Hi Rick, carefully listened to your video again and understood that the explanation of the calcium absorption is that you have two different forms, one being absorbed immediately and the other breaking down over time, with a variance in the absorption rates according to the PH level of the area around the pots. So, in essence the orchids which love calcium get it two ways. And this is the result of healthy happy and thriving plants. And according to you, with your experience they just seem to never get enough calcium. Is that correct? Thanks for all your replays, Rita
......a perfect explanation!........from the bottom of my heart thank you.......yes.......its not that they never get enough.......but we need to keep it in the pots and all around them.....so they can absorb it when ever they need it.......and they can take as much or as little as they want......
hi Rick whats the myth in getting flowers in onsodium shery baby ? Do i need to sttop watering abd feeding when spike emarge ?Oeople in thailand dies like this and they sake ppant too shabby / Rinkle but a lot of bloom !! Does it make sens to you ?? Can i mix Cal nitt with Cal Mag ??
no myth with Shery Baby...…..I feed them strong when they have spikes and flowers....nutrient's will make the spike bigger, more bloom's, bigger flowers, and last longer.....don't mix calnit and calmag...….keep them separate if you can.
Rick L. Orchids Thanks !! Loved your reply !! Sound logical !! But Do you always use better growc20-14-13 ?? I never saw less jack's and better growc29/14/13 you use any others !! What about bloom ? whichbare the fertiluser you use for gloomnand when ? all along when budding and fliwering ? or just before / during its bud period ?? Thanks for great teaching !!
Thanks so much my friend. You explain everything so well. Now I'm going to look for garden lime. I have thought about that before but was afraid to add it because I didn't know really what it did. Thanks for explaining that. Best wishes.
speaking about fauna...I watch Amy (Orchid Whisperer), and some of my plants are in moss, as well as in inert ingredients. Amy has talked a bit about how important it is to transfer water (from her water culture orchids), when she feeds, and also about some white molds that occasionally grows in her moss orchids. She mentions about not fretting when it's white(mold) and that it is useful and even helpful to the plant to keep this stuff alive and thriving! I have found this to be true for my plants in moss(New Zealand only), and I try to keep my moss sprouting as well...Is this some of the fauna you are maybe speaking about? My plants are healthy and growing nicely with both your and Amy's advice. I have started sprinkling the garden lime on my orchids in inert media(yesterday). I'm going to try it on one or two of my moss orchids! I can't wait!! Lots of Love to you and your family.
No waaaaaaayy the coincidence on this one!! I am a structural engineer that grows orchid too and so is my professor at uni. haha awesome stuff Rick. I guess engineers tend to like orchids. lol
Rick you are so sweet you commented on my comment. Trying the lime thing. My orchids are always stuck... nothing ever goes on. Switching to begonias. Would love to see you branch out lol. Have a great day!!! Enjoy those bird sounds.
The Orchid Whisperer comments about the Flora and fauna of the algae in her water culture orchid she always saves some of the old water to put back in with the new water. And I wish to thank you I have learned quite a bit even though I've been growing orchids for years you are expanding my mind.
......Amy is a wonderful teacher and a favorite of mine to watch......I learn something from every show of hers....she has a real growers heart......Thanks Victoria...
Hi Rick, I've learnt lots and love watching your videos. I added lime to a few of my Orchids today, and I'm looking forward to watching how they respond. Thanks for the info, Sylvia in Australia :)
Rick L., thank you, my friend, for your demonstration that so quickly answered my question! I thank you with humble gratitude and the biggest hug UA-cam can deliver. Thanks to you, my orchid children are responding to the foliar feed recipe you shared almost a month ago; they look amazing. An idea just struck me! I'm going to name my collection "Rick L. Orchids 2" or "R.L.O.2" to honor you...not just the orchids I now have but the suite as it grows. I hope this meets your approval. Thank you again, my friend. 🌱🌱🌱
your very kind....honored....knowing your orchids are growing better, and in turn will keep growing for you, and keep you in blooms for yrs to come........is more than enough thanks......thank you my friend.........hugs
Rick L., received MAXICROP SEAWEED LIQUID in the mail today! I was mistaken for someone who "looked like" an experienced orchid grower in LOWE'S Sunday. (Yes, I chuckled, too!) Picture this; a gentleman employee of a local television station was looking at orchid bag babies in a box next to the box I was inspecting. The man asked me if I had any success growing any of these [bag babies], I told him I gradually stopped slaughtering orchids only after I started following immediately your channel on UA-cam and Amy's, the Orchid Whisperer. I took out my SMART phone and showed him both channels on UA-cam. So, there you go! Your passion to grow a type of flower you never grew before 2015 has grown steadily across states and continents, friend. Thank you for everything, and I hope Robert joins your subscription list soon. Love to you and "Camera Girl." Keep growing strong orchids.
Hi again, Rick. I am so encouraged by your latest finding. I bought some lime last night after watching your latest video. You did say that the lime wouldn't stay on your mounts and I thought I might make the lime into powder by grinding it in an old coffee grinder. I also could grind it in a mort and pestal making it a fine dust. This I think would work on the mounts after soaking, just dusting the powder on the mounts. What do you think? Take care, Rita.
......I understand the logic, and I like that ........I'm more afraid of the concentrations as things dry out....try it on a few mounts......and see how it works........the calmag is easy to spray them as well as soak them in.......
…..great questions...…..after I water, I sprinkle the garden lime around the pots.....it soaks up moisture and breaks down over several weeks...….then it provides a steady supply of calcium and magnesium....it will take several weeks for the results to show....
great question.........even more so than potted orchids........the pots usually keep more of a residual than a mount would.....this is where a liquid form of calcium ....like calmag ....really works well.......you can spray it or let them soak in it.... added to you nutrient mix.....I will continue to use calmag on my mounts ........great question.....
Good morning Rick. Sorry if this is the weirdest comment you get on your videos all week hehe . I'm sitting here eating oatmeal with chia seeds on it (they have 20 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium for humans). It is rare that I get to sit for breakfast or eat a relatively healthy breakfast. I was thinking about how if calcium can have such obvious positive effects on plants and play such a vital role, I should probably start taking care of myself better too 🌱 so I'm eating a Rick inspired meal that will hopefully make me healthier to grow healthy plants 🌸 hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay cool. It is so hot outside.
.......I will check out her shows.....I love her channel....Amy is a wonderful teacher........rain here as well.........they are loving it.......5 days in a row.....
Rick L. Orchids I know, she is the sweetest person, has such a nice voice and she loves her doggie and she lives in Tennessee (Knox) Yep more rain and it looks like you are getting some more. 🐸😊🌼🌼🐩
Hello dear friend, another awesome video! Wealth of knowledge! Question, I know you don’t have any slipper orchids but on the one I got, you think it would benefit it to use the lime as well? It’s growing a small new growth but it’s been very slow growing. Thought maybe that would be what it needs too.
.......as Cindy said....absolutely....many of the slipper orchids come from limestone cliffs, and live in a higher ph range........Ed"s Orchids... uses blood and bone as well as dolomite on his slippers.......they also have a bigger relationship with mycorrhizal fungi than other orchids......its one of the secrets for growing them from what I can tell.........www.researchgate.net/publication/266088280_Mycorrhiza_activity_in_lady-slipper_orchid_Cypripedium_calceolus_roots
Awesome! I watch Ed but I have a hard time grasping him, I’m not sure if it’s his accent, which I love to listen to him but I guess it just don’t sink in! I’m the same with Roger! Love to listen but some of it I can’t catch on lol I’m goofy! Appreciate your help though dearest! Also do you watch Danni? I think she just did a video on that not too long ago. I’ll have to go back. She bought some stuff that was supposed to be that fungi.
I was just going to mention egg shells, as I did this several months ago with my African violets and some of my orchids! I have to laugh because at the time, I was convinced that it helped. Especially on my African violets, as they grew like crazy a couple of weeks after application. They shot out bloom after bloom. Funny how we learn and go around eventually getting at the truth. HA HA, thanks again, Rick, I so appreciate your biological mind!
great question......if the plant is freshly potted....it will filter thru faster.......after a short time... roots start to fill the pots... and they hold even more back.....size of media is another factor.......smaller stone will block it from flowing thru so fast vs large stone......it dissolves very fast......
The bulk of all plant species have a bacterial or fungal relationship in some shape or form, it's a bit counterproductive to severe those bonds (even humans are crawling with micro life to let us digest and take up nutrients, about three pounds of our body is good bacteria ;-)
Rick, I believe another viewer asked this question as well. What is the difference between adding lime or dolomite to orchids? Check out a product - Biotech Lime with added Calcium and Magnesium. Suitable for orchids? (With vegetable gardening in earth boxes we add dolomite to the soil before planting.) Always enjoy your videos. Keep 'em coming.
Thanks once again for a great video. I have a question that's a little off topic. I'm new to orchids and when listening to different people some of the first few don't you hear are don't get the crown wet and don't water to often or they will rot. Most explain that Phal's grow inverted in trees and there for don't collect standing water in their crowns. Your plants seem to get as much water as a frog and are the strongest I've seen in my limited experience. I assume your roots don't rot because of the media but does air flow alone explain the crown health or is it the health of the plants resist rot? Do you know if plants in bark would respond similar to rock provided they were flushed and fed regularly or do they need to be dried out to prevent rot?
......excellent questions.......not poking at anyone......but...someone who says dont get the crown wet is just repeating orchid myths....and doesn't understand how nutrients work......lack of calcium in a orchid will cause the newest growths to die back.....new growth..........where does the new growth come from on a phal..........the center or crown!.......if you keep them sufficiently supplied with calcium.......the crown wont have issues..........in nature they get rained on.....they get water driven onto the crown all the time.....but in nature, attached to a living tree......they get calcium supplied to them all the time.....the same thing for roots......die back of root tips is either salt build up.....or calcium stopped flowing.....from either low ph or lack of Calcium given....once you understand how the nutrients work .......diagnosing is much easier, ....Calcium builds cell walls, structure of the plant....it allows them to grow........you can grow them in bark, rock, lava, or on a brick even....if you control the nutrients for them.......media is just a tool........every single media works........some better than others.....
I use dolomitic lime with my orchids. They are all in inert media and I use just a big pinch per pot once a month. They also get a weak liquid CaMgN supplement once or twice a week, and they have Nutricote in the pots as well. However, the pelleted lime dissolves as soon as you get it wet, so it will wash out of the pot pretty quickly in your coarse medium. My media are for the most part acidic so I'm not worried about absorbing the CaMg from the dolomite. I've only been using it for a few months, but so far I've had no adverse effects so I will keep using it :)
I live in Michigan and my orchids and African violets are beautiful all in indoors grow lights some are in straight water some bark some in moss there not that fussy when I lived in Florida they all died lol thanks for the tips
Interesting. I live in Florida and found that orchids indoors looking much better than the ones put outdoors here all year round. Strange because the climate should be exactly what they need. However, I am having a hard time keeping them alive
.....not sure Stacey.........came off the brick around my grill........I just gently pealed it off....and placed it in the pot........it has spread since then......
Rick, did you ever have to account for the curve of the earth in your old career? I watch you all the time and I've heard you mention that you built buildings. Just wondering if you ever had to account for the curve in the earth...
..lol....only once.........and never had it brought up till now.......was a federal job......runways for airport....very interesting...may I ask what you do for a living...?.....
Yea of course! Nothing as interesting as what you were doing though lol. I build stage setups for concerts and events. I'm actually setting up for the PGA Tour right now. The reason I asked that question is for a friend who is into Flat Earth. He claims that the earth isn't actually a ball and it is like they say in the Bible and its flat like a dinner plate. He sometimes makes a little sense and I wanted to ask someone that might know about building structures and things of that nature. How did you take in the curvature? Do you happen to remember the formula?
You're almost at 5k subs!! congratulations Rick, awesome personality and great information for nutrition. When I get home from this work detail I'm going to try Lava Rock and see how my Phal (Gracie May) likes it. Shes in water culture right now but she's not doing well actually. I've started using CalMag BC of your advice, and now I'm going to try the garden lime and see how my Orchids do with it. you're a wealth of info also Rick and I appreciate you.
I grow in leca, how would I apply this nutrient? After a plain flush? Or after my weakly weekly or all on own? Thx for all your shared growing knowledge 😃👍
.......Ill be honest......Ive never used it with lecca, hydroton, etc.....Im afraid it may absorb to much into the pellets....they have a tendency to hold onto salts, etc.....just use caution......try it on a few at first to see how they do,,.....
You can grow water in the desert! I wish I understood all the chemistry and all the numbers it goes right over my head. it's a good thing you're my friend, and I get personal information. This old lady didn't learn it when I was in school at 64 my brain isn't going to start working any different 👉👵👈💙
I'm in the same boat, all the calculations of this n that..Oh My.. Would you be willing to send us in the direction of a very simple video that explains the basics. I realize you tell us what the levels should read, but...Maybe a video for Dummies 🤪 LOL
Libby's Little Garden. Hi Libby hope all is well...I found this video helped my brain (older than yours.😀)understand the math. It is the one... (Folliar feed,soaking nutrients)... Helped me understand the math as each was added. Now if I could remember stuff had to go back and look at title again..lol
Libby's Little Garden. I know the feeling. I think if I write down what measure he is using and do it I will remember. I always do better with hands on. That's what I do when sewing once I make the quilt square. I GOT IT...unless I stop and resume....then I have to watch again to refresh my memory...LOL on me.❤🐩😊
Hi Rick, carefully listened to your video again and understood that the explanation of the calcium absorption is that you have two different forms, one being absorbed immediately and the other breaking down over time, with a variance in the absorption rates according to the PH level of the area around the pots. So, in essence the orchids which love calcium get it two ways. And this is the result of healthy happy and thriving plants. And according to you, with your experience they just seem to never get enough calcium. Is that correct? Thanks for all your replays, Rita
......a perfect explanation!........from the bottom of my heart thank you.......yes.......its not that they never get enough.......but we need to keep it in the pots and all around them.....so they can absorb it when ever they need it.......and they can take as much or as little as they want......
Thanks Rick for showing this garden lime adding to the Orchids.it's a big help.
Love this video too Rick! I also like reading the comments.....learning so much. Thanks again.
........thank you......I agree......comments are the best, and so much info in these.......
Great, informative video Rick. Thank you for talking about the microbial process, helps it all make more sense to me!
Thanks Ricky for showing how you use the garden lime👍😊
......was easier than typing it 400 times..lol......and a visual is so much better........thanks Chris.
Hi Rick 😊love the brick pot" everything so green and beautiful! 👍
thank you my dear friend........
hi Rick
whats the myth in getting flowers in onsodium shery baby ?
Do i need to sttop watering abd feeding when spike emarge ?Oeople in thailand dies like this and they sake ppant too shabby / Rinkle but a lot of bloom !!
Does it make sens to you ??
Can i mix Cal nitt with Cal Mag ??
no myth with Shery Baby...…..I feed them strong when they have spikes and flowers....nutrient's will make the spike bigger, more bloom's, bigger flowers, and last longer.....don't mix calnit and calmag...….keep them separate if you can.
Rick L. Orchids Thanks !! Loved your reply !! Sound logical !!
But Do you always use better growc20-14-13 ?? I never saw less jack's and better growc29/14/13 you use any others !!
What about bloom ? whichbare the fertiluser you use for gloomnand when ? all along when budding and fliwering ? or just before / during its bud period ??
Thanks for great teaching !!
Great explanation Rick! Thanks for sharing it with us.
thanks Brad........
Thanks so much my friend. You explain everything so well. Now I'm going to look for garden lime. I have thought about that before but was afraid to add it because I didn't know really what it did. Thanks for explaining that. Best wishes.
thank you Susan......was thinking the same........very pleased with the results........
Little lightbulb comes on every video, every video, Rick!
speaking about fauna...I watch Amy (Orchid Whisperer), and some of my plants are in moss, as well as in inert ingredients. Amy has talked a bit about how important it is to transfer water (from her water culture orchids), when she feeds, and also about some white molds that occasionally grows in her moss orchids. She mentions about not fretting when it's white(mold) and that it is useful and even helpful to the plant to keep this stuff alive and thriving! I have found this to be true for my plants in moss(New Zealand only), and I try to keep my moss sprouting as well...Is this some of the fauna you are maybe speaking about? My plants are healthy and growing nicely with both your and Amy's advice. I have started sprinkling the garden lime on my orchids in inert media(yesterday). I'm going to try it on one or two of my moss orchids! I can't wait!! Lots of Love to you and your family.
....Amy shows some wonderful examples of why that fauna is so important...
No waaaaaaayy the coincidence on this one!! I am a structural engineer that grows orchid too and so is my professor at uni. haha awesome stuff Rick. I guess engineers tend to like orchids. lol
heh heh heh............we like a challenge, and knowing the "why"........wonderful!
yes indeed! :D
Rick you are so sweet you commented on my comment. Trying the lime thing. My orchids are always stuck... nothing ever goes on. Switching to begonias. Would love to see you branch out lol.
Have a great day!!! Enjoy those bird sounds.
.....thanks Cindy.....I love begonias......just none this year.......who knows?
The Orchid Whisperer comments about the Flora and fauna of the algae in her water culture orchid she always saves some of the old water to put back in with the new water. And I wish to thank you I have learned quite a bit even though I've been growing orchids for years you are expanding my mind.
......Amy is a wonderful teacher and a favorite of mine to watch......I learn something from every show of hers....she has a real growers heart......Thanks Victoria...
All are super healthy...no weaklings!!
Hi Rick, I've learnt lots and love watching your videos. I added lime to a few of my Orchids today, and I'm looking forward to watching how they respond. Thanks for the info, Sylvia in Australia :)
thanks Sylvia.....
Very informative video! Thanks for sharing.
Thank you so much for this info. I purchased some and was going to shoot you a question regarding the lime. But you answered my question. 😃😃
Just switched to RO drinking water...more, better food and fan....very fast improvement..thank you Rick!!
Rick L., thank you, my friend, for your demonstration that so quickly answered my question! I thank you with humble gratitude and the biggest hug UA-cam can deliver.
Thanks to you, my orchid children are responding to the foliar feed recipe you shared almost a month ago; they look amazing. An idea just struck me! I'm going to name my collection "Rick L. Orchids 2" or "R.L.O.2" to honor you...not just the orchids I now have but the suite as it grows. I hope this meets your approval. Thank you again, my friend. 🌱🌱🌱
your very kind....honored....knowing your orchids are growing better, and in turn will keep growing for you, and keep you in blooms for yrs to come........is more than enough thanks......thank you my friend.........hugs
Rick L., received MAXICROP SEAWEED LIQUID in the mail today! I was mistaken for someone who "looked like" an experienced orchid grower in LOWE'S Sunday. (Yes, I chuckled, too!) Picture this; a gentleman employee of a local television station was looking at orchid bag babies in a box next to the box I was inspecting. The man asked me if I had any success growing any of these [bag babies], I told him I gradually stopped slaughtering orchids only after I started following immediately your channel on UA-cam and Amy's, the Orchid Whisperer. I took out my SMART phone and showed him both channels on UA-cam. So, there you go! Your passion to grow a type of flower you never grew before 2015 has grown steadily across states and continents, friend. Thank you for everything, and I hope Robert joins your subscription list soon. Love to you and "Camera Girl." Keep growing strong orchids.
Hi again, Rick. I am so encouraged by your latest finding. I bought some lime last night after watching your latest video. You did say that the lime wouldn't stay on your mounts and I thought I might make the lime into powder by grinding it in an old coffee grinder. I also could grind it in a mort and pestal making it a fine dust. This I think would work on the mounts after soaking, just dusting the powder on the mounts. What do you think? Take care, Rita.
......I understand the logic, and I like that ........I'm more afraid of the concentrations as things dry out....try it on a few mounts......and see how it works........the calmag is easy to spray them as well as soak them in.......
Hi Rick,
Really enjoying your video's.
My question is.. can I use Garden Lime on my African Violet's?
........good question.....yes.....I use peat, perlite, and some lime in my mix........
Awesome..cause my Violet's never rebloom they just sit there. 😟
Thanks for responding so quickly..
Have a great week..😉
Thanks for the reminder about flushing. I flushed mine today, because you reminded me to.
Love Setup
.....very kind Vinson.
Great info. Hey, would you show us the orchid on the brick more closely? I'd love to see the growth. 😃
Ill update it soon..........thank you.
Yes, I am curious too !!
sanneke martha me too🐩🐩🐩🌺
The best thing I have ever used is cal/mag with every watering
Hi Rick , hope you feel better today, I like the orchid on a brick , how do you do that , i like to try one,
thank you........ua-cam.com/video/Y8U2IV_5rwg/v-deo.html
Hi Rick, do you water after sprinkling the garden lime? or you water first and then add the lime? and how do they self-feed when its dry?
…..great questions...…..after I water, I sprinkle the garden lime around the pots.....it soaks up moisture and breaks down over several weeks...….then it provides a steady supply of calcium and magnesium....it will take several weeks for the results to show....
Hi Rick, thanks for another great video! Question, how would I apply garden lime to mounted orchids? Or is it even necessary? 🍃
great question.........even more so than potted orchids........the pots usually keep more of a residual than a mount would.....this is where a liquid form of calcium ....like calmag ....really works well.......you can spray it or let them soak in it.... added to you nutrient mix.....I will continue to use calmag on my mounts ........great question.....
Rick L. Orchids Thank you for answering, I always use cal/mag
Hi Rick, great video and thank you for the answer. I´ll get that stuff and apply it. :-))))))) Have a lovely day. Katharina
.......your welcome and thank you for that question........have wonderful day Katharina.....
Hi Rick, I am thinking of doing my channel, but around Sept. See you then
.......will be watching ........wonderful news my friend.......be safe....
How much of the garden lime would you put on?
Linda.....im sprinkling about a 1/3 -1/2 teaspoon around the pots........bark, moss, stone.....all of them.
Rick L. Orchids I felt dumb asking after I watch the video again, doh.... Tysm for answering me thou. Everything makes so much more sense.
Good morning Rick. Sorry if this is the weirdest comment you get on your videos all week hehe . I'm sitting here eating oatmeal with chia seeds on it (they have 20 percent of the recommended daily value of calcium for humans). It is rare that I get to sit for breakfast or eat a relatively healthy breakfast. I was thinking about how if calcium can have such obvious positive effects on plants and play such a vital role, I should probably start taking care of myself better too 🌱 so I'm eating a Rick inspired meal that will hopefully make me healthier to grow healthy plants 🌸 hope you have a wonderful weekend and stay cool. It is so hot outside.
....lol.....what a great way to start my day as well.....with your sweet comments.....have a great weekend my friend.......
Rick L. Orchids 😊🌱🌸
Have you seen the latest from Orchid whisperer. She switched to cal_.mag
and wow what a change
PS.....raining again now
.......I will check out her shows.....I love her channel....Amy is a wonderful teacher........rain here as well.........they are loving it.......5 days in a row.....
Rick L. Orchids I know, she is the sweetest person, has such a nice voice and she loves her doggie and she lives in Tennessee (Knox)
Yep more rain and it looks like you are getting some more.
🐸😊🌼🌼🐩
Hello dear friend, another awesome video! Wealth of knowledge! Question, I know you don’t have any slipper orchids but on the one I got, you think it would benefit it to use the lime as well? It’s growing a small new growth but it’s been very slow growing. Thought maybe that would be what it needs too.
Absolutely
.......as Cindy said....absolutely....many of the slipper orchids come from limestone cliffs, and live in a higher ph range........Ed"s Orchids... uses blood and bone as well as dolomite on his slippers.......they also have a bigger relationship with mycorrhizal fungi than other orchids......its one of the secrets for growing them from what I can tell.........www.researchgate.net/publication/266088280_Mycorrhiza_activity_in_lady-slipper_orchid_Cypripedium_calceolus_roots
Awesome! I watch Ed but I have a hard time grasping him, I’m not sure if it’s his accent, which I love to listen to him but I guess it just don’t sink in! I’m the same with Roger! Love to listen but some of it I can’t catch on lol I’m goofy! Appreciate your help though dearest! Also do you watch Danni? I think she just did a video on that not too long ago. I’ll have to go back. She bought some stuff that was supposed to be that fungi.
I was just going to mention egg shells, as I did this several months ago with my African violets and some of my orchids! I have to laugh because at the time, I was convinced that it helped. Especially on my African violets, as they grew like crazy a couple of weeks after application. They shot out bloom after bloom. Funny how we learn and go around eventually getting at the truth. HA HA, thanks again, Rick, I so appreciate your biological mind!
thanks Rita.....I agree......the garden lime is like the egg shells .........takes a bit to break down......
Won't the lime just wash away or flush away before it starts to dissolve and be absorbed?
great question......if the plant is freshly potted....it will filter thru faster.......after a short time... roots start to fill the pots... and they hold even more back.....size of media is another factor.......smaller stone will block it from flowing thru so fast vs large stone......it dissolves very fast......
The bulk of all plant species have a bacterial or fungal relationship in some shape or form, it's a bit counterproductive to severe those bonds (even humans are crawling with micro life to let us digest and take up nutrients, about three pounds of our body is good bacteria ;-)
........some coffee comfy table....and you and I could talk for hours.........
We could ;-)
Ynse Schaa
goodmorning Rick..:)
i have a bag of bentoniet ( clay minerals ) can i use that on my orchids?.. thnx
.....I cant honestly comment on that,... no experience using it with orchids......would have to look into that......
ok thans.. then i don,t give it to my plants..:)
Rick, I believe another viewer asked this question as well. What is the difference between adding lime or dolomite to orchids? Check out a product - Biotech Lime with added Calcium and Magnesium. Suitable for orchids? (With vegetable gardening in earth boxes we add dolomite to the soil before planting.) Always enjoy your videos. Keep 'em coming.
Lime is calcium carbonate. Dolomitic lime is calcium carbonate plus magnesium compounds.
Thanks once again for a great video. I have a question that's a little off topic. I'm new to orchids and when listening to different people some of the first few don't you hear are don't get the crown wet and don't water to often or they will rot. Most explain that Phal's grow inverted in trees and there for don't collect standing water in their crowns. Your plants seem to get as much water as a frog and are the strongest I've seen in my limited experience. I assume your roots don't rot because of the media but does air flow alone explain the crown health or is it the health of the plants resist rot?
Do you know if plants in bark would respond similar to rock provided they were flushed and fed regularly or do they need to be dried out to prevent rot?
......excellent questions.......not poking at anyone......but...someone who says dont get the crown wet is just repeating orchid myths....and doesn't understand how nutrients work......lack of calcium in a orchid will cause the newest growths to die back.....new growth..........where does the new growth come from on a phal..........the center or crown!.......if you keep them sufficiently supplied with calcium.......the crown wont have issues..........in nature they get rained on.....they get water driven onto the crown all the time.....but in nature, attached to a living tree......they get calcium supplied to them all the time.....the same thing for roots......die back of root tips is either salt build up.....or calcium stopped flowing.....from either low ph or lack of Calcium given....once you understand how the nutrients work .......diagnosing is much easier, ....Calcium builds cell walls, structure of the plant....it allows them to grow........you can grow them in bark, rock, lava, or on a brick even....if you control the nutrients for them.......media is just a tool........every single media works........some better than others.....
Oh, oh, your roll away looks empty. Looks like you need to pick up more bag babies.
lol.......
Thank Rick
I use dolomitic lime with my orchids. They are all in inert media and I use just a big pinch per pot once a month. They also get a weak liquid CaMgN supplement once or twice a week, and they have Nutricote in the pots as well. However, the pelleted lime dissolves as soon as you get it wet, so it will wash out of the pot pretty quickly in your coarse medium. My media are for the most part acidic so I'm not worried about absorbing the CaMg from the dolomite. I've only been using it for a few months, but so far I've had no adverse effects so I will keep using it :)
excellent feedback for others here.........thank you for posting your results.....
I live in Michigan and my orchids and African violets are beautiful all in indoors grow lights some are in straight water some bark some in moss there not that fussy when I lived in Florida they all died lol thanks for the tips
Interesting. I live in Florida and found that orchids indoors looking much better than the ones put outdoors here all year round. Strange because the climate should be exactly what they need. However, I am having a hard time keeping them alive
I also noticed you have moss on the top of some of the orchids? What kind?
.....not sure Stacey.........came off the brick around my grill........I just gently pealed it off....and placed it in the pot........it has spread since then......
Rick, did you ever have to account for the curve of the earth in your old career? I watch you all the time and I've heard you mention that you built buildings. Just wondering if you ever had to account for the curve in the earth...
..lol....only once.........and never had it brought up till now.......was a federal job......runways for airport....very interesting...may I ask what you do for a living...?.....
Yea of course! Nothing as interesting as what you were doing though lol. I build stage setups for concerts and events. I'm actually setting up for the PGA Tour right now. The reason I asked that question is for a friend who is into Flat Earth. He claims that the earth isn't actually a ball and it is like they say in the Bible and its flat like a dinner plate. He sometimes makes a little sense and I wanted to ask someone that might know about building structures and things of that nature. How did you take in the curvature? Do you happen to remember the formula?
You're almost at 5k subs!! congratulations Rick, awesome personality and great information for nutrition. When I get home from this work detail I'm going to try Lava Rock and see how my Phal (Gracie May) likes it. Shes in water culture right now but she's not doing well actually. I've started using CalMag BC of your advice, and now I'm going to try the garden lime and see how my Orchids do with it. you're a wealth of info also Rick and I appreciate you.
I grow in leca, how would I apply this nutrient? After a plain flush? Or after my weakly weekly or all on own? Thx for all your shared growing knowledge 😃👍
.......Ill be honest......Ive never used it with lecca, hydroton, etc.....Im afraid it may absorb to much into the pellets....they have a tendency to hold onto salts, etc.....just use caution......try it on a few at first to see how they do,,.....
Thanks thanks for your question Bobbi and thanks for your answer Rick. I had been thinking about that question. Ditto what Bobby said.
......this is where calmag or another liquid calcium supplement may be easier to use.....
You can grow water in the desert! I wish I understood all the chemistry and all the numbers it goes right over my head. it's a good thing you're my friend, and I get personal information. This old lady didn't learn it when I was in school at 64 my brain isn't going to start working any different 👉👵👈💙
lol..........we are never too old to learn.....
I'm in the same boat, all the calculations of this n that..Oh My..
Would you be willing to send us in the direction of a very simple video that explains the basics. I realize you tell us what the levels should read, but...Maybe a video for Dummies 🤪 LOL
Libby's Little Garden. Hi Libby hope all is well...I found this video helped my brain (older than yours.😀)understand the math. It is the one...
(Folliar feed,soaking nutrients)... Helped me understand the math as each was added. Now if I could remember stuff had to go back and look at title again..lol
Willa Johnson Willa I will watch a video 3 times and text Rick at the time of need😉👉👵👈
Libby's Little Garden. I know the feeling. I think if I write down what measure he is using and do it I will remember. I always do better with hands on. That's what I do when sewing once I make the quilt square. I GOT IT...unless I stop and resume....then I have to watch again to refresh my memory...LOL on me.❤🐩😊