Growing orchids in fresh horse manure

[bjarsmith]

I have been reading about a man who grew orchids in horse manure and quite interested in trying it on a few orchids. Has anyone else tried this method and have you been successfull? I thought once I repotted a few plants, I would update my progress in the NM Orchid Guild's monthly newsletter.
Barbara

[nancy]

Hi Barbara -
The man who started the trend is Nic van den Bosch, in Tasmania.
http://www.vision.net.au/%7Enicvdb/index.htm
After browsing his website, I tried a couple of cymbidiums in HM, and found they grew enthusiastically. So, now all of my cymbidiums are potted in fresh horse manure. Only caveat - run water through the pots daily for the first month or so, to flush out salts.
I also use a mix of about half HM for genera like Cycnoches and Catasetums, which thrive in the rich mixture. Again, daily water flush.
With the Cymbidiums, my care has evolved: about twice a year, I lift the entire plant, add another 4" or so under the roots, and drop the plant back into the pot. This replaces the loss of medium from composting/decomposition.
Cymbidiums seem to appreciate being fiarly crowded, but my flowering with this growing method has been pretty spectacular.
I live in the deep south, US, so my Cyms. are strictly outdoor plants. When in bloom, they go into the front yard. If you grow indoors, you may want to rethink the HM, though I do not find that it is at all stinky. Smells like horse.
Regards - Nancy

[bjarsmith]

Thanks Nancy for your input. So when you pot the orchids, they are sitting right on top of the HM? I will ry that with my cym's but I also wanted to try with some other orchids. What is your watering schedule with your Cateseum? Mine finished blooming last month and I am afraid of it dying from either overwatering or underwatering. I live in the Southwest so most of my plants except for cyms are indoors most of the year. I bring the former in around Oct.
Barb

[Oscarman]

Until now if someone had told me that you can grow orchids in horse manure I would have thought they were full of S---!

After visiting Nic's HM site and reading this post, I am tempted to try it for one of my Cymbidiums that is needing repotting. I have a readily available supply of HM.

Have there been any other experiences with Cattleyas?

[SteveT]

I am also tempted to mix this into a paph medium.

[littlefrog]

Originally Posted by SteveT

I am also tempted to mix this into a paph medium.

Try to resist the temptation. Based on my experience with paphs and phrags, horse manure didn't work at all, in fact it was nearly uniformly lethal. A pity, since I can get horse poop by the ton...

That is under my conditions, and it was at a time of changing conditions (lights to greenhouse) at that. So, perhaps it will work for you. A friend of mine uses llama manure to good effect, and I suspect rabbit manure would make a good top dressing for heavy feeders... As always, I wouldn't experiment on the most prized plants.

[Orchonubee]

Unfortunately growing orchids in fresh horse manure by Nic van den Bosch is no longer available on the internet. You can get snippets by clicking on the cached button on a google search of his site.

[Gin]

I got tired of following my horse with a bucket
I have used dried HM for a long time as a top dressing . I think Rabbit would work well but not Chicken talk about smell my husband cleaned the chicken house out and put it in the flower bed by the front door , had to keep the door closed for a long time . Plus chicken is to strong . To bad the site is gone amazing Cymbids. he grew in it . Gin

[gerneveyn]

An Italian orchid enthusiast saved part of that site and included it in his own. Here: ORCHID GROWING MEDIUMWHY HORSE MANURE

[Paul]

If I'm remembering correctly, think I read about it being good for disas too.