A serious pot problem
ilovetogrow z9 Jax Florida
11 days ago
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indianagardengirl
11 days agopopmama (Colorado, USDA z5)
10 days agoRelated Discussions
Serious root problems, droopy/brown leaves, and white spots, help
Comments (13)Thank you for further opinions/advice. ashes_of_the_fire those roots are gorgeous! For most part I tend to slightly underwater my orchids, before the ailment that is (I always thought it was fine as they flowered and looked healthy) and the roots would be slightly thinner than yours. I am especially grateful for the step by step instructions. I will definitely need them as this will be my first repotting on my own! (mum refused to help as she says last time she got involved it got them to the current state). I have something by Westland called 'orchid compost'. It says it has organic matter, bark and wood fibre. This is the only thing suitable at the shop nearest to us (and that is 30 minutes away). There is another shop that is about 1 hour away in another zone that requires 2 buses. But I am not sure that one is much better. I think I'll repot the worst first (I will do it tomorrow morning when there is more light and might post photos in case I need advise of whether they are actually alive)... to see how they take to this compost. And order the following online: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Elite-Orchid-Compost-Range-for-Phalaenopsis-5-Litres-/261365464855 Does that seem like a good mix? Apparently one of the orchids is not actually a Phalaenopsis that mum owns (since it hasn't had flowers in years I did not know any better). Though she cannot remember its name. meyermike_1micha thank you for the tip ... I have been reading many websites and books about caring for orchids, but none actually go into any sort of detail. Something I read a year ago said that orchids can grow without any medium! in baskets but would require very frequent sprays. Wow! Maybe I need to do that to avoid the bugs. jane__ny thank you for the link! It is very helpful. As I said the books I could get from the library and some websites I came across weren't as helpful. Most of the books had various pictures and species, and talked about reproduction, illness and the fact that orchids depending on the type like various mediums including moss, bark, and something else. No one ever went into basics of how to physically water them (just state that you can spray or pour). Cloths were a strategy to get rid of insects. They have only been covered in them for about 3 months. These bugs are a pain to get rid of ... and one of the solutions is placing a layer of sand on top of the peat ... it cuts air supply to them and cuts their wings when they crawl out. I was a bit apprehensive of doing that (since who knows what the sand will be infected with!) So I saw someone's solution of placing denim to a similar effect ... break the cycle. Each fly lays many many eggs ... and the problem multiplies. Most of these I read were for houseplants ... as no one wrote about infected orchids. But the things is one of the orchids I bought was already infected and it was in bark! So it does happen. Probably not as frequently. I know most of the solutions I was trying were damaging the health of the plants, but as I mentioned these stuff eat roots ... and reproduce fast. So the fact that some of the orchids are still alive is pretty much a miracle. I do not wish this infection on anyone's plants. Oh and I place my stupidity/naivety to the fact that for many years that I have owned orchids they were healthy and I never saw what I have been seeing in the past 3/4 of the year. Thank you so much for your support! I also include the picture of the flies! (this was when the situation was improving too! before then you couldn't see the yellow ... it is a lot a lot better now). Just about 3 or 4 flies per sticker. Another quick question ... do I need to dry out the orchid compost completely before planting? (that is where I went wrong with the peat apparently) Lija P.S. Liquid Oxygen contains Hydrogen Peroxide. It was advised to me as it apparently burns up the larvae which seemed like a pleasant thought....See Moreserious root problems.
Comments (2)Chippy, always repot before you pot, have the nursery do it before you purchase, they should not be afraid to do this if they are ethical. Take it out of the pot, cut off all the bad stuff, then let dry out in a breezy semi shaded spot. Do not water until you see new roots start to form. Be sure to take the plant back and show them. Shame on them, I hope it's not a nursery that I know of in England. Put the plant back in dry soil and don't water for a few months, it's has enough water in the plant to survive a long period of draught. Remember Cactus is a desert plant in our South West and must be able to go long period of draught. You have great growers in England and they should be able to help you. Bill Keen, Warren Withers, John Pilbeam, Gordon Rowley, John Gamesby, Malcolm Holloway, Derek Tribble, Kew Gardens. Your British Journal is great, you need to subscribe, in the back of that journal it will have a list of Nurserys, be sure to call several and ask for suggestion on how to save the plant. When buying plants from the SW U.S. ask to check out the roots. You also have great nursery's. Remove all plants from the soil, replace new fresh clean soil, with chicken grit added about 50% I don't know what is available in soil mix in England. I can submit a list of nurseries for you if you are interested, join a society group as well. Norma...See MoreSerious problem with water not penetrating my sandy soil
Comments (38)when people say mulch... I think it makes a difference in what you mulch with..... here is link to one of threads where I had the same problem..... https://www.houzz.com/discussions/4122019/soil-is-starting-to-she-water-help#n=10 My soil was shedding the water... I am in Florida and have major sand.... when I started my rose garden I dug down 4 feet deep and filled it with horse manure and let it decompose.... then I planted in my nice new soil. I mulched my roses with red much..... however, as that wood started to break down it created a crust on top of the soil.... it and the sand kept my roses from getting water...... I ended up buying some good top soil.... hauled in more horse manure and topped off the garden.... and EVERY year I now use mulch from my own banyan tree leaves that I chop up with a Sun Joe.... My soil seems to now hold water better... however, I what seems to baffle me is WHERE does the soil and mulch go.... after all of the things I have done.... I am still getting sand..... It is alot of work to keep adding dirt and mulch, and I don't think I am building up the soil.... just keeping even because if I stop I am back to sand....See MoreKarndean Flooring Problem, Serious Problem
Comments (9)Oh dear. Technically the store is the point of sale. If the store won't help you, you need them to put that in writing. Normally manufacturers have a relationship with the retailer and the retailer does all the leg work to notify the manufacturer there is a problem. I have no idea what has already been said to Karndean so please take this with a grain of salt if you have already gone through these steps. First off, Karndean has to back track to find out when your retailer ordered this floor. The retailer is the one to deal with this type of stuff. Normally you contact the store, have someone come out. They document the issue (time frame, purchase date, installation date, etc) and then they send off the warranty complaint to Karndean. That's the normal way of doing things. If the retailer has stepped back, you need to get that in writing and then send that in writing to Karndean...along with ALL of your documentation (purchase order, purchase date, item numbers, etc) found on a detailed sales receipt (ahem...from the retailer). Whew. Now that has been done, it is up to Karndean to go back and forth with the retailer. But wait. Your retailer doesn't want to do this. Ok. Now they go back and forth with you...and your local Sales Rep. Ahhhhh....therre's the rub. The 'Rep' is a SALES rep. Not a technical rep. Oh dear. Now it will take LONGER to deal with this. Hmmm. Sigh...I know this is discouraging. I get it. Hang in there. Send Karndean (or your rep...whichever) all the documents you have of this floor. The sales receipt and the statement from the retailer that they refuse to deal with this issue (that's rare...because they had a contract with Karndean at the TIME you purchased...which means they normally have to hold the bag for the duration of your floor's lifetime). Do you have any boxes left over? Normally the retailer will ensure you purchase 10% extra so that you have enough waste to complete the job AND have 5% left over for future repairs. Did the retailer LEAVE your boxes behind??? If you paid for them they belong to you. Which is why you should have at least a few planks left over (I hope). It is entirely possible the floor no longer exists and that a patch is going to come from your own home. Example: if this floor runs through several rooms, the person doing the repair would pull planks from one room (like a closet) and use them to repair the (?kitchen?) floor. How old is the floor? Would you say you have MORE than 10% of the surface is damaged throughout the space? Or would you say there is LESS than 10% surface damage? If you have 1000sf of this stuff (just to make the math easier) you MUST HAVE 100sf of damaged floor surface (not planks with spots on them but FULL removal of the surface over 100 square feet) for a 'wear through warranty' to kick in. This is a common disclaimer made by many flooring producers. If you have access to the warranty you purchased your floors under, you will need to look up the specifics of it. I may be wrong about the 10% surface damage...Karndean may have a different warranty than other vinyl producers. That's why it is critical you find the warranty document (written for the year you purchased) AND you take a educated guess as to HOW MUCH of the surface has wear through damage....See Moreperen.all Zone 5a Ontario Canada
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