called Bustan down in toronto. A little far for me, but maybe if someone else knows of a product that is urea free that can be purchased through a garden store I would love to hear. I am also looking for osmocote and I can't find it anywhere in Ontario. I guess the politcians think everyone is a terrorist. I did find some fert on amazon, but I 'm afraid if I order it the RCMP will be knocking at my door lol. If anyone knows where I could purchase these products without having to tour Canada or get arrested I would really appreciate it.
Cheryl

Usually the fertilizers that are sold in garden centers such as lowes or hope depot have urea in them because most if not all cater to soil potted house plants. In order to get the nitrogen from urea. You need micro organisms to break that urea down and release it as nitrogen. Its not a problem in soil. But since we are growing in bark. The only time urea nitrogen is gonna be available to the plants is when the bark starts to break down. However, that's when you need to repot and pot it in fresh bark. So you need readily available source of nitrogen which is nitrate. And since LECA doesn't break down. Urea won't be available as a source of nitrogen for the hydroponic growers hence most urea free fertilizer are available from hydroponic stores.