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Hi VB. It is interesting about the shriveling
of the Paphs during, I assume, the dry season.
Osmocote is something to be very careful with,
and really should not be used without a TDS (total dissolved
solids) meter to monitor the run-off. The problem is, you don't know
how fast the fertilizer is really being released, how long before it actually is
depleted, and the beads can disappear into the mix and if you have many plants,
you can lose track of which got the Osmocote. My own experience was a
near/partial disaster. Using what I thought was the right amount, produced
a white residue on the pot surface. I changed to a slower release (13
month) and still, when the runoff was tested, it was at 800 to 1000+ ppm (parts
per million) in all my plants, and this was all Osmocote, as I was watering
heavily with RO water and not adding any other fertilizer.
For anyone not living in a warm climate, the
recommendation for using crushed limestone is not a good one, as our colder
water will cause the limestone to dissolve too fast. In winter, I heat the
water in my RO tank when it drops below 60F, but 60F will start to dissolve
limestone.
Cynthia
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