Filed under: Orchid Garden
Question:
I’ll be there judging. Well, that’s putting on airs… I’ll be ther clerking! K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – .Location: McKinley Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, CA Please e-mail to me or post directions. If I can get away this weekend, I will be coming west on I80 from Reno. Thanks, Angie
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.Location: McKinley Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, CA
Please e-mail to me or post directions. If I can get away this weekend, I will be coming west on I80 from Reno. Thanks, Angie
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There is an orchid show next weekend in Sacramento, CA. The details are as follows: Orchid Forum – Show in Sacramento, California Location: McKinley Garden & Arts Center, 3330 McKinley Blvd., Sacramento, CA Annual Fall Orchid Show and Sales Free Admission & Parking Featuring: Judging with Awards, Theme Orchid Gardens and Displays, Beautiful Orchid Arrangements, and Orchid Sales. Hours: Saturday, October 20, 2001: 11 am to 5 pm Sunday, October 21, 2001: 10 am to 4 pm For Further Information Contact: John Sweeney Phone: 916-723-1258 Orchid forum Mailing Address: Orchid Forum – Secretary 444 L Street Rio Linda, CA 95673
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Question:
Mechanical removal is best…these are obviously smaller trees that you’re concerned about, as you can drive through Florida and find many centuries-old oaks festooned with Tillandsia, Epidendrum orchids and ferns and not seem to mind a bit. Hence, being smaller trees, you should easily be able to reach into the branches with something and knock the offending plants off. Indiscriminate spraying of herbicides has led to the near-extinction of a once-common species of leafless air-plant orchid that grew all the way up to the Orlando area. Oh, and when you’re done, you may be able to sell some of those Tills to nurseries that specialize in them…especially if you have any wild pine species as opposed to just ball moss. While to Floridians, they’re considered weeds, they are of horticultural interest to folks outside our state. Heck, being from north Florida, even I like to collect fallen plants of Till species (aside from our one ubiquitous species, T. usneoides–spanish moss) and try to grow them. Personally, if I lived in your area, I would leave most of the plants alone, enjoying the wild look of a tree covered with its own mini-garden…and only remove plants when they seemed to be a real threat. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, About six months ago, the second tree in my yard had no plants on it, and it was thick with foliage. Now, there are some small sections of air plants growing, and the foliage is starting to thin is those areas. I’m not saying the air plant is choking the tree or anything, but they certainly seem to be a cause… The second tree is a separate species from the first, also. oj
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Weldon, et al: As tillandsias are epiphytic and not parasitic, the conventional knowledge is that they are not sapping the strength of the tree. However, I’ve got to bow to those with firsthand info.
Tillandsias have no root hairs for gathering nutrients, the "roots" are strictly anchoring devices. They will anchor onto trees, wooden planks, bricks, rocks, telephone wires…. not much nutrition there. Heck, you can glue ‘em to the side of your house and they do beautifully! The tillandsia seeds produced are spread by air flow to new locations…. maybe the restricted air flow in older, non-maintained trees is so limited that they all just land on the same tree. What may look like an "infestation" is just an opportunistic gathering. They simply do not feed off of trees. I have naturalized air plants in every tree I have…. from Black Olives to Tabebuia to Lysiloma to smaller cordias and ligustrums. They are mostly T.recurvata, but others as well. I have also introduced many other species from mail order sources. I have lived in this house nearly 20 years, and my trees are healthy. Of course, I do have them trimmed (mainly opened up for air flow) every two years, and feed regularly. I often visit Fairchild Tropical Gardens, as well as Mounts Tropical and Selby Botanical Gardens… all have beautiful naturalized tillandsias, which I am sure would not be there if they in any way endangered the specimen trees. I belong to both the regional and the national Bromeliad societies, and have never heard one lecture, or even comment about their damaging trees. — Toni Carroll Sunny South Florida Zone 10 http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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Weldon, et al: As tillandsias are epiphytic and not parasitic, the conventional knowledge is that they are not sapping the strength of the tree. However, I’ve got to bow to those with firsthand info. maybe they secrete something that the hosts don’t like – still not a parasite, but… And even if it’s justblocking out the solar energy, it can be just as fatal. I spent too many years in the south with Kudzu to deny that one! — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!
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I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants".
The reason that they were unnoticeable 26 years ago is because herbicides were indiscriminately sprayed everywhere to elminate them… the myth of them "strangling branches with their roots" had become quite pervasive, and since they had a special fondness for citrus, to protect the interest of central Fla’s major cash crop, everything got sprayed. The result? Well, there used to be a cute species of leafless orchid (related to the famous "ghost orchid") that is now extinct in the central FL region. It is now only found in the swamps of southern FL where herbicides, thankfully, are not sprayed. There were some other species of terrestrial native orchids that had a fondness for open spaces and had become quite common on moister roadside areas. But, the state, deciding that endless patches of boring, green grass were more asthetically pleasing as opposed to native wildflowers, herbicided all those orchids to death as well. Thankfully, these practices have been stopped for some time…as a result, we’re seeing a reintroduction of some of our native flora. It was neat driving along the turnpike in May and seeing a number of flaming-red Sacoila lanceolata blooming everywhere… So, no, Weldon, you’re not seeing an invasion by some foreign weed in your area…you’re seeing the re-emergence of a native species of Florida flowering plants that is staging a comeback after everyone tried to wipe it out. Sad, but true —Prem
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Yes, but I’d rather have the leaves on my trees than a landscape of air plants. Maybe I’ll post a picture somewhere so you can see what they’ve done.
Please do, for the "unbelievers", that is ;<) If I had a digital camera, I could find dozens of examples around here. I’ve watched small oaks, maybe 15 to 20 feet tall, completely killed over several years time. Hardly from lack of light either.
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In other words – engage brain when reading things like this.
bowing gracefully to her highness…….
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You can use a solution of copper sulfate. I don’t know what strength is reccomended. Copper sulfate is what is used in tree root killer for your sewer lines. Home Depot has it. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi, I believe that’s what the Orange Country Co-operative told us. They did say that it could damage the tree, though. What are the chances? It’s not doing too good anyways, but I’d be worried about the bushes below. What is a copper solution? Is that something you mix by hand? Any websites? Thanks! oj I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas?
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OK, I just went out and got one of these "plants". It came from an oak that is in pretty good shape at this time. It has "something" resembling "roots" wrapped many times around the branch, which is pretty dead. I have seen branches that were dead from the "plant" out, but still alive from the "plant", in toward the trunk. I raise orchids, too and I quess some might say they don’t have roots either. I was over in Orlando yesterday and saw a tall blooming tree of some type that is almost totally taken over by these plants. It looks about two thirds dead. By next year it will probably be gone. The local newspaper horticulturist said these "plants" can kill trees, especially if they have been stressed like in our famous drought. He reccomended spraying with "copper". – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Tillandsia do not have roots. Can you be more specific about the plants you say wrap roots around branches of host trees? I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas? oj http://www.freetibet.org
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Out of concern for you Floridians, we in central Illinois would be happy to receive a box of those pesty tillandias. That’s part of the helpful nature of this newsgroup. Feel free to keep the weevils. Regards, Dianna
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, Personally I think part of the charm of those southern live oaks is all the stuff growing on them – the moss, the ferns, the the Tillandsia species. It’s so cool to see a landscape on every spreading horizonal branch. Take all that stuff off and you may as well be growing a red oak in northern Ontario 
Gerry Yes, but I’d rather have the leaves on my trees than a landscape of air plants. Maybe I’ll post a picture somewhere so you can see what they’ve done. Any more info on the copper solution? Just out of curiosity, how did you determine that it is T. recurvata that is causing the problem with your trees? Perhaps the gradual loss of leaves (caused by one or more other factors) is what’s attracting greater numbers of T. recurvata because of increased light levels, or change in bark surfaces? Considering the clear lack of information around saying that T. recurvata actually strangles its hosts to death, I’d certainly check out other possibilities first. Know thine enemy. I’d rather have a dead tree all covered with live Tillandsia species and ferns than just a plain dead tree in my yard. Gerry
Hi, About six months ago, the second tree in my yard had no plants on it, and it was thick with foliage. Now, there are some small sections of air plants growing, and the foliage is starting to thin is those areas. I’m not saying the air plant is choking the tree or anything, but they certainly seem to be a cause… The second tree is a separate species from the first, also. oj
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Hi, Personally I think part of the charm of those southern live oaks is all the stuff growing on them – the moss, the ferns, the the Tillandsia species. It’s so cool to see a landscape on every spreading horizonal branch. Take all that stuff off and you may as well be growing a red oak in northern Ontario Gerry
Yes, but I’d rather have the leaves on my trees than a landscape of air plants. Maybe I’ll post a picture somewhere so you can see what they’ve done. Any more info on the copper solution? oj
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Hi,
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Personally I think part of the charm of those southern live oaks is all the stuff growing on them – the moss, the ferns, the the Tillandsia species. It’s so cool to see a landscape on every spreading horizonal branch. Take all that stuff off and you may as well be growing a red oak in northern Ontario Gerry Yes, but I’d rather have the leaves on my trees than a landscape of air plants. Maybe I’ll post a picture somewhere so you can see what they’ve done. Any more info on the copper solution?
Just out of curiosity, how did you determine that it is T. recurvata that is causing the problem with your trees? Perhaps the gradual loss of leaves (caused by one or more other factors) is what’s attracting greater numbers of T. recurvata because of increased light levels, or change in bark surfaces? Considering the clear lack of information around saying that T. recurvata actually strangles its hosts to death, I’d certainly check out other possibilities first. Know thine enemy. I’d rather have a dead tree all covered with live Tillandsia species and ferns than just a plain dead tree in my yard. Gerry
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can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host. "
seems pretty clear it is NOT an "old wives Tale" ! I followed the link provided …perhaps you should too!
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can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host. " seems pretty clear it is NOT an "old wives Tale" ! I followed the link provided …perhaps you should too!
I can pretty much guarantee that if Tillandsia recurvata caused complete defoliation (death) of trees that there would be a little more than a paragraph hidden among a list of abstracts on the Internet. Other plants/insects that do indeed cause significant problems for native tree species get tons of press in Florida and can be found all over the net. You will find *lots* of info all over the net however on the threat to Tillandsia species from the Mexican bromeliad weevil which is a true concern. From the little paragraph in the link provided, I can’t help but also question the conclusion that T. recurvata can *cause* complete defoliation of the host tree. For one, the sample is too small both in numbers and geographical representation. Secondly, without an expanded sample and observation over many years with factorial analysis, such a conclusion would be "bad science" since it is possible that plain old age is proportionately related to lack of leaves, since T. recurvata likes older trees better. Perhaps disease or other factors have caused the loss of defoliation, and the available light levels provided make these branches and trees more attractive to T. recurvata. Good science is not making an observation such as "the thermometer goes up when the weather warms, therefor the thermometer is *causing* the warmer weather". You can bet that if people thought T. recurvata was causing "complete defoliation" or even a minor threat to these trees there would be dozens of studies done and this information would be published all over the place and then "Florida’s war on T. recurvata" would be well publicized. It isn’t. In other words – engage brain when reading things like this. Gerry
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Sorry Weldon, but tillandsias’ roots are tiny and for anchoring the plant to its host, and cannot possibly "strangle" that host. Besides, even if they were big enough, do you think the roots of a little bromeliad could be stringer than the forces exerted by a growing branch? Think about roots and concrete walkways…. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!
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"Based on the correlations observed at BFL, as their diameter increases and bark grows more coarse and grooved, live oaks provide an increasingly favorable environment for the establishment and colonization of T. Recurvata. Also, T. Recurvata, when in abundance, can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host. "
"Loss of foliation" is due to blocked sunlight, nothing more. Tillandsias will not strangle a tree. This is akin to an old wives tale. — Toni Carroll Sunny South Florida Zone 10 http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything.
The only roots tillandsias have are little outgrowths with which they use to attach themselves to fissures in the tree bark. Certainly nothing of any magnitude to wrap around and smother trees. Heavy growth of these epiphytes can prevent sunlight from reaching tree foliage in specific areas of the plant, but that’s about all the damage they can muster and that occurs mostly in natural stands. Since they are extremely resentful of pollution, it is unlikely they should have much of an impact in urban areas, as well as the fact that a number species endangered due to weevil infestations. Many species of tillandsia are endemic to Florida and one in particular (T. simulata) is found nowhere else. BTW, Spanish moss is Tillandsia usneoides. Pam – gardengal
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Tillandsia are not parasitic. They are not killing the tree. If you have live oaks, it is a normal part of the growth cycle to have dead underbrush. The ball moss lives on the dead branches, but it does not kill them. If you don’t like them, just knock them out of the trees with a broom or a very strong stream of water. Victoria
HELLO! a little look arounfd texas yeilds… Host preferences and correlated effects of Tillandsia recurvata presence and abundance as surveyed on the live oaks of Brackenridge Field Laboratory in Austin, Tx. Based on the correlations observed at BFL, as their diameter increases and bark grows more coarse and grooved, live oaks provide an increasingly favorable environment for the establishment and colonization of T. Recurvata. Also, T. Recurvata, when in abundance, can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host. http://www.esb.utexas.edu/kmcmurry/courses/208_s99/Course%20Info/ne_a… s.html
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HELLO! a little look arounfd texas yeilds… Host preferences and correlated effects of Tillandsia recurvata presence and abundance as surveyed on the live oaks of Brackenridge Field Laboratory in Austin, Tx. Based on the correlations observed at BFL, as their diameter increases and bark grows more coarse and grooved, live oaks provide an increasingly favorable environment for the establishment and colonization of T. Recurvata. Also, T. Recurvata, when in abundance, can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host.
http://www.esb.utexas.edu/kmcmurry/courses/208_s99/Course%20Info/ne_a… s.html
That must explain the lack of foliage on all the trees in Big Cypress last winter! *kidding* But seriously, the only information specific to Florida was this from University of Florida: "In South America, concerns have been raised about its negative effects on many forest and urban trees. There is no doubt that heavily laden branches do shade lower vegetation and intercept light needed for photosynthesis. Also, branch breakage does occur. Fortunately, such heavy infestations are not too common in Florida." http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/BODY_FR005 Personally I think part of the charm of those southern live oaks is all the stuff growing on them – the moss, the ferns, the the Tillandsia species. It’s so cool to see a landscape on every spreading horizonal branch. Take all that stuff off and you may as well be growing a red oak in northern Ontario Gerry
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Host preferences and correlated effects of Tillandsia recurvata presence and abundance as surveyed on the live oaks of Brackenridge Field Laboratory in Austin, Tx. "Based on the correlations observed at BFL, as their diameter increases and bark grows more coarse and grooved, live oaks provide an increasingly favorable environment for the establishment and colonization of T. Recurvata. Also, T. Recurvata, when in abundance, can cause diminished or complete loss of foliation upon its live oak host. "
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Tillandsia do not have roots. Can you be more specific about the plants you say wrap roots around branches of host trees? I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas? oj http://www.freetibet.org
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I live in North Central and haven’t seen any tress killed by these. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas? oj
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Hi, I believe that’s what the Orange Country Co-operative told us. They did say that it could damage the tree, though. What are the chances? It’s not doing too good anyways, but I’d be worried about the bushes below. What is a copper solution? Is that something you mix by hand? Any websites? Thanks! oj I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas?
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Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas?
Tillandsias do not hurt your trees….. they do not feed on any tree parts- they just anchor there. If they proliferate to the point that you think they are invasive, just pull them off. Copper will kill them , but that is pretty harsh. — Toni Carroll Sunny South Florida Zone 10 http://www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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I live in Central Florida, too. These plants wrap their roots around the branches of the host trees and strangle them. I moved here 26 years ago (not because I wanted to) and these plants were almost unnoticeable. Now they are every where. There are many trees that are completly dead, all you see is the "air plants". The so called treatment is to spray with a copper solution. How far up in the trees can you shoot the spray? On the other hand, "Spanish Moss" doesn’t hurt anything. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas? oj
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Hi there, I live in Central Florida, and it appears that small air plants are actaually decimating one of our trees, and starting on another. Where the plants are heaviest, the leaves are very sparse. They look like they are moving to a second tree now. What can I do to kill these things off? Any ideas? oj
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Question:
Now, I have heard scary stories about Benelate for 10 years and I hear it repeated often how so many large orchid companies went out of business because of a bad batch that destroyed their plants… But your talking about benomyl?
The problem was with the flowable power version of Benlate. It seems that it got contaminated with an herbicide or so the story goes. The fact that so many growers in warm climates, Florida was one of them, routinely used it to control fungus led to most of the problems. Some have said that these growers relied too heavily on fungicides rather than providing better air movement. Dupont settled a number of the law suits and they just won a suit alleging racketering. They are still producing Benlate but have agreed to take it off the market by the end of the year, I don’t think it’s available in the US. I never used the flowable powder version and never had any problems with the standard version. My partner was friendly with an employee at Dupont and he used to give us the balance of the five pound bags sent into the quality control labs in Wilm after they were analyized. They would last a long time. We never used it when de-flasking seedlings my partner had some copper based fungicide that worked very well. Never lost any community flats to fungus.
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Same thing, two different names — D. Wain Garrison If you can read you can learn anything for there are those smarter than you who can write, however not everyone who can write is smarter than you.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – What is wrong benomyl? I used to soak Phal seedlings straight out of flask in it and it never harmed them. Although now I don’t use anything when deflasking and don’t have a problem. I also used it for years on all kinds of garden plants, orchids and others… I thought it was no longer made because it was becoming less and less effective and that there were newer fungicides that worked better but I have never heard that it was harmful. I am just curious. Now, I have heard scary stories about Benelate for 10 years and I hear it repeated often how so many large orchid companies went out of business because of a bad batch that destroyed their plants… But your talking about benomyl? Please do not use the benomyl on your orchids. Skipping a long story, it might be fatal to them. Please use another fungicide, cinnamon, physan, Phyton-27, or Cleary’s. I have even heard of folks using funginex on orchids to good effect. I have two keikis forming on my schilleriana [I have a pic of it on my page, http://www.orchidcourt.com ] spikes now (second blooming in 6 months, three spikes this time), but they won’t be pottable for another 2-3months, not blooming size for 6 months. I think Oak Hill should have them, possibly even Hausermann’s. Tennis
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What is wrong benomyl? I used to soak Phal seedlings straight out of flask in it and it never harmed them. Although now I don’t use anything when deflasking and don’t have a problem. I also used it for years on all kinds of garden plants, orchids and others… I thought it was no longer made because it was becoming less and less effective and that there were newer fungicides that worked better but I have never heard that it was harmful. I am just curious. Now, I have heard scary stories about Benelate for 10 years and I hear it repeated often how so many large orchid companies went out of business because of a bad batch that destroyed their plants… But your talking about benomyl?
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please do not use the benomyl on your orchids. Skipping a long story, it might be fatal to them. Please use another fungicide, cinnamon, physan, Phyton-27, or Cleary’s. I have even heard of folks using funginex on orchids to good effect. I have two keikis forming on my schilleriana [I have a pic of it on my page, http://www.orchidcourt.com ] spikes now (second blooming in 6 months, three spikes this time), but they won’t be pottable for another 2-3months, not blooming size for 6 months. I think Oak Hill should have them, possibly even Hausermann’s. Tennis
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Thank you for sharing your information & I’m relieved that I hadn’t used the benomyl yet. I don’t usually use chemicals & I will only use them when necessary. I loved your orchid pictures – cool site! I did see that Hausermann’s does have Phal. schilleriana & I will be checking to see if Oak Hill has it, too (I’ve already purchased orchids from both nurseries & I’m pleased with both places…). Take care… Kathy (hantayo)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please do not use the benomyl on your orchids. Skipping a long story, it might be fatal to them. Please use another fungicide, cinnamon, physan, Phyton-27, or Cleary’s. I have even heard of folks using funginex on orchids to good effect. I have two keikis forming on my schilleriana [I have a pic of it on my page, http://www.orchidcourt.com ] spikes now (second blooming in 6 months, three spikes this time), but they won’t be pottable for another 2-3months, not blooming size for 6 months. I think Oak Hill should have them, possibly even Hausermann’s. Tennis
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Thanks Sue A.(the Fan Queen). I checked at Dowery Orchid Nursery & I didn’t see it listed. Yesterday I sprinkled cinn. on top of the medium & I learned about using cinn. here (thanks guys!). I’m grateful to everyone here. I’m glad I decided to ask you guys on what would be best to use to get rid of fungus. I’m learning so much – I love it! Thanks again! Kathy (hantayo)(your biggest ‘Fan’)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Kathy, this is a good time of year to pick up fans on sale at Walmart, KMart, Target, I always stock up because they don’t last too long when they’re in use 24 hrs a day. The Duracraft ones (round) last well, have some that have been in constant use for 2 yrs now, the square ones are not good, don’t move the air nearly as well as the round ones. And they only cost 10 bucks! I have a couple hung from the ceiling, to stir up the upper levels of air, works great. Also, Honeywell has some very nice fans for about 12-15 bucks, 3 speed. For under or about $20 you can get a Holmes tabletop fan that swivels 180 degrees, more or less. I just got a couple of the Holmes floor fans on sale at Target, 14 bucks ea., hopefully they’ll last a season. Then on Amazon.com (of all places ) I found reconditioned Vornado fans for good prices, with good guarantees too, those are well-made fans like the Honeywells. For really small areas, some of those tiny personal fans would be good. But with fall approaching, all fans are disappearing from the shelves, so grab ‘em fast! Cheers, Sue Austin (the Fan Queen) P.S. when you decide to get a Phal schilleriana, try the Dowery Orchid Nursery, good prices that include shipping… and instead of Benomyl/Benlate, try RD20 or Physan, not as strong and likely will get the job done just as well. — Posted from chmls20.mediaone.net [24.147.1.156] via Mailgate.ORG Server – http://www.Mailgate.ORG
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Hi Tennis, Your pictures are spectacular! I love ‘em all! Good Growing, Cheers Wendy – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Please do not use the benomyl on your orchids. Skipping a long story, it might be fatal to them. Please use another fungicide, cinnamon, physan, Phyton-27, or Cleary’s. I have even heard of folks using funginex on orchids to good effect. I have two keikis forming on my schilleriana [I have a pic of it on my page, http://www.orchidcourt.com ] spikes now (second blooming in 6 months, three spikes this time), but they won’t be pottable for another 2-3months, not blooming size for 6 months. I think Oak Hill should have them, possibly even Hausermann’s. Tennis
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Please do not use the benomyl on your orchids. Skipping a long story, it might be fatal to them. Please use another fungicide, cinnamon, physan, Phyton-27, or Cleary’s. I have even heard of folks using funginex on orchids to good effect. I have two keikis forming on my schilleriana [I have a pic of it on my page, http://www.orchidcourt.com ] spikes now (second blooming in 6 months, three spikes this time), but they won’t be pottable for another 2-3months, not blooming size for 6 months. I think Oak Hill should have them, possibly even Hausermann’s. Tennis
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Kathy, this is a good time of year to pick up fans on sale at Walmart, KMart, Target, I always stock up because they don’t last too long when they’re in use 24 hrs a day. The Duracraft ones (round) last well, have some that have been in constant use for 2 yrs now, the square ones are not good, don’t move the air nearly as well as the round ones. And they only cost 10 bucks! I have a couple hung from the ceiling, to stir up the upper levels of air, works great. Also, Honeywell has some very nice fans for about 12-15 bucks, 3 speed. For under or about $20 you can get a Holmes tabletop fan that swivels 180 degrees, more or less. I just got a couple of the Holmes floor fans on sale at Target, 14 bucks ea., hopefully they’ll last a season. Then on Amazon.com (of all places ) I found reconditioned Vornado fans for good prices, with good guarantees too, those are well-made fans like the Honeywells. For really small areas, some of those tiny personal fans would be good. But with fall approaching, all fans are disappearing from the shelves, so grab ‘em fast! Cheers, Sue Austin (the Fan Queen) P.S. when you decide to get a Phal schilleriana, try the Dowery Orchid Nursery, good prices that include shipping… and instead of Benomyl/Benlate, try RD20 or Physan, not as strong and likely will get the job done just as well. — Posted from chmls20.mediaone.net [24.147.1.156] via Mailgate.ORG Server – http://www.Mailgate.ORG
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Hi All, The only picture of this Phal. that I actually saw showed it’s beautiful leaves. Needless to say – I’m in love again! I just received 2 more Phals. today ( one will be a beautiful light peach in color & the other will be a pink color.). Does anyone know where a person could find a small fan at a decent price? My orchid’s have enough humidity & not enough air movement. Thank goodness I have some benomyl on hand. Should I go ahead & drench the ones that are showing a little mold on pieces of the bark? Sorry to bother anyone – thanks! Kathy(hantayo) — http://showcase.netins.net/web/motherearthfathersky/
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Question:
<< There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens No, I did not mean kittens or spraying them in the eyes, assuming they got that close. What I meant was that if a cat owner found himself having to remove a patch of paint from his cat’s side, he might think twice about letting the cat roam the neighborhood. I would not spray enough to harm the cat. Cats usually run when they hear a spray can, because they think you are hissing at them. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "It is forbidden to live in a town which has no greenery." Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12.
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes. That would not be the direction the cat would present anyhow. -Paul (who welcomes any and all cats in my yard and will not spray them 
I agree Paul. Some of the animal planet groupies might not want to get carried away. Yes, I’ll agree a person who is cruel to animals is sick, but did they ever stop and think that if they were to drop over dead that their cat would be sniffing them for edible parts in 15 minutes. Tony
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them You are assuming that the paints used in growing sheep contain the same toxic solvents as those commonly found in household spray paints, such as those used for autos and lawn furniture and that used in the case described. I doubt very much that a highly toxic material (one BTW that is under special disposal restrictions here and cannot be thrown out with household garbage) is allowed anywhere near domestic animals. Even if dermal contact was prevented by a good coat of fur, cat grooming habits present another problem. They will instinctively lick foreign material off their fur, and they can reach just about any body-part. and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes. At least they cannot easily ingest the portion sprayed into their eyes. If you could restrict the spray to only this area, perhaps the cats in question would only suffer blindness. Of course I’m not sure what they eye-absorption rate would be… probably less than direct ingestion than would occur if their fur was sprayed. If you noticed, I hardly recommended such a procedure. I was objecting to the escalation–ending with "forming <sic at the mouth," without any useful reference. This, while anti-freeze and pellet guns garner no comparable objection. The original remark was ill-advised, I’m sure of that, but it does not lead to "all cats die when sprayed." I’ve painted myself and while I do not lick it off that’s about as far as it goes. With today’s paints, you’d have to be pretty quick. -Paul Since you want a "useful reference," the original article follows. What I don’t understand is how a person, in the name of "protecting her garden" can advocate a remedy that harms or kills a pet when so many other, harmless options are available. Anyway, here’s your "useful reference." Hope you find it useful: http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=441663&nav=1RL54FrO OKLAHOMA CITY, August 20, 2001 – For the second time in a month — investigators are looking into another disturbing case of animal abuse. Once again — it involves helpless kittens. Just last month – someone deliberately poured hot tar on on abandoned kitten. Now, that kitten has found a safe home. Still – many kittens are dropped off and have no place to call home. That’s why an Oklahoma woman took two kittens in. And, you can imagine the shock when she discovered the animals were sprayed with paint. It was so bad – that one kitten did not survive. Ever since she was a little girl, Pauline Snow has loved animals. That’s why the homeless animals in her neighborhood always gravitate toward her home. And that’s why she’s taking what someone did to some homeless kittens extremely hard. It’s a sight that broke her heart. I went out on the porch and the little one was sprayed from down here, she said. I have no respect for anyone who would do something like that. Snow worked desperately to save the kittens, washing the paint away, while her neighbors looked on and laughed. Those men over there laughed when they saw this little thing fall and start foaming at the mouth, she said. She was able to save one of the kittens, but it was too late for the other. This one was just too far gone. No kitty deserves this, she said. This wasn’t the first time the kittens had been spray-painted. Saturday, she cleaned paint off the animals, only to find them sprayed again this morning. Snow says while she’ll never forgive whoever did this, she’s thankful she got to hold the little kitten before it died. Its little eyes, when it looked at me right before it died, you could see it knew I loved it, Snow said. Snow says she tried to call animal welfare to report the abuse, but claims they weren’t much help.
I appreciate the reference but the story seems to be as I suggested before–some sadistic individuals attempting great harm by spraying the kittens heavily. I imagine the kittens were held down and had no escape. I don’t think this equates to the original case, however ill-advised, which implied a shot from a spray can as a deterrent or marker. -Paul
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them You are assuming that the paints used in growing sheep contain the same toxic solvents as those commonly found in household spray paints, such as those used for autos and lawn furniture and that used in the case described. I doubt very much that a highly toxic material (one BTW that is under special disposal restrictions here and cannot be thrown out with household garbage) is allowed anywhere near domestic animals. Even if dermal contact was prevented by a good coat of fur, cat grooming habits present another problem. They will instinctively lick foreign material off their fur, and they can reach just about any body-part. and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes. At least they cannot easily ingest the portion sprayed into their eyes. If you could restrict the spray to only this area, perhaps the cats in question would only suffer blindness. Of course I’m not sure what they eye-absorption rate would be… probably less than direct ingestion than would occur if their fur was sprayed. If you noticed, I hardly recommended such a procedure. I was objecting to the escalation–ending with "forming <sic at the mouth," without any useful reference. This, while anti-freeze and pellet guns garner no comparable objection. The original remark was ill-advised, I’m sure of that, but it does not lead to "all cats die when sprayed." I’ve painted myself and while I do not lick it off that’s about as far as it goes. With today’s paints, you’d have to be pretty quick. -Paul
Since you want a "useful reference," the original article follows. What I don’t understand is how a person, in the name of "protecting her garden" can advocate a remedy that harms or kills a pet when so many other, harmless options are available. Anyway, here’s your "useful reference." Hope you find it useful: http://www.kfor.com/Global/story.asp?S=441663&nav=1RL54FrO OKLAHOMA CITY, August 20, 2001 – For the second time in a month — investigators are looking into another disturbing case of animal abuse. Once again — it involves helpless kittens. Just last month – someone deliberately poured hot tar on on abandoned kitten. Now, that kitten has found a safe home. Still – many kittens are dropped off and have no place to call home. That’s why an Oklahoma woman took two kittens in. And, you can imagine the shock when she discovered the animals were sprayed with paint. It was so bad – that one kitten did not survive. Ever since she was a little girl, Pauline Snow has loved animals. That’s why the homeless animals in her neighborhood always gravitate toward her home. And that’s why she’s taking what someone did to some homeless kittens extremely hard. It’s a sight that broke her heart. I went out on the porch and the little one was sprayed from down here, she said. I have no respect for anyone who would do something like that. Snow worked desperately to save the kittens, washing the paint away, while her neighbors looked on and laughed. Those men over there laughed when they saw this little thing fall and start foaming at the mouth, she said. She was able to save one of the kittens, but it was too late for the other. This one was just too far gone. No kitty deserves this, she said. This wasn’t the first time the kittens had been spray-painted. Saturday, she cleaned paint off the animals, only to find them sprayed again this morning. Snow says while she’ll never forgive whoever did this, she’s thankful she got to hold the little kitten before it died. Its little eyes, when it looked at me right before it died, you could see it knew I loved it, Snow said. Snow says she tried to call animal welfare to report the abuse, but claims they weren’t much help.
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them You are assuming that the paints used in growing sheep contain the same toxic solvents as those commonly found in household spray paints, such as those used for autos and lawn furniture and that used in the case described. I doubt very much that a highly toxic material (one BTW that is under special disposal restrictions here and cannot be thrown out with household garbage) is allowed anywhere near domestic animals. Even if dermal contact was prevented by a good coat of fur, cat grooming habits present another problem. They will instinctively lick foreign material off their fur, and they can reach just about any body-part. and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes. At least they cannot easily ingest the portion sprayed into their eyes. If you could restrict the spray to only this area, perhaps the cats in question would only suffer blindness. Of course I’m not sure what they eye-absorption rate would be… probably less than direct ingestion than would occur if their fur was sprayed.
If you noticed, I hardly recommended such a procedure. I was objecting to the escalation–ending with "forming <sic at the mouth," without any useful reference. This, while anti-freeze and pellet guns garner no comparable objection. The original remark was ill-advised, I’m sure of that, but it does not lead to "all cats die when sprayed." I’ve painted myself and while I do not lick it off that’s about as far as it goes. With today’s paints, you’d have to be pretty quick. -Paul
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I have tried talking to my neighbous about their cats in my garden, to no awail. All I got was an "I’m sorry". What has helped some is citrus peel strewn around. It may not look the best but the smell seems to deter them. Mothball will do the same, but those you need to buy and they don’t smell that good to us humans. Also, they don’t last long at all.
I bow to necessity and continue to buy mothballs as required. Especially in new plantings/seeding. Water spray when/if you catch perps in the act. Conditioning. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Doris If you know who the owners are, speak to them nicely & explain their cats will be healthier & live longer if they are kept indoors. The local Humane Association has an article on the subject. The local vet can give you a horror list of the parasites & diseases they can pick up, in addition to getting run over. If they are feral cats, call your local animal control warden. You may have to use Hav-a-Hart traps. If all else fails, you will have to squirt them with something. There are motion-detector sprinklers on the market. As a last resort, use a can of spray paint. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "It is forbidden to live in a town which has no greenery." Jerusalem Talmud, Kiddushin 4:12.
– Polar email only
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There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them
You are assuming that the paints used in growing sheep contain the same toxic solvents as those commonly found in household spray paints, such as those used for autos and lawn furniture and that used in the case described. I doubt very much that a highly toxic material (one BTW that is under special disposal restrictions here and cannot be thrown out with household garbage) is allowed anywhere near domestic animals. Even if dermal contact was prevented by a good coat of fur, cat grooming habits present another problem. They will instinctively lick foreign material off their fur, and they can reach just about any body-part. and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes.
At least they cannot easily ingest the portion sprayed into their eyes. If you could restrict the spray to only this area, perhaps the cats in question would only suffer blindness. Of course I’m not sure what they eye-absorption rate would be… probably less than direct ingestion than would occur if their fur was sprayed. That would not be the direction the cat would present anyhow.
Gerry
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There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick.
This is getting a mite overblown. While I do not agree with the solution Iris mentioned, it would take more than a "spray" to cause the symptoms you describe. More likely, the kittens in question were painted completely by some sadistic individual. They do spray sheep to identify them and I doubt Iris intended any spraying in the eyes. That would not be the direction the cat would present anyhow. -Paul (who welcomes any and all cats in my yard and will not spray them
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Well, you could trying sprinkling cayenne pepper on the ground in your garden.
A less dick-headed solution would be to put orange peals in the area. Cats hate citrus smelling stuff.
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Well, you could trying sprinkling cayenne pepper on the ground in your garden. I used to have a real problem with the neighbor’s cats in a house I used to live in. And I didn’t even get a "sorry" from them when I asked them to keep their cats in their own yard. They said, "You can’t keep a cat in the yard." True, unless you keep it in the house. But supposedly the cayenne pepper gets on their paws and when they go to lick it off…hot! As a last resort, what I ended up doing to keep the cats from digging in my flower bed was to lay down chicken wire over the dirt. No more digging. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have tried talking to my neighbous about their cats in my garden, to no awail. All I got was an "I’m sorry". What has helped some is citrus peel strewn around. It may not look the best but the smell seems to deter them. Mothball will do the same, but those you need to buy and they don’t smell that good to us humans. Also, they don’t last long at all.
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There was actually an article in the news recently about some individuals in Okalahoma City who spray painted small two kittens. One kitten died a horrible death, forming at the mouth. The other is very ill. Anyone who would do that to animals is sick. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – If I ever cought Iris spray painting a cat I’d turn HER over to the SPCA! What a vile thing to do to an animal. snip As a last resort, use a can of spray paint. Iris On the cat? That’s pretty cruel, what if you get the paint in it’s eyes? If you can get close enough to spray paint it, perhaps you can catch it and turn it over to the ASPCA.
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If I ever cought Iris spray painting a cat I’d turn HER over to the SPCA! What a vile thing to do to an animal.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – snip As a last resort, use a can of spray paint. Iris On the cat? That’s pretty cruel, what if you get the paint in it’s eyes? If you can get close enough to spray paint it, perhaps you can catch it and turn it over to the ASPCA.
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I wonder why the orchid is not getting pollinated? It is outside, is it
not? Yep.. Several years ago, someone from this group was helping me try to artificially pollinate. Unfortunately, *that* year the only blooms were 10 feet up, and I’m not really good on ladders, especially with a magnifying glass, paintbrushes, etc. <g. I think they mentioned that the moth needed to pollinate was not known in the US. I don’t know, and obviously have not done my homework on it. *Someday* I’ll get a bean pod, but for now I am happy just understanding why the beans cost so darn much! — Toni Carroll Sunny South Florida Zone 10 www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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The gardens are all flourishing beautifully, and my love of the garden has never waned. I have mostly native plants and adapted exotics, but none which are invasive.
Sorry to hear about your critters…. my eldest is starting to fade a bit, and making me worry. My absence from the group in no way implies an absence from gardening… we have been fine tuning for a couple of years now, having done and redone renovations until we got it right. For one terrible week, every single plant I own (except for 2 old Queen Palms, was lifted, and sitting on my porch, deck, garage, in wheelbarrows inside the house, etc. This all for new fencing and the definitive garden design. Even the dicey mover (my Bismarkia nobilis spent the week in a wheelbarrow) never missed a beat and I didn’t lose one plant. We brought in some larger trees for shade, and it is a big improvement. We did document everything with photos, and one of these days I’ll actually finish the website <g. The new design is beautiful, practical, and a bit easier care. I still gravitate towards the high maintenance look of perfect borders and weedfree mulch, but I am less tolerant of plants who do not earn their space. I would consider myself to have decent collections of bromeliads, palms, rhipsalis, and orchids, but again… all are on their own when it comes to weather. The epiphytes are all mounted permanently in trees, bromies in the ground, where they literally sink or swim. I’ve had my fill of moving 100 pots every time frost or a huricane threatens. We do wrap white Holiday lighting on the Bottle Palms, and the Lipstick Palms, and leave it on thru February, in case of frost, but have been lucky so far. I haven’t sprayed anything stronger than water in years, and my pest problems have all but disappeared… and I used to battle them endlessly. Never did get that vanilla orchid pollinated, though….. it blooms quite freely now, and I leave it at that. Maybe next year… Glad to be back… — Toni Carroll Sunny South Florida Zone 10 www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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The Scarecrow sprinkler and/or CatScat mats (little plastic mats with plastic spikes that you bury in your garden mulch/dirt) should both do the trick (they do for me — for cats and raccoons around the pond). Mike. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I am plagued by cats scatching & fouling in my garden. I have lost several new conifer trees where cats have sprayed them. Does anyone have any tips that will help deter cats from using my garden as a toilet.
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I am plagued by cats scatching & fouling in my garden. I have lost several new conifer trees where cats have sprayed them. Does anyone have any tips that will help deter cats from using my garden as a toilet.
Yeah, just get yourself one of these: http://www.leevalley.com/garden/page.asp?page=44958&category=2,2190,3… urrency=2&SID= As far as your conifers are concerned, I doubt that cat "spraying" is the problem there. It could very well be coincidental and something that needs further investigation. Gerry
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I am plagued by cats scatching & fouling in my garden. I have lost several new conifer trees where cats have sprayed them. Does anyone have any tips that will help deter cats from using my garden as a toilet.
I have trouble believing cat spray kills trees. There wouldn’t be any trees left in the world if that were true. If "several" young trees really died I would look elsewhere than at the cats for a cause — overwatering, neglect, disease, sunburn death of saplings…. Tom cat spray smells grotesquely rancid & is certainly a problem especially when toms start "marking" veggie gardens rendering things like lettuce, impossible to scrape clean, inedible. But it’s not toxic in a way that kills even a fragile lettuce, let alone a young tree. Tomcat spray is urine mixed with a viscous musk. Most carnivores & especially the males have scent glands for marking & competition purposes (occasionally as with skunks more for self-defense). The chemical composition of musk is similar in carnivores & herbavores — civet cats, house cats, ferrets, weasils, primitive simians, bears pretty much the same chemical excretions as in muskrats, musk oxen, musk deer, prairie dogs, & many animals that all use it for marking territory, indicating sexual prowess, sometimes for protection from predators, but does not harm the environment the animal lives in or the mere presence of male animals would be killing everything when the greater fact is their presence helps sustain ecological balance — a role even housecats can fulfil in a garden. The primary chemical that give off the smell is muscone — so devoid of toxicity that for centuries it has been used as a perfume stablizer & rubbed on our own bodies & territories for much the same reason as animals do it. The few musks that have a toxic capacity, it is from additional elements, such as, in skunk spray, hydrogen sulfide, & even for that, incidents of toxic response would be hard to document outside an intentional toxic exposure under laboratory conditions. Cats can get especially obnoxious about spraying this territory-marking musk if there are rival cats or other stressing problems in the cat’s life. Like human males pissing up walls, healthy well-cared for men (& tom cats) are less inclined to to such behavior. If they are feral cats they should be captured & responsibility transferred to Animal Control, who will probably euthanize them; to tolerate them endangers the cared-for cats who will be exposed to feral cats’ diseases parasites & violence. If these are peoples’ pets having cat-spray wars in your yard, they should be neutered, which reduces the behavior by reducing territoriality & eradicating competition to mate. As for cat urine, it is not toxic when fresh; it can become toxic when bacteria get in it & amonia is part of the bacterial waste. Smallish quantities not always in the same location can benefit a garden. Fresh cat urine begins to break down into nutrients long before bacteria produce their destructive amonia waste. Stagnating animal urine can change the pH of the soil dramatically enough to be harmful to plants, but it is the pH & not the urine that is the actual harm, & this can be corrected in the same ways any other overly alkaline soil is repairable. Stagnant pee in sufficient amounts is difficult to accumulate if it is diluted by regular waterings, insuring that their pee is just fertilizer. A dog or cat peeing in the exact same place time & time again can acidify the ground dangerously, but cats tend NOT to visit the same spot they already peed in. The exception would be unneutered males during competitive neurotic musk wars only — such males will obliterate a previous male’s mark, & they might do this to one another in cycles, though enough to kill a tree? It would have to be an especially extreme case & still any plant death would probably be some other cause. It’s annoying enough, though, to be putting a plant in the ground & grab a half-buried cat turd in a bare hand. One has to like kitties an awful lot to not mind stepping on or grabbing someone ELSE’S cat’s turds. If standard cat repellants aren’t working or your gardens are too big to use such repellant in all the required places, an alternative is a cat ATTRACTANT such as GoodCat, which will draw cats to an area you can stand to have cats mucking up (like the front porches of whoever actually owns the cats…). GoodCat attractant & the companion product BadCat which repells are a type of product available under a variety of brand names from places like Home Depot. I’ve never used them because the cats in our yards have not been the least bit harmful, & I do like kitties enough that their turds don’t wreck my day; but by others’ reports, the attractants & repellants can work very well. -paghat the ratgirl I’m fortunate in that I don’t have that sort of problem; but I saw something on HGTV the other day that might offer a solution. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if this works, or is workable in your situation – it was presented as means of keeping cats from fouling house plants.) If is’t feasible, surround the base of each plant with some screen wire planted and hidden just below the surface. The show that demonstrated this indicated a cat, finding s/he cannot scrape away and penetrate the dirt and wire, should move elsewhere. f
– "I guess I planted some long lonesome Seed of a song Way down inside me long ago And now I can’t remember when that was." -W.Guthrie
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I am plagued by cats scatching & fouling in my garden. I have lost several new conifer trees where cats have sprayed them. Does anyone have any tips that will help deter cats from using my garden as a toilet.
I’m fortunate in that I don’t have that sort of problem; but I saw something on HGTV the other day that might offer a solution. (Disclaimer: I have no idea if this works, or is workable in your situation – it was presented as means of keeping cats from fouling house plants.) If is’t feasible, surround the base of each plant with some screen wire planted and hidden just below the surface. The show that demonstrated this indicated a cat, finding s/he cannot scrape away and penetrate the dirt and wire, should move elsewhere. f Reply Address Purposly Altered to eliminate SPAM Reply by Post Only Please
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snip As a last resort, use a can of spray paint. Iris
On the cat? That’s pretty cruel, what if you get the paint in it’s eyes? If you can get close enough to spray paint it, perhaps you can catch it and turn it over to the ASPCA.
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By all means do not complain to the owners. Tell the owners how much you enjoy their precious kitties. Make friends with the pussies and when you finally decide to feed them some anti-freeze you will be the last person they suspect.
Ever hear of karma, pal? — Toni www.irish-wolfhounds.com
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Oh trust me Toni (where have you been by the way
Still here…. sometimes lurking, other times I’ve been more into other areas of my life. What’s it been… like 2 years? Jeepers! Last I heard, you had just made the move and were looking forward to your new "digs". It’s hot as blazes here….. I walked around a bit this morning cataloging the weeds, but as for pulling any, I’m waiting til the heat index drops below 100
Question:
First orchid I bought in Florida I put in the back of the car, got groceries, and by the time I got home the orchid was cooked. Summer is not the time to buy, move, or give them an auto vacation. K – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
Response:
Derek: I had a related but similar problem this winter. Don’t despair, all may not be lost. In my case, I had a furnace blow while I was away on vacation for a week. I live in New Hampshire and everything got pretty frosty. Most of my orchids sustained some damage, some I was able to notice right away, some took a while. Some oncidiums, phals, and dens lost all their leaves and I was going to dump them in the compost heap, but the roots kind of looked ok, so I just let them sit there and watered on my usual schedule. [aside: I also took this opportunity to try Jerry's Grow for the first time with a little SuperThrive for good luck.] Lo and behold, every single one of these plants has either keiki’d or put out new growth. ’Course, it’ll be years before any of these bloom again (if I can keep them alive that long). – Michael – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
Response:
Thanks Michael for the information. Although I have not had this problem (low temp reach 34 degrees a few years ago when my greenhouse flooded), this is inspiration to those who have met a blow due to hot or cold weather. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Derek: I had a related but similar problem this winter. Don’t despair, all may not be lost. In my case, I had a furnace blow while I was away on vacation for a week. I live in New Hampshire and everything got pretty frosty. Most of my orchids sustained some damage, some I was able to notice right away, some took a while. Some oncidiums, phals, and dens lost all their leaves and I was going to dump them in the compost heap, but the roots kind of looked ok, so I just let them sit there and watered on my usual schedule. [aside: I also took this opportunity to try Jerry's Grow for the first time with a little SuperThrive for good luck.] Lo and behold, every single one of these plants has either keiki’d or put out new growth. ’Course, it’ll be years before any of these bloom again (if I can keep them alive that long). – Michael I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
Response:
Yep, those Orchids are lots tougher than most people give them credit for. Here in New Orleans, heat is a constant problem (too much of a good thing). I have a small window a/c unit that keeps the "cool" part of my greenhouse a pleasant 85 degrees or so during the day. However, there are times when it’s off and temps can easily reach 100. I’ve found that with plenty of watering/misting (not to the point of causing root/crown rot however), my real concern is too much direct sun and burning. I think you probably have a similar problem there by the desert. As long as most plants aren’t severely burnt or dried out by extended exposure to high heat, they usually come back. Also, though there are limits, over time most plants can acclimate to a much wider temperature range than the one found in their normal habitat. Bob C.
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Thanks for your encouraging message Michael. I guess frost damage in terms of cellular breakdown is similar to being boiled! You are right too about the damage to the Dendrobiums taking longer to show and although everything looks ghastly now I am encouraged by the look of the visible roots and lower level stem tissue – I think they will survive! Why should yours not bloom again soon after all you probably have the root sytems and growing points of mature plants. That’s what I’m banking on.:-) Brumman (Derek A)
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Well, Derek, mine were done in with the full knowledge that I might lose all my collection. I could find no transport for my collection from So. Cal. to Olympia Wa. Everything went into the moving van on probably what was the hottest week I could have moved. I guess the outside temps were in the 90s up thru Eugene Or. And it took eight days! The inside of the van must have reach 110 degrees if not hotter. The result? All Milts died and ten others. Lost two more today. As for the rest which is like your collection, it was unpack as soon as possible, sugar water, then super thrive. I’ve got the Paphs and Phrags in the house giving them special care. Frankly, I’m amazed that any of them came thru, but time will tell. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
– Click here for Free Video!! http://www.gohip.com/freevideo/
Response:
I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
Response:
Well, I did have a customer who bought a Phal for his wife on Valentines day which she planted outside in her garden the next day so it could grow with her tulips and daffodils…..which means it was exposed to below freezing temperatures and full sun and cold frozen dirt. She seemed quite upset that I had not warned her husband to tell her it was a house plant. I now get strange looks from customers when I tell them NOT to plant their Phal orchids outside in their gardens. I guess this doesn’t really help you with your problem though… I think you will lose most of the plants exposed to this high temperature over the next few weeks. On the other hand some might survive. I think you will see all leaves drop off, but dormant buds might grow up from the rhizomes which in a few years may produce a blooming size plant again… Al
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have done a most embarrassing and disastrous thing – have probably destroyed my small but precious collection – phals, dens, oncidiums and cattleya. I had put them all in the car intending to move them later but got busy doing something else and forgot about them. They were exposed to temperatures in excess of 120F for a couples of hours I bet and looked pretty sorry when I retrieved them. That was 4 days ago and they are looking progressively worse – the oncidiums in particular. The higher leaves died off quickly and this seems to be spreading down the plants into what had appeared to be unaffected areas. I think the roots protected by the medium are still Ok but maybe it just takes them longer to die? What are my chances of saving anything – has anyone else had experience in this field of stupidity? Come on there’s got to be plenty of you who’ve cooked some plants in the greenhouse occasionally or am I the only idiot in Orchid land? And yes I know they don’t like temps above 80F! Brumman —
Response:
Question:
I dont know if orchids get aphids…but my question is… what can I use to get the red aphids off of yellow daiseys…our dogs eat the daiseys so we don’t want to use poisons. please post to this group and email me at thanks
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b bI dont know if orchids get aphids…but my question is… bwhat can I use to get the red aphids off of yellow daiseys…our dogs beat the daiseys so we don’t want to use poisons. bplease post to this group and email me at bthanks b Orchids do indeed get Aphids, Bruce. Best all around non-toxic cure for them on any plant is detergent and water. Just a few drops of "Dawn" or similar dish soap per gallon will do just fine. -Rod- Rod & Susan Venger, Venger’s Orchids Homepage address http://www.usa.net/venger/ Listings Available – Email us for your copies Order Line 1-800-483-6437 —
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I dont know if orchids get aphids…but my question is… what can I use to get the red aphids off of yellow daiseys…our dogs eat the daiseys so we don’t want to use poisons. please post to this group and email me at thanks
I would suggest diatomacious earth or ladybugs. Ladybugs LOVE aphids, but will leave when all the aphids are eaten. It may not be a good idea for your dog to eat the daisies. Can you prevent it? I believe some kinds have toxins, although I’m not sure what affect they would have no dogs.
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I’ve had an attack of aphids. I have been using soap and water. They still keep coming back. Any other suggestions would be very helpful. Carla
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Try isopropyl alcohol if it’s a small infestation. If it’s bigger, you might want to consider neem oil, as it lasts a bit longer than the soap, or pull out the big guns and go with Orthene WP. — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve had an attack of aphids. I have been using soap and water. They still keep coming back. Any other suggestions would be very helpful. Carla
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Spray with rubbing alcohol in a small mister. Or use it as a wipe. Helps me keep ahead of the critters. SueE – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve had an attack of aphids. I have been using soap and water. They still keep coming back. Any other suggestions would be very helpful. Carla
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If you want to go really natural (and effective) try ladybugs. Yes, insects; they’re small and colorful bugs that everyone feels comfortable seeing, and they love to eat tons of aphids and other small bodied insects… And no chemicals either Many garden and home retailers across the country are trying to retail live insects (or soon to hatch). They’re not quite at the Home Depot yet, but for example our local "Armstrong Garden Center" in Santa Monica recently had little screen ventilated cartons containing a few hundred freshly hatched ladybugs for around $6.00… I occsionally find an aphid or two or eight (particularily on my Psychopsis) in my apartment orchid greenhouse, but never enough for a few hundred ladybugs (and they don’t "keep" well). But if I did have an aphid problem, I sure would try those sweet lady bugs for $6 first… I have tried Neem, and it works well also, though my plants are always waxy and spotty after an application of Neem… Several suppliers on the Net can also supply freshly hatched ladybugs and other insects (such as praying mantis) for natural pest control… I never could ever have those big awful praying mantis around my greenhouse though, yech… That would be like a horror film… Todd (Not truly bug phobic…) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I’ve had an attack of aphids. I have been using soap and water. They still keep coming back. Any other suggestions would be very helpful. Carla
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I’ve had an attack of aphids. I have been using soap and water. They still keep coming back. Any other suggestions would be very helpful.
Hi Carla, If your plants are outdoors consider getting natures help for aphids. Lady Bugs eat aphids and if you can get a supply of them they will usually clean up a mess and lay eggs in the area where the larval lady bugs also eat aphids. You can help clean aphids out of the neighborhood. Ants that don’t tend aphids as form of ‘cattle’ usually like to eat aphids when they can find them. The only problem with setting a plant near a nest for cleaning is that you have to find a way to let them escape once the plant is cleaned. There is also an outside chance that you may witness the a birth of civilization as the ants discover that aphids can be tended for their nutritious and tasty secretions. What is the question? Gertrude Stein’s last words No one mouth is big enough to utter the whole thing. Alan Watts On Display in the UK http://www.web-gallery.co.uk
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Strange thing started happening here a while back. We get swarmed by millions of lady bugs. It is so thick that is cloudy outside. I have no idea where they came from or where they are headed. After the swarm is gone, many hang around for months (through the winter) inside the walls of the house and all over the plants (have not seen an aphid since). I’ve shied away from pesticides ever since these guys showed up. The swarm is almost an annual event now. Funny little things –they dont exactly light, they crash-land! — Moke (remove the multiple Zs for private) – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I occsionally find an aphid or two or eight (particularily on my Psychopsis) in my apartment orchid greenhouse, but never enough for a few hundred ladybugs (and they don’t "keep" well). But if I did have an aphid problem, I sure would try those sweet lady bugs for $6 first…
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Hi, Wondering how do you keep lady bugs inside the greenhouse? Mine always disappear through the cracks in the door or get up in the ceiling. . . . Pam – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Strange thing started happening here a while back. We get swarmed by millions of lady bugs. It is so thick that is cloudy outside. I have no idea where they came from or where they are headed. After the swarm is gone, many hang around for months (through the winter) inside the walls of the house and all over the plants (have not seen an aphid since). I’ve shied away from pesticides ever since these guys showed up. The swarm is almost an annual event now. Funny little things –they dont exactly light, they crash-land! — Moke (remove the multiple Zs for private) I occsionally find an aphid or two or eight (particularily on my Psychopsis) in my apartment orchid greenhouse, but never enough for a few hundred ladybugs (and they don’t "keep" well). But if I did have an aphid problem, I sure would try those sweet lady bugs for $6 first…
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Question:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – We need more information to help you. What kind of orchids are you growing? In what part of the country do you live? Answers to both questions will help give you the correct info that you need. Sharon I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture? Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok?
Basics for potting orchids, bark or woodchips, perlite, some people also add charcoal( I just started adding that to my mix) this is all to ensure it drains well, orchids hate to sit in water. You should also change your mix each year after the orchids are done blooming, they say never repot while the orchids still have flowers. I usually water my orchids once a week in the winter and when it gets much warmer I water them every two to three days. Also, you should feed your orchids every time you water them. I am bad at remembering to do that so I bought time release feed that last 3 months, so I sprinkle that on the top of the bark so I don’t have to remember to feed. I am sure there are some die hards that will poo poo that method, but it works for me. As far as where you should have your orchids, the first lady who replyed to your message was correct you would have to know which kind of orchid you are dealing with to give good advice. Reason being is there are some very delicate orchids that I found the hard way prefer very little indirect light where as other hardy orchids will take some sun. Just as a rule I never put my orchids in full sunlight all day long. I just picked up recently too that if your leaves are too dark green then they need a little more sun then they are getting (this is good advise I found or those delicate orchids I found). I this case I move them to a different location for a few hours, maybe someplace that gets morning sun. Hope this info helps! Janice
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I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture?
Have you had success with just bark chips?? If so, continue. Whatever works for you works for you! Potting material usually is a very personal thing, so its difficult for one person to tel another person whay to pot in. That said, let me tell you what I use *G*!! For cattleyas I use fine bark with some perlite and some lava rock. Probably 2:1:1 in ratios… That’s really my standard mix. Maybe I’ll toss in some coconut husk chips if I have any handy. I’ll use plastic pots. Most books will tell you bark (fine or medium grade) and perlite, 4:1. Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water.
That’s the $64,000 question. How damp is damp? How dry is dry? Some orchids like to dry off quickly, some like to dry off completely over time, and some can’t stand not to be evenly moist. What kind of orchids are you growing? When in doubt err on the side of dryness, only because more orchids have been killed by overwatering than under watering. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok?
Usually the morning sun is ‘cooler’, so most folks will find that sun to be less detrimental to their orchids than the heat of teh afternoon sun, when its had all day to bake. One test you can do is to feel the plant’s leaves and see how hot they get. Also if the plant starts turning red or blistering thats too much light for it. Are you in the USA?? A good cheap reference book is the Ortho book on orchid care. Most garden centers and Home Depot will have it or can get it. Heck, try amazon.com for that matter… K Barrett
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Oops, – answering my own post again – Yikes!! Anyway I wanted to point out that Valerie Tonkin – of Tonkins Orchids – grows everthing is fine bark. That’s it… nothing else.. it works for her in her situation. I can’t duplicate her succcess though I’ve tried to duplicate her methods. K – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture? Have you had success with just bark chips?? If so, continue. Whatever works for you works for you! Potting material usually is a very personal thing, so its difficult for one person to tel another person whay to pot in. That said, let me tell you what I use *G*!! For cattleyas I use fine bark with some perlite and some lava rock. Probably 2:1:1 in ratios… That’s really my standard mix. Maybe I’ll toss in some coconut husk chips if I have any handy. I’ll use plastic pots. Most books will tell you bark (fine or medium grade) and perlite, 4:1. Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water. That’s the $64,000 question. How damp is damp? How dry is dry? Some orchids like to dry off quickly, some like to dry off completely over time, and some can’t stand not to be evenly moist. What kind of orchids are you growing? When in doubt err on the side of dryness, only because more orchids have been killed by overwatering than under watering. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok? Usually the morning sun is ‘cooler’, so most folks will find that sun to be less detrimental to their orchids than the heat of teh afternoon sun, when its had all day to bake. One test you can do is to feel the plant’s leaves and see how hot they get. Also if the plant starts turning red or blistering thats too much light for it. Are you in the USA?? A good cheap reference book is the Ortho book on orchid care. Most garden centers and Home Depot will have it or can get it. Heck, try amazon.com for that matter… K Barrett
Response:
We have lots of details on water and potting mixture (as well as lights etc) at: http://www.users.cloud9.net/~epeople/orchid/orchid.shtml Water is tricky so please read it closely. Joe Collins I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture? Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok?
Response:
We need more information to help you. What kind of orchids are you growing? In what part of the country do you live? Answers to both questions will help give you the correct info that you need. Sharon
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture? Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok?
Response:
I would like to know the proper potting material. I just use bark chips. Should I be using a mixture? Also, I need to know the proper method of watering. Should they be kept damp all the time or should they dry out and water. I have my orchids in my sun room. Should they be kept away from direct sun or is partial day of direct sun ok?
Response:
Question:
Hi, Michael, West Palm Beach is not the hub of the universe. I don’t know of anyone here in PSL who called his/her congressman because he/she couldn’t understand the Diana
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Diana, you live a short drive from me. (Lakeland FL) Just goes to show that West Palm Beach does not represent all of florida. Michael Hi, all, I’ve been hanging out here and corresponding for a couple of weeks, and it occured to me that an introduction might be in order. We live in Port St. Lucie, FL (orchid heaven) and are fortunate to have a screened in pool & patio with a glorious SW exposure to go with our equally gorgeous south Florida climate (except for this past winter! BRRRR……the poor kids got hauled in, and out, and in, and out, and they didn’t much like it, I can tell you, but still bloomed as expected). I have around 70 orchids: many Dens, Catts and Phals, also a good number of Oncidiums and their hybrids. Also Vanda family. Latest aquisition is is a Miltoniopsis for which I paid the princely sum of $30.00, and I’m a sucker for shows and auctions. My long-suffering husband (his thing is other plants, flowers and a lovely veggie garden) routinely installs more hangers, poles, etc, to accomodate my growing passion. I fear it won’t end until there are hundreds (thousands?) and we have to move and build a greenhouse : ). I really like this NG, have found it informative and amusing, and also enjoy the opportunity to help when I can offer some advice. Even better when I can learn, though. When you see a message from "Frank Kulaga", it’ll be me, Diana Kulaga (Frank is my husband). Here’s to much more give and take. Regards, Diana
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Absolutely. Are y’all living down here? : )
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Wouldn’t you all agree that the orchid people from Florida are so nice and friendly? Mick
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Great! It’s nice to find a group of good people for a change. Of course, orchidists as a group are mostly glorious! Diana
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi Diana, welcome to the group. I saw your original question about needing an introduction, but things are really pretty simple here. We ‘know’ you by the calibre of your questions, answers and advice! Pretty simple, huh? Sure, some of us have been around here for a while, and some kinda play around, but in general we stay on topic and dispense advice. I agree! Here’s to more give and take! K Barrett Hi, all, I’ve been hanging out here and corresponding for a couple of weeks, and it occured to me that an introduction might be in order. We live in Port St. Lucie, FL (orchid heaven) and are fortunate to have a screened in pool & patio with a glorious SW exposure to go with our equally gorgeous south Florida climate (except for this past winter! BRRRR……the poor kids got hauled in, and out, and in, and out, and they didn’t much like it, I can tell you, but still bloomed as expected). I have around 70 orchids: many Dens, Catts and Phals, also a good number of Oncidiums and their hybrids. Also Vanda family. Latest aquisition is is a Miltoniopsis for which I paid the princely sum of $30.00, and I’m a sucker for shows and auctions. My long-suffering husband (his thing is other plants, flowers and a lovely veggie garden) routinely installs more hangers, poles, etc, to accomodate my growing passion. I fear it won’t end until there are hundreds (thousands?) and we have to move and build a greenhouse : ). I really like this NG, have found it informative and amusing, and also enjoy the opportunity to help when I can offer some advice. Even better when I can learn, though. When you see a message from "Frank Kulaga", it’ll be me, Diana Kulaga (Frank is my husband). Here’s to much more give and take. Regards, Diana
Response:
Hi, all, I’ve been hanging out here and corresponding for a couple of weeks, and it occured to me that an introduction might be in order. We live in Port St. Lucie, FL (orchid heaven) and are fortunate to have a screened in pool & patio with a glorious SW exposure to go with our equally gorgeous south Florida climate (except for this past winter! BRRRR……the poor kids got hauled in, and out, and in, and out, and they didn’t much like it, I can tell you, but still bloomed as expected). I have around 70 orchids: many Dens, Catts and Phals, also a good number of Oncidiums and their hybrids. Also Vanda family. Latest aquisition is is a Miltoniopsis for which I paid the princely sum of $30.00, and I’m a sucker for shows and auctions. My long-suffering husband (his thing is other plants, flowers and a lovely veggie garden) routinely installs more hangers, poles, etc, to accomodate my growing passion. I fear it won’t end until there are hundreds (thousands?) and we have to move and build a greenhouse : ). I really like this NG, have found it informative and amusing, and also enjoy the opportunity to help when I can offer some advice. Even better when I can learn, though. When you see a message from "Frank Kulaga", it’ll be me, Diana Kulaga (Frank is my husband). Here’s to much more give and take. Regards, Diana
Response:
Hi Diana, you live a short drive from me. (Lakeland FL) Just goes to show that West Palm Beach does not represent all of florida. Michael
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, all, I’ve been hanging out here and corresponding for a couple of weeks, and it occured to me that an introduction might be in order. We live in Port St. Lucie, FL (orchid heaven) and are fortunate to have a screened in pool & patio with a glorious SW exposure to go with our equally gorgeous south Florida climate (except for this past winter! BRRRR……the poor kids got hauled in, and out, and in, and out, and they didn’t much like it, I can tell you, but still bloomed as expected). I have around 70 orchids: many Dens, Catts and Phals, also a good number of Oncidiums and their hybrids. Also Vanda family. Latest aquisition is is a Miltoniopsis for which I paid the princely sum of $30.00, and I’m a sucker for shows and auctions. My long-suffering husband (his thing is other plants, flowers and a lovely veggie garden) routinely installs more hangers, poles, etc, to accomodate my growing passion. I fear it won’t end until there are hundreds (thousands?) and we have to move and build a greenhouse : ). I really like this NG, have found it informative and amusing, and also enjoy the opportunity to help when I can offer some advice. Even better when I can learn, though. When you see a message from "Frank Kulaga", it’ll be me, Diana Kulaga (Frank is my husband). Here’s to much more give and take. Regards, Diana
Response:
Wouldn’t you all agree that the orchid people from Florida are so nice and friendly? Mick
Response:
Most of them, yes. — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Wouldn’t you all agree that the orchid people from Florida are so nice and friendly? Mick
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Well, thank you Ray. We Floridians appreciate that. You know Ray, we Floridians just think ALL the orchid growers in Pennsylvania are real peachy keen… Where are you from? Mick
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Hi Diana, welcome to the group. I saw your original question about needing an introduction, but things are really pretty simple here. We ‘know’ you by the calibre of your questions, answers and advice! Pretty simple, huh? Sure, some of us have been around here for a while, and some kinda play around, but in general we stay on topic and dispense advice. I agree! Here’s to more give and take! K Barrett – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, all, I’ve been hanging out here and corresponding for a couple of weeks, and it occured to me that an introduction might be in order. We live in Port St. Lucie, FL (orchid heaven) and are fortunate to have a screened in pool & patio with a glorious SW exposure to go with our equally gorgeous south Florida climate (except for this past winter! BRRRR……the poor kids got hauled in, and out, and in, and out, and they didn’t much like it, I can tell you, but still bloomed as expected). I have around 70 orchids: many Dens, Catts and Phals, also a good number of Oncidiums and their hybrids. Also Vanda family. Latest aquisition is is a Miltoniopsis for which I paid the princely sum of $30.00, and I’m a sucker for shows and auctions. My long-suffering husband (his thing is other plants, flowers and a lovely veggie garden) routinely installs more hangers, poles, etc, to accomodate my growing passion. I fear it won’t end until there are hundreds (thousands?) and we have to move and build a greenhouse : ). I really like this NG, have found it informative and amusing, and also enjoy the opportunity to help when I can offer some advice. Even better when I can learn, though. When you see a message from "Frank Kulaga", it’ll be me, Diana Kulaga (Frank is my husband). Here’s to much more give and take. Regards, Diana
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Question:
Bought my first Cypripedium at the New York Show last weekend. Cypripedium tibeticum The vendor gave me a general care sheet. Does anyone have real experience with this species? It’s my first attempt at Cypripedium. I have the rhysome in a 6 inch pot of pro-mix with a handfull of perlite added for additional drainage. Before planting it I soaked it for about 30 minutes in a solution of SuperThrive to give in hopes of making the roots take off. In one week it has pushed through the soil surface. I plan to plant it outdoors near a white pine that is limbed up to about 8 feet. The spot is generally moist and bright without full sun. I’d love to hear about someone else’s success with this plant. Gene
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I haven’t tried that one personally, but here are a few places that sell them that might have some helpful info… http://www.dragonagro.com/dappaph.htm#Cypripedium http://thimblefarms.com/98orchidtf.html Bob C. http://vchilder.home.netcom.com
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Bought my first Cypripedium at the New York Show last weekend. Cypripedium tibeticum The vendor gave me a general care sheet. Does anyone have real experience with this species? It’s my first attempt at Cypripedium. I have the rhysome in a 6 inch pot of pro-mix with a handfull of perlite added for additional drainage.
According to Holger Perner in Cribb’s _The Genus Cypripedium_, C. tibeticum is a somewhat difficult species and, unfortunately, not the best choice for a beginner. It is a montane species that requires cool summers and cold winters. If your garden is subject to winter thaws, you will need to keep the plant cold to prevent it from beginning growth too early. It should be kept constantly moist in summer but should not receive too much rain in winter. The mix should be mineral based without too much organic material. I suspect that Pro-mix or other peat based mixes might result in a rotten rhizome. Perner recommends any of the following mixes: 1. One part loam pellets, one part seramis, one part rotten wood, and one part coarse sand 2. Pure washed pumice or lava gravel 3. Four to five parts fine sand and one part fen soil 4. two parts gravel, one part perlite, and one part fine fir bark. The pH should be between 6 and 7. If necessary, oyster shells can be added to these mixes to raise the pH. Don’t be too terribly disappointed if the Cyp doesn’t survive. Species like C. tibeticum are likely to be wild-collected, and you don’t know how well it was treated before you purchased it. Did the vendor tell you how long he/she had been growing the plant, or was a recent import? If you like Cyps and want to try other species, the best choice for a beginner is probably a seedling of the North American Cypripedium parviflorum. For more info on C. tibeticum and other Cyp. species, take a look at _The Genus Cypripedium_ by Philip Cribb (Timber Press, 1997). Good luck with your C. tibeticum. I hope it grows well for you. Nick Nicholas Plummer remove the nospam to email http://www.duke.edu/~nplummer/
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Don’t be too terribly disappointed if the Cyp doesn’t survive. Species like C. tibeticum are likely to be wild-collected
While I’m being crotchety, I think the lack of reaction to this post versus the reaction to the Cyp. acaule posts gives veracity to Stephen’s speculation that we only tend to have a problem when the plant is collected in our own backyard, it’s okay if it comes from another country. Bob
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While I’m being crotchety, I think the lack of reaction to this post versus the reaction to the Cyp. acaule posts gives veracity to Stephen’s speculation that we only tend to have a problem when the plant is collected in our own backyard, it’s okay if it comes from another country.
It could also be that the case as to whether or not the tibeticums in question may or may not be wild-collected, and cursing them to eternal damnation (would would normally be the USRDA of venom) would be based on speculation, versus the relatively abundant data in the case of the acaules. Chinese cyps are much like Vietnamese paphs in that exports simply "don’t happen." The permits aren’t officially issued, just like Mexico and (if my understanding is correct) Peru. How they would get in past the normally rigorous Canadian customs (for Thimble Farms) is beyond me. Thimble Farms appears to sell a number of species as propagules, and The Cypripedium Dieties have informed me that they’re apparently legit on that front. Now, a chunk of tibeticum or other cypripedium from the sales table an orchid society- who knows. Cheers, -AJHicks Chandler, AZ
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Speaking of the acaule (one more time), since Vermont Ladyslipper Co is reputed to be the only "legit" source of non wild collected acaule, I wonder where Thimble Farms (as well as a few others on the WWW) got the ones they’re selling? Bob C.
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Fraser’s Thimble Farms grows native orchids from seed. Several species are listed in the catalogue as available in flasks, and they invite customers to try their hand at deflasking Cyp. seedlings. I know a lady in Manitoba who has a native plant business, specializing in Cypripediums. She grows C. acaule from seed, using a lab setup. She told me C. acaule has been the easiest Cyp. for her to grow from seed (not to be confused with it being easy to grow in your garden). As a Canadian, I have at least these two choices. There must be more than just 1 such company in the USA? Glen – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Speaking of the acaule (one more time), since Vermont Ladyslipper Co is reputed to be the only "legit" source of non wild collected acaule, I wonder where Thimble Farms (as well as a few others on the WWW) got the ones they’re selling? Bob C.
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I’ve heard good things about Thimble Farms (I’ve ordered cyps from them myself). I guess some folks need to update their advertising. It’s good to know there are a few choices out there now other than the plant poachers for some of the scarce plants. To give VLS their due, while they may no longer be the only game in town (depending on who you ask), they were the groundbreakers who first grew acaule commercially. Bob C.
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I think we have the making of a good ol boyz network w/o necessarliy meaning to. First the lack of response to the Cypripedium tibeticum I am sure it has do partly with its being sold at an Orchid Show. There have been plenty of other posts against growers w/o full details being in. And to constantly hear that Vermont is the only legitimate source begs 2 questions, where did the originals come from and on this vast planet is it reasonable to expect that no one else would figure it out. If they really are the only ones fine, but please demonstrate this to be true, because to keep stating it by default labels the other growers as illegitimate. Personally if some is breaking the law, I really do want to know about it, but we can’t taint the image of growers who do it right by speculating. I think one of the ways to stop the law breakers is to encourage more legit sources. The more access there is to legit plants the less demand for the diggers. Most people in this group would pay the higher price of propagated rather than look for bargains from illegal diggers. Arron and I last year traded email last year about some of the worst insectivorous plant vendors, one I remember as a child. (Won’t mention their name but similar to a popular candy bar). He told me , thankfully, they had been finally shut down. Also there is the point of how well are the plants grown I have found there is a huge difference in the viability of the plants from sources such as California Carnivores and the Little Pot of Horrors plants sold virtually everywhere. Even though both are propagated, California is there to give you tips , growing advice etc to keep them growing. I have bought from Thimble Farms and posted recently about the fact they did indeed ship with a valid CITES (Post was ignored). Ihad also phoned them first inorder to try and get a warm feeling that they were okay. Since they offer seedlings and plants in flasks I thinks its fair bet that propagation is going on. Glen, could you forward the name ofthe lady in Manotoba and does she ship to the US? .I have seen one other Cyp source in Canada but they do not ship to US, making one wonder if its a CITES issue or if they just chooses not too. Best Regards, Glenn (the 2 N one)
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Speaking of the acaule (one more time), since Vermont Ladyslipper Co is reputed to be the only "legit" source of non wild collected acaule, I wonder where Thimble Farms (as well as a few others on the WWW) got the ones they’re selling? Bob C.
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First the lack of response to the Cypripedium tibeticum, I am sure it has do partly with its being sold at an Orchid Show. There have been plenty of other posts against growers w/o full details being in. And to constantly hear that Vermont is the only legitimate source begs 2 questions, where did the originals come from and on this vast planet is it reasonable to expect that no one else would figure it out. If they really are the only ones fine, but please demonstrate this to be true, because to keep stating it by default labels the other growers as illegitimate.
Actually, I responded to your message and have expressed your same thoughts before. Usually I got a sermon from someone who read/was told something somewhere about this or that company or a tirade about plant poachers in general. Personally if some is breaking the law, I really do want to know about it, but we can’t taint the image of growers who do it right by speculating. I think one of the ways to stop the law breakers is to encourage more legit sources. The more access there is to legit plants the less demand for the diggers.
I said the same thing (I’ve also read the same comments from some of those legit growers), but got either silence or comments about how it wouldn’t change anything or these plant should only be grown by professionals. BTW, most "negative" comments seem to be by people who have an interest in orchids other than as a hobby. I have bought from Thimble Farms and posted recently about the fact they did indeed ship with a valid CITES (Post was ignored). I had also phoned them first in order to try and get a warm feeling that they were okay. Since they offer seedlings and plants in flasks I thinks its fair bet that propagation is going on.
Your post wasn’t really ignored since I responded myself. I just think it didn’t fit with the PC mindset of a vocal minority (I’m sure to get a response on that one!). Again, I agree with you and have stated so before about other growers. I have bought Cyps from Thimble Farms myself (I’m waiting for a shipment as we speak), as well as Rocky Mountain Orchids, VLS and Spangle Creek Labs. However, the responses I got were to a comment on some acaule I purchased from Lowe’s, if you remember that incident! FYI, I did receive a number of positive responses during the great Lowe’s Acaule War, but they were usually as personal email instead of posts to the newsgroup. There are many lurkers who read the posts to RGO, but don’t respond or actively participate in the discussions. Quite a few folks agreed with many/most of my comments during the "war", but didn’t want to get caught in the crossfire. I’m sure the same applies here as well. Bob C.
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And to constantly hear that Vermont is the only legitimate source begs 2 questions, where did the originals come from and on this vast planet is it reasonable to expect that no one else would figure it out. If they really are the only ones fine, but please demonstrate this to be true, because to keep stating it by default labels the other growers as illegitimate.
I think there’s been some confusion. It has been asserted only that Vermont Ladyslipper has been the only company that sells Cypripedium acaule as propagules. I don’t believe anyone has stated that the company is the only legit source of any or all cypripediums, and a quick review via www.deja.com shows this to be the case. If Thimble Farms is selling Cypripedium acaule as propagules, that’s great. I assume this is a new development, in the past year or so. Over the past couple of years, I’ve spoken with or corresponded with many of the growers who sell cypripediums and other temperate orchids; there’s been an explosion in the number of propagators, so it’s difficult to keep tabs on them all- but as you noted, it’s simple enough to see which species they offer as propagules in flask and as seedlings to at least get a sense that they’re legit. It’s even easier to ask a few key questions, and see if they use a trowel or a flask as their source. Cheers, -AJHicks Chandler, AZ
Response:
Sounds like all the orchid judges at the Japanese Grand Prix. They will be big purple cattleya corsages.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Well close. It will be Orchid Police in a sense, but they will come late at night in black cars , black suits, bad haircuts and sun glasses (explains why they drive badly ay night). The really bent ones will be wearing Cattleya corsages !!!
Response:
The discussion about Cypripedium tibeticum appears to have been based on the assumption that these plants must have been illegally collected in China. Actually, C tibeticum enjoy a wide distribution right across the Himalayas. China, Bhutan, Nepal, & India (The Genus Cypripedium – P Cribb; 100 beautiful Himalayan Orchids – U & S Pradhan). Whilst the Chinese Government does not issue CITES certificates, they have been known to allow small amounts of seed to be collected by certain visiting botanical parties (personal comunication). Weng
Response:
Oh my goodness….what have I started? I bought the rhyzome from Dragon Agro at the the NYC Show. The plant is doing well in the pot for now. Do I have to worry about the plant police coming through the door? I guess I’ve read too many Orchid novels. Gene
Response:
Gene, You haven’t started anything so don’t sweat it if you are a little concerned. These little go rounds happen every now and then and it seems to revolve around Cypridiums lately. AS far as Dragon Agro, no one seems to know if some of the plants they sell are legally collected, propagated, or if they are entering the country with false paperwork and have been ripped from their habitats. Maybe yes, maybe no, who knows. Take it with a grain of salt. Try to buy species plants propagated via seed and if this is not possible, try to buy from people who are rescuing plants from habitat destruction. The last is kind of hard to figure out esp. on tropicals. Now if you really want to see some fireworks, post a full blown graphic file with a question to this newsgroup. If I or someone else answers that question attached to the graphics, stand back because you might see a mighty long thread with a little nastiness involved. Best suggestion, don’t do it, keep the peace. If I see a graphics file, I am tempted to answer it just to thumb my nose at some. Ah well, don’t do it! Stephen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh my goodness….what have I started? I bought the rhyzome from Dragon Agro at the the NYC Show. The plant is doing well in the pot for now. Do I have to worry about the plant police coming through the door? I guess I’ve read too many Orchid novels. Gene
Response:
Now if you really want to see some fireworks, post a full blown graphic file with a question to this newsgroup. If I or someone else answers that question attached to the graphics, stand back because you might see a mighty long thread with a little nastiness involved. Best suggestion, don’t do it, keep the peace. If I see a graphics file, I am tempted to answer it just to thumb my nose at some. Ah well, don’t do it! Stephen
LOL!
Response:
| Now if you really want to see some fireworks, post a full blown graphic file | with a question to this newsgroup. If I or someone else answers that | question attached to the graphics, stand back because you might see a mighty | long thread with a little nastiness involved. Best suggestion, don’t do it, | keep the peace. If I see a graphics file, I am tempted to answer it just to | thumb my nose at some. Ah well, don’t do it! | Stephen | | | | LOL! Hello Howard, Speaking of graphics, when are we going to see some pics of your basement & orchids? Stephen is like a breath of fresh air in our News Group. Cheers Wendy
Response:
Well close. It will be Orchid Police in a sense, but they will come late at night in black cars , black suits, bad haircuts and sun glasses (explains why they drive badly ay night). The really bent ones will be wearing Cattleya corsages !!! They know what the orchids are up to and what they want and why they are here. They know they orchids are the ones really in charge not us. (If you can find an out of print copy, read The Pollinators of Eden). Back to the Salem Cyp Trials. Its great these things get started. This is one of the few, extremely few news groups where you can debate and have strong opinions without the seven word syoucan’t say on TV coming into to place. The real issue is that everyone in this Cyp debate does care. Its just we all have differring opinions about how to care. The info Arron provides is priceless , he obviously has contacts and resources many of us do not and I firmly stand with him in trying to stop places like Lowes. However I am also with Bob. When I see a Spring Wildflower display in dissarray and packets lying on the floor to be stepped on, I consider buying them a rescue effort. I respect that Arron disagrees but at that moment I prefer to save that plant. That not withstanding, next year when I know to expect it I will use Arron’s info about the guy selling to Lowe’s and try to get one of the 4 local consumer news reporters interested. (Lowes advertises a lot so it may not go as easy as it sounds). I have recycled dogs, cats, horses. (Even my girlfriened was previously married, nah better stop with the dogs, cats , horses or I’ll be recycled) so to me despite what I feel about the people selling the Acaules ,at that point I consider myself rescuing them.They will either die in Harry Homeowner’s garden or at least have a chance with me since I have resources like you folks to help me grow and cultivate them properly. And if I think I have found a good grower and it turns out Arron or someone else can prove to me different, I want to know. But again, we need to have a criteria for what is illegitimate and these discussions/debates how iron that out. Progagation existed long before we had flasks and tissue culture and used to simply refer to something as simple as a cutting of another plant being rooted. So if someone legaly obtains a plant(s) with a CITES permit (from a construction site for instance),plants them in a bed and sells cuttings, to me that is a propagated plant. Clearly my Acaules from Frasier (with CITES) appear to possiblybe from beds. By the same token, just because the law does allow something does not in all cases make it ethical. For example the baby seal hunts are legal and then there is the "legal" hunting of whales Japan does under a loophole about scientic investigation. Again, these debates at least help people sort these things out , even if we do not all arrive at the same conclusion. Anyway as long as its civil, we should keep up this and other discussions. The product of these debates should be of course how we can use our resources to help get the bad characters out of buisiness and how to possibly help others in the group with the same dilemmas. I popped over to rec.gardens.roses the other day and their was some language between a couple of folks that would do a scifi or wrestling newsgroup proud (so I’ve heard). So we do well I think. Lastly, I am not responsible for what I have typed, the big Paph from the Christmas auction controls everything I think and say. Its big and very powerful. Send the orchid police before it too late . Glenn
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Oh my goodness….what have I started? I bought the rhyzome from Dragon Agro at the the NYC Show. The plant is doing well in the pot for now. Do I have to worry about the plant police coming through the door? I guess I’ve read too many Orchid novels. Gene
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So, hey- no airtight case, but this isn’t court. This is for people who want to make purchases based on the integrity of the dealer, which doesn’t seem to matter much these days anyway.
You’re making it a court of public opinion with your statements, so I ask you to be careful. Integrity does matter to a lot of us, but integrity does not have to do with what others say or do, it has to do with how we handle matters ourselves, publicly and privately. What you are affecting is reputation, which is often beyond the control of the individual but rather more in the control of those who wish to affect it. Just about zero, as Vietnam isn’t recognized for valid CITES export permits- but you know this, of course.
Actually, I have made enquiries of USF&WL regarding this, and they say that CITES II permits from Vietnam are valid. It’s already illegal to export these plants from Vietnam. Besides, people are tired of the howling and whining (mine in particular, I’m sure), and none of it does any good.
I disagree, specific statement of fact with basis to prove fact can do a lot of good, at the least raising awareness, and with regard to the authorities ability to enforce the laws. If that was me and my reference to Dragon Agro, I stand by it. I don’t doubt they’re importing them legally in the sense that they have CITES permits.
Then if they are doing business legally please don’t make accusations that can affect their livelihood! If you don’t like the laws or their implimenation fight them. I challenge the validity of the permits issued by the country of origin, in the same way that export permits from Peru, Mexico, and Vietnam are suspect. Peter O’Byrne (who used to be inside the CITES permitting system in that part of the world) notes that Vietnam, Malaysia, Papau New Guinea, China, Laos, and Brunei have banned export of ALL orchids. I probably missed a few countries in there. So if China doesn’t produce the export permits, they are being brought in illegally. Importers know they’re breaking the law bringing in wild-collected plants from Mexico, but it happens all the time. It’s also recognized inside the cypripedium trade that the species imported from China are wild-collected, and brought in with forged permits.
Suspect is used a lot here. If you know this to be fact, then you should be "howling and whining" to USF&WL. They will stop any plants accompanied by paperwork that is invalid in any way, most people "howl and whine" that they are too eager to do this. But again, if you make enquiries of them, I think you’ll find that they are staying as on top of these things as possible, and would welcome any hard evidence of illegality. That is something you could do that would make a difference, but your going to need more evidence than Peter O’Byrne’s saying its so. I have heard it bandied about that Vietnam bans all export of indigenous orchids by law, but when I asked USF&WL about this and why they were accepting CITES II they said they were aware of no such bans. If such exists in Vietnamese law, document it and present it to us and USF&WL, and something would be accomplished, by fact, not suspicion. I’d have trouble believing that you’d consider theft of plants from your propery and theft from plants in, say, North Dakota as being equivalent crimes. So would I, since North Dakota sucks, and I’m sure your back 40 is much better in all regards.
Again, you’re jumping to huge conclusions here Aaron, and I hope only in jest. I’ve learned long ago that I am not God, and as such am not entitled to make such value judgements. That’s not hypocrisy, that’s just being practical. No flames meant, Bob.
None taken. The interesting thing is my comments, with the possible exception of the one regarding the dealer (I honestly did not remember who made it) certainly weren’t aimed at you, but at provoking thought in the wider audience of this forum. As you probably know, we pretty much agree, I sell nothing but art prop and probably do more CITES I art prop than anyone in this hemisphere. I question the "facts" that get bandied about, especially when they can harm people. In the last few years I’ve seen far more of these "facts" turn out to be false than true, while flagrant violations are right in front of us and go unmentioned. It is, however, your free will and right to choose your battles, and I do applaud that you choose to do battle. It is my choice, and this is the last I will harp on this on this soapbox (and you all know Mick keeps track of these promises with more tenacity than a junkyard dog), to encourage people to consider a bigger backyard. Regards, Bob
Response:
A question I have yet seen answered is, what is a "LEGITIMATE" source? That seems to be what most of this discussion, and the previous ones on the acaule, boils down to. If the plant is scarce or endangered, should it be from someone who only grows plants from seed or culture or someone who has met the "legal" requirements to sell that plant? If the law says it’s OK to collect a plant (under certain conditions) and sell it, then why should that be looked upon as an "illegitimate" source? There’s a lot of talk about plants being imported that are suppose to be restricted or plants that were "probably" taken from the wild since there are very few in commercial cultivation. I guess everyone has their own standards on what they consider legal. I agree that not all dealers are nice characters and some have a shady past, but to me, if a dealer has the valid permits/licence to sell a plant that can be legally offered for sale, then they have a legitimate right to do so. If I later buy this particular plant, it then becomes my legal property to do with as the law allows. That’s it, period. Some or all of a retailers permits/certificates/licenses may be "legit" (as in not forged or got through bribery) or they may not be legit, but at some point my personal accountability has to stop. As a hobbiest and amateur, how am I to know if a signature is forged or a permit is valid? Now, there is also an issue of morals and ethics with endangered/scarce plants (as well as animals, the environment, to posterity and a litany of others), but we are only talking about legality here. If a legally licensed retailer is selling a legally available plant and has the required paperwork to do so, then any sale he makes to me is legitimate. Bob C.
Response:
I really don’t think anything that has been said is going to change anyone’s mind. If the orchid in question is one someone wants, do we really ask ourselves if it has entered the country legally? I really doubt it, it is more likely we ask ourselves if we want to pay the price that is being asked, can we meet its needs, etc, etc. It would be ideal if all species orchids entered this or any other country via flasked plants only. Is this likely to happen in the near future? Very doubtful. I would be extremely surprised if the legally collected orchids out weighed the illegal ones. Who knows or cares what is happening thousands of miles away. Sod you, I’m fine. Bottomline is we are all hypocrites about something. What’s in it for me? I stated my case over it being hypocritical to care more about local orchids than tropical ones. I got slapped down for even suggesting it might be true. Such is life. Trouble is most people don’t know or care when they are being hypocritical. It is ironic in recent months that California has admitted it needs more electrical generating plants, everyone is saying yes we do, but you ain’t building the damn thing in my backyard. Put it in Northern California, put it in Southern California, better yet put it in Nevada or Arizona, just get me cheap electricity and keep the damn plant away from me. Human nature at its finest. Although I feel sorry for Californians and their electrical woes, better them than me. God, what a hypocrite! You know Aaron, their are many people who say New Mexico is a suck ass state and only sun fried simpletons live there. There are others who love North Dakota and freezing their butt off in winter. Go figure!! Stephen
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Bob spaketh thusly: But there was tremendous condemnation of the sale of collected Cyp acaule, and lots of supposition of illegal collection with no real facts to support it. Things like they claim 400 acres but their nursery licence was for .4 acres don’t cut it, my greenhouses sit on a 600 acre parcel (with Cyp acaule as a matter of fact) but our nursery, that which is greenhouse, is registered in the 10-20,000 square foot category if you check the book. Well, hey, Bob; I don’t say that alone cuts it, either. But you don’t have a conviction in federal court for conspiracy to violate the Lacey act, unlike Minton. You’re not in the business of smuggling plants out of the country, don’t have a criminal record of doing so. He does. There are also issues surrounding whether or not he even has the permits to collect from his own property and sell the plants, which are evidently required in North Carolina. So, hey- no airtight case, but this isn’t court. This is for people who want to make purchases based on the integrity of the dealer, which doesn’t seem to matter much these days anyway. Shortly after that someone posts about all the great bare root plants from Vietnam that were at some sales event. What do you suppose the odds are that they were "legit" by your standards? Just about zero, as Vietnam isn’t recognized for valid CITES export permits- but you know this, of course. Boy, was I waiting for him to get creamed, bare root Vietnamese plants – but not a single response! It’s already illegal to export these plants from Vietnam. Besides, people are tired of the howling and whining (mine in particular, I’m sure), and none of it does any good. Then the post regarding Cyp tibeticum, and the follow up that correctly stated that the plants were probably collected and were difficult to establish and grow (and again I am quite sure of the nursery where this was purchased, and know them well enough to be very certain these plants were imported legally, although there was an attempt by innuendo again a few months ago to insinuate that all these folks sold was suspect because they handled Cyps). If that was me and my reference to Dragon Agro, I stand by it. I don’t doubt they’re importing them legally in the sense that they have CITES permits. I challenge the validity of the permits issued by the country of origin, in the same way that export permits from Peru, Mexico, and Vietnam are suspect. Peter O’Byrne (who used to be inside the CITES permitting system in that part of the world) notes that Vietnam, Malaysia, Papau New Guinea, China, Laos, and Brunei have banned export of ALL orchids. I probably missed a few countries in there. So if China doesn’t produce the export permits, they are being brought in illegally. Importers know they’re breaking the law bringing in wild-collected plants from Mexico, but it happens all the time. It’s also recognized inside the cypripedium trade that the species imported from China are wild-collected, and brought in with forged permits. If it keeps up, we’ll have the entire genus cypripedium covered under CITES Appendix I, which won’t help anyone. If that’s what the growers really want, they’ll get it- which is unfortunate. Cypripediums aren’t well-known in cultivation, and the availability of these plants is primed to explode within the next few years. But orchid growers are impatient, and want the plants for the next season- so they’ll buy what they want, regardless of the source. Many of the species selling for $60-80 per division will be given away free in every boxe of Cracker Jack before long, but until then, the commotion has likely lead to the extirpation of several varieties, and perhaps entire species. We’ll never see Cypripedium macranthos ssp kaminashi in cultivation, which really is a tragedy. I’m just asking for a little consideration, Bob. I’ll howl and whine about American orchids being harvested from the wild more than the ones in Vietnam because _more can be done_ when the plants are taken locally. If you wish to call it hypocrisy, I’ll call it practicality. I’ve not tried, but calling up the Chinese embassy and asking them do tighten down and make sure their CITES export permits are in order isn’t going to fly too well right now. But calling Lowe’s and letting them know one of their suppliers has a federal conviction for issues concerning the sale of illegally-collected wild plants- THAT has an effect. I’d have trouble believing that you’d consider theft of plants from your propery and theft from plants in, say, North Dakota as being equivalent crimes. So would I, since North Dakota sucks, and I’m sure your back 40 is much better in all regards. That’s not hypocrisy, that’s just being practical. No flames meant, Bob. -AJHicks Chandler, AZ
Response:
Bob spaketh thusly: But there was tremendous condemnation of the sale of collected Cyp acaule, and lots of supposition of illegal collection with no real facts to support it. Things like they claim 400 acres but their nursery licence was for .4 acres don’t cut it, my greenhouses sit on a 600 acre parcel (with Cyp acaule as a matter of fact) but our nursery, that which is greenhouse, is registered in the 10-20,000 square foot category if you check the book.
Well, hey, Bob; I don’t say that alone cuts it, either. But you don’t have a conviction in federal court for conspiracy to violate the Lacey act, unlike Minton. You’re not in the business of smuggling plants out of the country, don’t have a criminal record of doing so. He does. There are also issues surrounding whether or not he even has the permits to collect from his own property and sell the plants, which are evidently required in North Carolina. So, hey- no airtight case, but this isn’t court. This is for people who want to make purchases based on the integrity of the dealer, which doesn’t seem to matter much these days anyway. Shortly after that someone posts about all the great bare root plants from Vietnam that were at some sales event. What do you suppose the odds are that they were "legit" by your standards?
Just about zero, as Vietnam isn’t recognized for valid CITES export permits- but you know this, of course. Boy, was I waiting for him to get creamed, bare root Vietnamese plants – but not a single response!
It’s already illegal to export these plants from Vietnam. Besides, people are tired of the howling and whining (mine in particular, I’m sure), and none of it does any good. Then the post regarding Cyp tibeticum, and the follow up that correctly stated that the plants were probably collected and were difficult to establish and grow (and again I am quite sure of the nursery where this was purchased, and know them well enough to be very certain these plants were imported legally, although there was an attempt by innuendo again a few months ago to insinuate that all these folks sold was suspect because they handled Cyps).
If that was me and my reference to Dragon Agro, I stand by it. I don’t doubt they’re importing them legally in the sense that they have CITES permits. I challenge the validity of the permits issued by the country of origin, in the same way that export permits from Peru, Mexico, and Vietnam are suspect. Peter O’Byrne (who used to be inside the CITES permitting system in that part of the world) notes that Vietnam, Malaysia, Papau New Guinea, China, Laos, and Brunei have banned export of ALL orchids. I probably missed a few countries in there. So if China doesn’t produce the export permits, they are being brought in illegally. Importers know they’re breaking the law bringing in wild-collected plants from Mexico, but it happens all the time. It’s also recognized inside the cypripedium trade that the species imported from China are wild-collected, and brought in with forged permits. If it keeps up, we’ll have the entire genus cypripedium covered under CITES Appendix I, which won’t help anyone. If that’s what the growers really want, they’ll get it- which is unfortunate. Cypripediums aren’t well-known in cultivation, and the availability of these plants is primed to explode within the next few years. But orchid growers are impatient, and want the plants for the next season- so they’ll buy what they want, regardless of the source. Many of the species selling for $60-80 per division will be given away free in every boxe of Cracker Jack before long, but until then, the commotion has likely lead to the extirpation of several varieties, and perhaps entire species. We’ll never see Cypripedium macranthos ssp kaminashi in cultivation, which really is a tragedy. I’m just asking for a little consideration, Bob. I’ll howl and whine about American orchids being harvested from the wild more than the ones in Vietnam because _more can be done_ when the plants are taken locally. If you wish to call it hypocrisy, I’ll call it practicality. I’ve not tried, but calling up the Chinese embassy and asking them do tighten down and make sure their CITES export permits are in order isn’t going to fly too well right now. But calling Lowe’s and letting them know one of their suppliers has a federal conviction for issues concerning the sale of illegally-collected wild plants- THAT has an effect. I’d have trouble believing that you’d consider theft of plants from your propery and theft from plants in, say, North Dakota as being equivalent crimes. So would I, since North Dakota sucks, and I’m sure your back 40 is much better in all regards. That’s not hypocrisy, that’s just being practical. No flames meant, Bob. -AJHicks Chandler, AZ
Response:
but as you noted, it’s simple enough to see which species they offer as propagules in flask and as seedlings to at least get a sense that they’re legit. It’s even easier to ask a few key questions, and see if they use a trowel or a flask as their source.
There are a couple of different things going on here, but your statement above illustrates the point I tried earlier to make that we only care if they are collected in our own back yard. You equate legitimate with propagated in a lab, and illegimate with collected ("use a trowel"). This is fine, and I in fact mostly agree in principle and practice. However, it is perfectly legal to collect Cyp. acaule from your own land or with permission from anothers private land in my State and sell it if you are a nursery operator, so a trowel is also legitimate. But there was tremendous condemnation of the sale of collected Cyp acaule, and lots of supposition of illegal collection with no real facts to support it. Things like they claim 400 acres but their nursery licence was for .4 acres don’t cut it, my greenhouses sit on a 600 acre parcel (with Cyp acaule as a matter of fact) but our nursery, that which is greenhouse, is registered in the 10-20,000 square foot category if you check the book. Again, I’m not defending the people that were selling to Lowe’s, just pointing out that the outrage was really over the fact they were collected instead of lab propagated, and we try to make ourselves feel more righteous by trying to convict the seller of illegal collection by innuendo. Shortly after that someone posts about all the great bare root plants from Vietnam that were at some sales event. What do you suppose the odds are that they were "legit" by your standards? Boy, was I waiting for him to get creamed, bare root Vietnamese plants – but not a single response! Then the post regarding Cyp tibeticum, and the follow up that correctly stated that the plants were probably collected and were difficult to establish and grow (and again I am quite sure of the nursery where this was purchased, and know them well enough to be very certain these plants were imported legally, although there was an attempt by innuendo again a few months ago to insinuate that all these folks sold was suspect because they handled Cyps). Well, by the same reasoning, I was waiting for the outrage that these difficult to grow collected Cyps (boy sounds just like acaule, doesn’t it?) were being sold, and saw none. That was I believe Good Friday, and I waited til the day after Easter for the outrage to build, even though it was swift over Cyp acaule; this was a weekend when maybe folks were just not at their computers. But, when nothing was said, on monday I pointed out that maybe Stephen was right, we only care about collection when its in our own back yards. It would really appear that he is correct. I voiced the same opinion a year or two ago on one of these forums, and got about the same response that Stephen did, righteous indignation and denial. But if you follow the types of response created on these issues, in my opinion it really supports that we are quite hypocritical regarding these issues. I don’t exempt myself, I feel the same visceral response, but I really think we should try to open our eyes. Regards, Bob
Response:
Question:
The early bird gets the worm, can’t be any earlier than the First Rays of the morning! ) Stephen Oh, I don’t know, Pam. If you "sprint with your newly-potted plant, the snails couldn’t catch up! — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stacy, Excuse the error in the second paragraph. I meant "sprinkle", but somehow I undid and combined what I was editing. The product "That’s It" I purchased at the Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Show from a grower, who said that the tiny snails were brought-in from Hawaii and that this product works for eliminating these pests. . . . Pam Stacy, Remove the plant from the soil. Then dip the plant portion in Safer insecticide in the event there are other types of critters. Next repot in fresh, uncontaminated soil. You could also sprint the the newly potted plant with That’s It to prevent any microscopic embryos from affecting your plant. Good luck. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
Oh, I don’t know, Pam. If you "sprint with your newly-potted plant, the snails couldn’t catch up! — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stacy, Excuse the error in the second paragraph. I meant "sprinkle", but somehow I undid and combined what I was editing. The product "That’s It" I purchased at the Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Show from a grower, who said that the tiny snails were brought-in from Hawaii and that this product works for eliminating these pests. . . . Pam Stacy, Remove the plant from the soil. Then dip the plant portion in Safer insecticide in the event there are other types of critters. Next repot in fresh, uncontaminated soil. You could also sprint the the newly potted plant with That’s It to prevent any microscopic embryos from affecting your plant. Good luck. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
Stacy, Excuse the error in the second paragraph. I meant "sprinkle", but somehow I undid and combined what I was editing. The product "That’s It" I purchased at the Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Show from a grower, who said that the tiny snails were brought-in from Hawaii and that this product works for eliminating these pests. . . . Pam – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Stacy, Remove the plant from the soil. Then dip the plant portion in Safer insecticide in the event there are other types of critters. Next repot in fresh, uncontaminated soil. You could also sprint the the newly potted plant with That’s It to prevent any microscopic embryos from affecting your plant. Good luck. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
Beat you to it, did I, Stephen? — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – The early bird gets the worm, can’t be any earlier than the First Rays of the morning! ) Stephen Oh, I don’t know, Pam. If you "sprint with your newly-potted plant, the snails couldn’t catch up! — Ray Barkalow –<– First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info Stacy, Excuse the error in the second paragraph. I meant "sprinkle", but somehow I undid and combined what I was editing. The product "That’s It" I purchased at the Riverside-San Bernardino Counties Orchid Show from a grower, who said that the tiny snails were brought-in from Hawaii and that this product works for eliminating these pests. . . . Pam Stacy, Remove the plant from the soil. Then dip the plant portion in Safer insecticide in the event there are other types of critters. Next repot in fresh, uncontaminated soil. You could also sprint the the newly potted plant with That’s It to prevent any microscopic embryos from affecting your plant. Good luck. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
Stacy, Remove the plant from the soil. Then dip the plant portion in Safer insecticide in the event there are other types of critters. Next repot in fresh, uncontaminated soil. You could also sprint the the newly potted plant with That’s It to prevent any microscopic embryos from affecting your plant. Good luck. . . . Pam Everything Orchid Management System http://www.pe.net/~profpam/page3.html – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
Stacy, In your opinion are these the regular snails that we all know about or are these really small snails we sometimes see in potting mixes? If they are the really small types then I think the neem oil should do it. — Matthew Swift Swift’s Orchids 6658 Carnelian St. Rancho Cucamonga, CA 91701 Phone/Fax 909-483-5590 http://www.swiftsorchids.com
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
When you repot, totally clean off all of the old medium, rinse the roots well under running water, and you should be okay. If you aren’t scrupulous about cleaning off the old medium, it may harbor snail eggs that will hatch and you’ll see the snails "return" in a few months. This has been effective for me in eradicating these vermin that are (in my experience) very commonly found in bark-based media. I’ve found that using a variety of snail baits, neem, etc., never eradicates them all if the plant is not repotted and all old medium removed.
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I bought a Bc./C. hybrid (I don’t have the tag with me) at a Garden show this weekend, unfortunately I was also moving this weekend so this plant didn’t get a very good inspection when I brought it home. As I was watering this morning I noticed several tiny snails come to the surface. I was in a hurry so I just gave it a good soaking with a neem oil solution and left it out on the deck. Obviously I will be repotting this one as soon as I get home tonight, but are there suggestions on how to make sure the little buggers are taken care of? This plant hasn’t been near any of my other orchids, so I don’t have to worry about it contaminating anything else. Also, I only have neem oil for any kind of insecticide/fungicide/snail-cide. I have been fortunate that I haven’t had any pest problems before. Should I be getting a slug/snail killer just for this one little plant or will repotting be enough? Thanks for your help! Stacy
Response:
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