s/h media

[wgama]

I was looking through rays site and I read that you should add a teaspoon per gallon each of calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (Epsom Salts) to your medium when soaking it. I didn't do this. should I have? Does anybody else do this?

[Country Gramma]

I did just what Ray said and my media is not forming any white stuff on top. I think this might have helped...but I also rinsed it till my hands were wrinkled so it was really clean!!!

Karen

[Undergrounder]

I don't do it and i occasionally get white stuff on top, but i haven't noticed the white stuff cause any problems anyway, all my chids grow fine.

[Ray]

I do not say you "should" add them, but "may" as it accelerates the cleaning of manufacturing residues.

I have, on occasion, taken PrimeAgra straight from the bag for repotting, but then I flush the daylights out of it, watering heavily & daily for a couple of weeks.

[orchidman77]

The first time I used it I didn't have any of those salts on hand, so I didn't do it. No white stuff yet.

I just potted up a small, salvaged-from-lowes cattleya growing new roots in PA and I did soak with Epsom. We'll see what happens.

David

[wgama]

Thanks for the input guys. Sorry Ray for making you sound bad.

[Connie Star]

Boy I have a devil of a time with the white stuff- hard water- I just have to get ro

[Country Gramma]

Connie,

I use distilled water in gals. I get from the groc. store exclusively. No problems at all...I do add the MSU for RO, rain water, distilled water at all applications.

Maybe you can try that until you get the RO.

Karen

[wgama]

I just use my well water its extremely hard (irons insanly high were not even allowed to drinkn it) but if you run room temp water through the plant it rinses out all the build up.