Follow up to Questions on our last email (AnTec Current Potting Mixes - January 17th, 2003)
There have been a large number of questions from our last mailing about potting materials and sources. It is probably better to answer them in another mailing.
Coconut Husk Chips can vary tremendously in quality from a salt content and a cut/uniformity standpoint. The only two sources we have tested and found suitable to date are Crystal Company (1-800-845-4777) and Roberts Flower Supply ( http://www.orchidmix.com ). That does not mean that there are not other sources (for instance OFE in Florida carries Crystal CHC), or brands of quality CHC, but we have no personal experience with any but the above. We have received samples of some others that were very high in salts or very poorly cut, so be careful.
Maidenwell Diatomite is a sedimentary rock that was formed from fresh water diatoms in a prehistoric lake in Australia. It is mined, baked at high temperatures and run through crushers and then sized. It is quite a light aggregate and holds a very large amount of water internally. Maidenwell Diatomite is being imported in the north east by http://www.diatomiteusa.com . I have found Joe and his son Michael to be very pleasant to work with, and I believe they are trying to set up distributors in various regions of the US and Canada. I have been told, but have not personally confirmed that Dyna-Rock II is Maidenwell Diatomite, and also that OFE in Florida is selling it. Again, not all fresh water diatomite is created equal. I obtained samples of fresh water diatomite from North American production and it had very different characteristics and was not suitable for use. You also have to be careful of contaminants that can be harmful to you, the Maidenwell Diatomite is tested and certified safe. Someone asked if it can be reused. It certainly is durable but I would consider heat disinfection before reuse, and when you factor in the energy cost that may not be as cost effective or environmentally effective as buying new. The used material makes a great very slow breakdown garden mulch! The one improvement I would like to see in this product is the uniformity of particle size.
#4 Sponge Rock is a bit of a problem to obtain sometimes. The friability of sponge rock makes the larger sizes hard to produce. We have purchased our supplies from Waldor Orchids in New Jersey (but I believe they do not ship outside of their normal delivery area) and also from Roberts Flower Supply, who does ship.
Extra coarse vermiculite is available from greenhouse supply companies and also often from companies that sell shipping supplies, as it is used as a packing material for shipping liquids.
McConkey pots are available in black in case lots directly from J. M. McConkey Co. In Sumner, WA (1-800-426-8124). They are also custom produced in clear resin for and sold by Chula Orchids http://www.chulaorchids.com in various sizes. The price for the clear pots is substantially higher, but you can order them in smaller quantities and give them a try. McConkey pots, although more expensive, have a couple of advantages over the other types of “rose pot” we have used in the past. First, they are much more substantial in construction, being very thick walled, and hold up better. But even more importantly, they have tremendous drainage, even on the smallest (2.25") size, and the drainage openings are arranged so that they don’t become obstructed when the pots are placed in trays or flats.
Finally, although not mentioned in the last email questions about fertilizer are probably among the most common we receive. There are any number of complete fertilizers available. For those with naturally pure water or that use RO, rain or another source of pure water, you want to make sure that you are feeding with calcium and magnesium also. These are not trace elements, they are macro-elements needed in fairly large quantity by our plants. We use many fertilizers in our program but the workhorses are Peters Excel Cal-Mag and much more so now Peters 13-2-13 plus 6% calcium and 3% magnesium. This is a high nitrate nitrogen fertilizer probably more suitable for the northern latitudes growers like us rather than sun-belt growers. Unfortunately, while these two excellent fertilizers are available from most greenhouse supply companies they are available only in 25 lb bags. There has been a lot of discussion recently about the Michigan State University formula fertilizers and excellent results with them. It turns out that the formula the pure water one is very similar to the Peters 13-2-13 plus 6% calcium and 3% magnesium. Again, Roberts Flower Supply informs me that they are offering the Michigan State fertilizer in smaller quantity packaging in two formulations, one for pure water and one with less calcium and magnesium for municipal and well water sources that already contain some of these elements. These may be excellent complete fertilizer alternatives in dry form for northern latitude growers.
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