Experimenting with Growing Techniques- Feb 8 2020

[@SVKLOrchids]

FYI- Here's a link to Sue Bottom's article I mention in the video: staugorchidsociety.org/PDF/PurelyOrganicFertilizerbySueBottom.pdf

[@richardlawton1023]

I bought a 50 liter bag of Fir bark. I'm just west of Seattle. It cost 4$. I put 2 sheet pans in the oven at 250 degrees for two periods of two hours each. This dried and sterilized it. Lots of different sizes and super cheap. Works very well.

[@kellyduguay3368]

I bought the same thing last month, Love Amazon Prime! I read that article awhile ago but will revisit it, thanks. Cypress isn't available in all parts of the States unfortunately, I've also heard it makes excellent mounting wood. Thanks for sharing. PS, I'm a forced winter indoor grower, so thanks for the heads up on the smell, nothing worse than reading how fish emulsion sprayed as a foliar feed will disapate after a couple of hours yet days later it still stinks like a bait bucket on a tuna boat! 🤢

[@SVKLOrchids]

Ha! I know exactly what you mean!!

[@bonniesuekimball7550]

Interesting, thanks for sharing

[@SVKLOrchids]

You're welcome! Hopefully this inspires some experiments for you!

[@charlesmckemie8921]

Very timely. I have been thinking about experimenting with cypress mulch as it is cheap and readily available here in Fl. Thank you for the info on the fertilizer. I also grow a lot of bonsai and use fertilizer in tea bags on the bonsai. I may try that on my orchids also. I mix up a slurry of equal parts cottonseed meal, bone meal, and blood meal and use kelp or fish emulsion as the liquid. I let that dry out and cut into cubes and that goes into the tea bags. Down side is it stinks and animals love to get at it. It works great though. Thank you for all the great info you put out there for us.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Charles McKemie Your fertilizer formula sounds quite a bit like the one I’m trying!

[@toddstropicals]

Cypress mulch works great for vandaceous types.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Todd's Tropicals Good to know! Do you add perlite?

[@eduardocampos4202]

Great info..Lets experiment

[@Shuzies]

Cool... Thank You

[@SVKLOrchids]

You're welcome!

[@vickifisher4061]

Hi Stephen, I've used cypress mulch for a year now and my catasetums and cycnoches love it. I buy a bag of the undyed mulch. I mix charcoal chunks in mine. If I remember correctly I only paid a little over $3.00 for a big bag of it. Oncidiums also like it. Make sure you do get the undyed or natural kind. I still add spag moss on the top, but only about 1/4", almost like a cap.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Good to know! I hadn't considered charcoal chunks. That's a good idea!

[@annebroder9902]

It is always interesting to learn about your experiments .My little Catasetum is enjoying its Pet jar since last spring . I am looking for this purely organic fertilizer but it sadly doesn't seem to be available outside the US. I'll keep my eye open for this anyway, thanks for sharing!

[@SVKLOrchids]

Ah, that's too bad about this fertilizer only being available in the US! I didn't realize that!

[@MyGreenPets]

Cool video! I'm experimenting with my Cattleyas in baskets, mounted, clay pots, and aircone pots, but the same bark/perlite mix. Honestly everything about my orchids seems a constantly evolving experiment!

[@SVKLOrchids]

I think that's what makes growing orchids so fun! There are a million different ways to grow them.

[@genepitzer817]

Hi Stephen. I’m a new owner of two Catasetums from Fred Clarke last summer. As a new grower to orchids as well I’ve been looking up videos for help. Your introductory Video on PET was fantastic and have enjoyed subsequent ones on Catasetums, too. This intro on cypress mulch will be my choice when the two ctsm. break dormancy. As I only have two ctsm., I only need a small amount and I found a cypress mulch at PETCO “Cypress Tank Mulch” for Humidity-Loving Reptiles. (Small bag of 8 quarts and less expensive through other sources) Although it come moist I dried it out readily here in the Phoenix area. One of your earlier videos you shared that you are successful with your ctsm. hanging outdoors there in Austin, Texas. Do you have problems with spider mites or other critters? I’m thinking of placing my ctsm. outdoors here until the temps stay consistently over 110. Then I’ll make other arrangements. Your thoughts on the mites and my outdoor possibilities here.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Sorry for missing this comment for so long! I've often wondered if Catasetums could do well in AZ with a deep water well to draw from. Yes, spider mites are always a problem for me during winter and I bet they would be a major problem for you. Just be sure to rotate miticides since they develop resistance.

[@patriciasorchids3999]

Love a good experiment. I had some smelly fertiliser pellets my orchids really liked but I had to stop using it because my dog would try and eat it. I have ordered some of those little baskets for my Cymbidiums and teabags for everything else. Hopefully, if he can't easily reach it he will leave it alone. Thanks for sharing

[@SVKLOrchids]

The little baskets should work for nutricote as well. I tried the tea bags a few years ago and the bugs (not sure which one!) would rip open the bags and let all the contents out. Hopefully these little plastic buckets work better.

[@nataliablumke5608]

Hi Stephen. Do you still use dissolved fertilizing solution on top of using Nutricote or you just watering your orchids with the plain water?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Sorry for missing this comment! I use rainwater and thats it!

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

"Orchiata is really expensive" that depends. Now that I can get it local, 40 L is $36. If I was to buy the Better Gro brand of bark at Lowes, 4 quarts/3.75L is $3.98, or $42.25 for 40 L. Orchiata does waaaay better than the cheap crap for root production and lasts much longer, so I don't look at it as expensive (it is still worthwhile at $60, IMO). Is it as cheap as cypress mulch? Of course not. But cypress mulch turns to mush in a year/year and a half in south Florida. That is a lot of repotting having to do it every 12-18 months, versus 3-4 years. For my time and money, Orchiata is the obvious choice. If cypress was available as chips, instead of mulch, that might be a different story. An easy way to stretch your Orchiata budget, tear polystyrene peanuts into chunks and mix it into the Orchiata. Now, if you want to talk expensive, I looked at cork bark chips. $25 for a two gallon bag. Obviously the medium would last an incredibly long time and dry quickly but I'd go broke repotting into it.

[@SVKLOrchids]

Ya, I'm still testing the durability of cypress compared to orchiata and time to rot is a HUGE consideration for me considering orchiata lasts so long. However, the tip for cypress mulch came from a South Carolina grower. He mixes it (50-50) with large perlite. I've been making this mix for my Cattleyas.

[@HamimChowdhury]

Go ahead . We always expect experimental ussues from you . You also may target to your wushful silubscribers like me who like to join your experinents . You may share them . B coz coubtry wise weather wise our culture might be different but basic is same !!! What that new organic fertiluser is made off ??? Did you try used tea leaf 70% and cow manur 20% mixed compost ? I have started using iin orchids hope to see some result !!

[@SVKLOrchids]

I'm curious to see how your tea fertilizer works! Here is a link to the ingredients in the fertilizer I'm experimenting with: purelyorganicfertilizer.com/about/ingredients/

[@j.d.8075]

Good growers are always experimenting in one way or another in order to advance their own knowledge...

[@SVKLOrchids]

Agreed!

[@ryanmoraski19]

Do you have a link to the actual sphagnum that you buy?

[@SVKLOrchids]

Ryan Moraski Yep! Here it is: besgrow.com/spagmoss/

[@martinspijker9661]

i just mounted my paraphaleanopsis.. thats an experiment because i don,t do mounts..:) hmm pure organic ferilizer very cheap.. i don,t know about that, whats the content of it and what is it made of?

[@SVKLOrchids]

I've also got a small Paraphalaenopsis I need to get situated. I might try a tiny clay pot instead of a mount, but it should work the same. Here are the ingredients in the fertilizer I'm experimenting with: purelyorganicfertilizer.com/about/ingredients/