Coryanthes and formic acid question When I was at a Colombian orchid grower's nursery they told me they put a solution of formic acid around the base of their Coryanthes once a month. The theory was that since in nature they are always found in association with ants and ants make formic acid it would make sense to give them this. I have found my Coryanthes wax and wane, being very prone to rot. I can get them to bloom, and don't ever seem to have the inflorescence breaking as described earlier, but also will find a previously healthy plant will go down hill fast and the only deterrent I have found is to quickly dry them out, which of course they don't like but it will sometimes stop the rot. So, a bunch of us got some formic acid. When they described this in Colombia, via translators, they said one tsp to the liter. I envisioned a powder. What we have gotten is a liquid, and when you read the accompanying literature this is really caustic stuff and I wonder about the wisdom of using it. The vapors are even supposed to be bad and since I grow in a greenhouse, though this time of year it is ventilated, 9 months of the year it's not well ventilated due to heat concerns. My question, does anybody have any experience with formic acid? Do you have any advice for us before we go down this path?
Patricia Harding
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