the ultimate (?) plant thread

[deranged chipmunk]

who was it that asked me about growing orchids without fertilizer??? i remember someone asking me and i forgot who it was. sorry, i'm old. LOL

[arielgasca420]

who was it that asked me about growing orchids without fertilizer??? i remember someone asking me and i forgot who it was. sorry, i'm old. LOL

That was me Bill. I have two orchids right now and I dont like using fertilizer on any of my plants (mainly because I am highly allergic). I was wondering if there is any other way to encourage blooms or if a new stalk will pop up again on its own.

[deranged chipmunk]

there's really no way to force it. but, an option you have is to get some quality growing media from the hydro store, a small bag will be sufficient, and boil some media in water (i suggest doing this outside on a gas grill if available, guano and castings stink to high heaven when boiled) and make a tea from it. you can then put that in a spray bottle, or use it to water them with. it will be very diluted and it may not trigger your allergy. plus, it would be all organic. something i think all of us in this thread appreciate

[deranged chipmunk]

ok, so i want to bring up an interesting subject about plants. how do you prepare your plants for planting? do you wash? bleach bath? grow out? ect. oh....and here's the kicker, why do you do what you do? i am curious to see what others do and why they do what they do.

[UncleChester]

ok, so i want to bring up an interesting subject about plants. how do you prepare your plants for planting? do you wash? bleach bath? grow out? ect. oh....and here's the kicker, why do you do what you do? i am curious to see what others do and why they do what they do.

Any new plants get their potting soil removed and rinsed several times with water. I'm more paranoid about removing any perlite from the roots than soil. They are then repotted in a frog friendly mixture until I get around to putting them in a tank. Being cheap, most of the plants I buy are discount purchases- end of the year sales or 'root bound' specials, so I almost never have an immediate plan for them but I consider them ready to use after the rinsing.

I don't bother with bleach, but if I have any reason to suspect a pest infestation they get a rub down with isopropyl alcohol or dipped in a mild soap bath, then rinsed again thoroughly with water. Possibly quarantined in their own empty tank to make sure nothing crawling ends up multiplying.