Seedling medium - Page 3 - Orchid Board

Des · #21 10-13-2009, 04:37 PM

[QUOTE=Undergrounder;263794]Aerated water? interesting how do you do that? Is it a proper aeroponic system? Soldering iron now that's an idea, i can't stand the heat of the gas stove that i use to heat the nail. The rising heat does draw the smoke away from my face though, and yeah the stuff does look and smell pretty toxic.

Undergrounder ,do yourself a big favor and buy yourself a set of taper drill bits do you have Bunnings in your part of OZ? That smoke burnt the heck out of my eyes you dont want to do that!!
I aerate my feed water using an aquarium aerator,I also use a small amount of hydrogen peroxide which sterilizes my hydroponic equipment and gives the plants an O2 boost

Undergrounder · #22 10-15-2009, 12:25 PM

Thanks Des i'll look for them next time im at Bunnings..

I've added H202 to the water in the past, and every now and then when i dunk and drain the pots in a bucket of water i use H202 in the dunk water to try and kill anything that might be around. But I haven't found a supply of H202 that is cheap. You go through a lot of that stuff if you start adding it to your water on a regular basis.

Des · #23 10-15-2009, 01:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Undergrounder

Thanks Des i'll look for them next time im at Bunnings..

I've added H202 to the water in the past, and every now and then when i dunk and drain the pots in a bucket of water i use H202 in the dunk water to try and kill anything that might be around. But I haven't found a supply of H202 that is cheap. You go through a lot of that stuff if you start adding it to your water on a regular basis.

Undergrounder I buy a 30 liter drum of H2O2 35% food grade from a chemical wholesaler It is used to sterilize dairy equipment .A hydroponic store might also be able to help you . Purchasing from the pharmacy can be very pricey .If you still can't find i will ask my brother in Melbourne where he gets his.

shadytrake · #24 10-15-2009, 03:49 PM

Hello from across the pond.

Here are pics from my first 2 deflaskings.

I'm using sterilized S. Moss w/hydroton and lava rock.

I used Physan to sterilize and I also bottom water.

They seem to be doing just fine. I got 80 seedlings from the Den flask and 40 or 50 from the Catt flask.

Compots - Orchid Board Galleries

Compots - Orchid Board Galleries

This is what I hope to get when they are ready to bloom.

https://lab.troymeyers.com/flasking/photo.php?id=1051

https://lab.troymeyers.com/flasking/photo.php?id=7981

Des · #25 10-15-2009, 05:18 PM

Welldone!!

OzPhal · #26 10-25-2009, 11:27 AM

Is it possible to use too fine a perlite underground? i bought some from Bunnings toda (i didnt wash it but i sieved a lot of the fine dust out). I don't know if it's coarse enough though - it's kinda rice grain size with some larger chunks in there. I havent drilled any holes in the side of the pots though but i can see the wisdom in doing that! i may have to disturb them again to do that which i didnt really want to do.

Undergrounder · #27 10-25-2009, 12:21 PM

I'm not sure.. In theory i have a feeling it shouldn't really matter but the coarser the better, especially for plants not taken directly from flask.

I know the bunnings stuff and it's not the best, although i think i used it originally and admittedly i can't remember major problems with my first plants. There is cheap, coarse grade perlite on ebay.

If you haven't washed the dust out i would give the pots a good dunk and drain, that will achieve the same thing. I put some fly screen in the bottom of the pot to stop excess perlite washing out.

The dust really is annoying and sieving just creates more dust. I pour my dry perlite in a bucket, fill it up with water, slosh it around and then pour off the water through a sieve or pasta drainer to catch the perlite and let the powdery water flow through.

If you don't want to disturb them but you do want to do the holes, heat up a nail on a gas burner and melt a few quick holes straight into the sides. You don't need to repot them that way. Just watch out for the smoke as Des says!

Oh one more warning, especially since you didn't wash the powder, make sure you don't get any perlite dust on the leaves of the Phals. Even minute amounts that you can't really see can leave the leaves quite scarred if they sit there and dry the leaves. If you haven't been too careful with where you poured the perlite, it might be worth getting a damp tissue and just wiping down the leaves to make sure.

What else.. make sure all the roots are below the perlite, and all the leaves above it. In time if you want to avoid algal problems, top dress the perlite with pebbles. The pebbles create a dry area that keeps the leaves completely separate from any wetness and you avoid 99% of any possible leaf diseases as a result. Even when old leaves drop off they just dessicate on top of the stones instead of turning into a wet mess.

I found a few more pics that i must have done for an old thread so ill add them too. They're for individual pots but they needn't be, you could do them for community pots just as well.

OzPhal · #28 10-26-2009, 05:48 PM

I don't know if i will ever go back to back potting mediums ever again hahah! Thanks for that advice Undergrounder... I've added some holes in the side through the method you suggested and ordered some coarser perlite through an ebay seller... I'll leave these ones in the Bunnings stuff for the time being and just keep an eye on them. I've also top dressed with pebbles already. They've only been in there for a few days but i love the perlite & pebbles already! the pebbles hold the plants in there so much better and i love the low maintenance aspect. I don't have a huge amount of time to tend to them every day and knowing that i can leave them in a reservoir and it will wick the right amount of water and all i have to do (pretty much) is make sure the reservoir has water in it is awesome! can't wait to see the growth differences. I've already noticed (in two days) that the leaves appear much plumper than they did in the 100% spaghnum moss

Pamela52 · #29 10-28-2009, 01:57 AM

I have 30- 4 mo. old Baby Phal. Brothers.... I have them in a 12 in square tupperware dish. I put a layer of packing peanuts in the bottom and used a mix of sphag moss, fine fir bark and perlite. System is working ok, but I have to mist it every 3 days, I use a small fan on them off & on when first watered. They appear heathly. I am gonna try this perlite system with a few. Suggestion use a candle to heat up the nail. Question : How much light? Thanks for all great pics and info to all!!! Pam

Bolero · #30 10-28-2009, 06:20 AM

I know of several nurseries that use perlite purely as the only medium. One nursey uses it for Cymbidiums and they seem to grow beautifully, whilst a couple of others use it for cattelyas and again I am surprised by the results. I wouldn't use it solely for all my plants but I have to say it is a cheap medium that would be effective for some genera.

I am about to repot the ones I have in perlite into either coconut or bark but I sometimes wonder why when they grow so well in the medium they are in, even in cold weather.

Just as a final note, for my small seedlings just out of flask, I use fine bark and perlite (about 2 to 1) and this works well for paphs and catt's.