Quote:
Originally Posted by estación seca
The rooting hormones in kelp aren't stable when dried nor boiled. There won't be any rooting hormones in your mixture. At this point fertilizer (nutrient solution) is not needed. Rooting hormones are needed.
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Hello!
Thank you so much for this input!
When you say dried nor boiled kelp has stable rooting hormones, does that imply that non-heat treated kelp, some from the beach perhaps, DO have stable rooting hormones?
I would think that the sardine fert being high in phosphorus would be useful though?
I currently have zero blooming phals and investing 15$(canadian) in a commercial rooting hormone for these sick little phals just doesn't seem like it's going to be worth it.
---------- Post added at 05:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:21 AM ----------
Quote:
Originally Posted by bil
I wouldn't bother. The Kelpmax is cold vaccuum extracted and the growth hormones etc are intact. Heat denatures them.
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Does this mean that I could get some live kelp next time I am by the beach? (I live a few blocks from a beach)
Quote:
Originally Posted by bil
Yup. As soon as I get a new orchid home, I repot, even if they don't need it. I want a look at the roots et al, and tbh most times had I not repotted the orchid would have shortly been circling the drain.
I never cut off roots. They provide stability and there is the possibility that they will still wick water to the plant.
"I want to be able to keep healthy plants and be able to manage rotting if it occurs."
If you are doing the first, you are unlikely to have to worry about the second. That's not arrogance, but a simple observation. If they get too hot or cold, andd the crown starts to rot, trust me on this, BIN THEM.
If you put them in moss, and the roots start to rot, then frankly, the cure is, pot them up in coarse bark ONLY and treat them as if they are healthy. From this of course, the obvious deduction is, pot them in bark AT THE START, and then your only problem is underwatering. That can make the leaves go floppy. Then all I do again, is water them as if they were healthy (ie water them more than you were.) Here in High Summer, I water 3 times a week, and in winter, once a week.
In summer they get 25ppm of nitrogen every watering, and winter when it is x1 a week, they get 75ppm.
"My goal is to be able to have 3-4 nice healthy phals which can provide me beautiful blooms year-round, every year."
Nope. What happens with the common phals is that they all synchronise. Mine are starting to throw flower spikes, and once they start flowering, I will have flowers on some of them till September.
One suggestion is, look at the minature phals. I have a white one that was flowering almost all year.
I'll attach a pic of the big and the small white one to show what sort of pot sizes I use. The minature phals are potted in fine bark btw.
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Hi Bil. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!
I completely understand that keeping a good environment for the phals from the first place is very important. I agree. However, For example, last time I visited my parents, I had noticed one of my father's indoor orchids were dead/dying due to overwatering. My mother said the house maid probably overwatered it while they were overseas.
I could see something like this happen to me if I had to leave my plant for my friend to water.
Watering every two three days with coarse bark medium sounds like a lot! That must mean some of the roots deep in the pot are always wet?
Interesting to hear that you water/fertilize less frequently.
That is too bad about the orchids all synchronizing!
Thanks for the pictures! I love pictures!
That is a very cool setup for your phals!
Wow. This is the first time I've heard of "mini" phals.
That small white one is amazing! Does that mini phal have three blooming spikes at the same time?! Bloom almost all year round?! How long is the dormancy period afterwards?
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