C. percivaliana 'Summit' FCC/AOS first bloom

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Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

I do the rain water when I can. I have just run out of it. In the summer I have a big black barrel that it is stored in but for the winter I put it in gal jugs or I also have some of those bigger plastic cat litter jugs. They work great, but then I have a garage in the basement that I can put them in. I also don't have 140 orchids to water thank heavens.

I only have around 45 so far

Years ago I had the water tested and it was 7. something. I can't find the paper for it. I was just reading before I got on the forum this morning an e-mail from Jerry Baker, you know the garden guy, anyway it was saying you can put lemon juice in your water to bring down the PH. Anyone ever heard of that one?

I have to haul water for my humidifiers and now that I am going to have to start hauling it for my orchids also it is going to get to be a pain in the you know what.

I have sometimes mixed the RO water with mine for some of my orchids, I probably should have done it more. I have been using Epsom salt mixed with gypsum for extra cal/mag. I think my David Sanders is still showing signs of deficiency.

I have heard that lemon juice can be used to lower pH.

What signs of deficiency are you seeing on the David Sanders?

[No-Pro-mwa]

Well I'm not really sure what it is. It is like black sunken spots and it's only on the new growth. This summer when it was growing 3 new growths they at first looked fine and they were all 3 larger than there previous growths. I was very happy then the largest of the 3 started getting black at the tip of the leaf.

I thought it was sunburn and cut the tip off, and no like a dummy I did not put cinnamon on it. It just kept going and I finally cut it off and put cinnamon on it and it stopped. However it was most all the leaf. The other 2 leaves just have small black spots and when you mentioned it on this thread I was like I wonder if that is what it is.

If you want I can get a picture of them.

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Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Well I'm not really sure what it is. It is like black sunken spots and it's only on the new growth. This summer when it was growing 3 new growths they at first looked fine and they were all 3 larger than there previous growths. I was very happy then the largest of the 3 started getting black at the tip of the leaf.

I thought it was sunburn and cut the tip off, and no like a dummy I did not put cinnamon on it. It just kept going and I finally cut it off and put cinnamon on it and it stopped. However it was most all the leaf. The other 2 leaves just have small black spots and when you mentioned it on this thread I was like I wonder if that is wheat it is.

If you want I can get a picture of them.

Dark sunken spots is what I was having problems with also and consider to be the calcium deficiency. You can post a photo if you like. It was on a lot of pseudo bulbs as well and often killed young new growths.

[No-Pro-mwa]

Thanks, I'll give them some of my mix and if it doesn't go away it might be best to buy a liquid. The gypsum even though I crush it still will settle to the bottom.

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Originally Posted by No-Pro-mwa

Thanks, I'll give them some of my mix and if it doesn't go away it might be best to buy a liquid. The gypsum even though I crush it still will settle to the bottom.

The spots won't go away but hopefully no new ones will develop. Good luck.

[GardenTheater]

Congratulations on the bloom!

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Originally Posted by GardenTheater

Congratulations on the bloom!

Thanks. I was thrilled to finally see some results