Coryanthus acidic medium/watering

[Rothrock42]

I've seen it recommended to add a little lemon juice occasionally when watering a Coryanthus to emulate the formic acid from ant nests which are their preferred growing locations.

Has anybody used vinegar? I found this book online that suggest diluting white vinegar 3:1 once a month.

https://books.google.com/books?id=_y...20acid&f=false

Anybody have any other tips or tricks?

[Ray]

I've never heard of the need, when planted in acidic media like bark, but why not use formic acid?

Formic Acid, 950 ml [formic] | DudaDiesel Biodiesel Supplies

[Subrosa]

I use 2 tbsp per gallon of rain water to water my Cypripedium acaule.

[Leafmite]

My grandma would add a little cider vinegar now and then when she watered the plants that preferred low pH and I did that for a long time with my citrus. I have never tried this with orchids, though. We do have acidic rainwater.
If the right acid was easily available, though, I would probably buy it (as Ray suggests).

[Rothrock42]

Thanks for the ideas. It never even occurred to me that one is able to buy formic acid! I was trying to figure out if I could get an ant farm going.

With the formic acid I wonder how much I would need to dilute it.

According to the water department our city water ranges from 7.4 to 8.1 and doesn't have a lot of dissolved minerals. We have plenty of rain too, but I'm not sure what its pH is.

Just getting started with orchids and figuring it all out. Appreciate the help.

[estación seca]

Many pH meters are inexpensive.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by estación seca

Many pH meters are inexpensive.

So are pH Test Strips, and are a lot easier to maintain.

However, it appears that this is a good time to point something out: the pH of the solution applied to the potting media is not likely the pH of the resulting root zone environment, as the potting medium, the plant, and the micro-organisms that populate them affect that.

The thing to do is take an already-watered-and-fully-drained pot, pour a little bit of water through the pot, and collect the small amount of runoff. When you test that, you will know the pH of the rhizosphere.

[Rothrock42]

Good points Ray. I guess I'm going to have get an ant farm and then set them free. Amazon.com: Uncle Milton - Giant Ant Farm: Toys & Games

I am definitely going to get some pH strips and see what I can figure out.

[estación seca]

I can see it now: "Hello, all! I'm having trouble keeping ants alive in my greenhouse. Do you have any suggestions for an ant newbie?"

[Manfred Busche]

to all who have contributed here. Frankly, I am not sure whether all of it is meant to be serious stuff ...

If Rothrock's initial question regarding lemon juice and vinegar is serious indeed, then let me answer that
plants of Coryanthes have definitely no need for it.

For more insight, you might look up the thread 'Understanding Coryanthes' on this forum.