I've gotten a little feedback both on & off the Forum that I would like
to share --
1) from Peter Croezen - I do not think it is the polycarbonate gassing
off - the sheets were actually stored outdoors under an overhang area
for a good 6 months before the Canadian crew started to install them.
The cool cell pads, even though they are a coated type of paper product
are bathed in a mixture of RO water and softened well water (softened to
remove the calcium), allowing enough EC in the water to let the copper
ion generator to work electrically - this eliminates any bacterial or
algae buildup on the cells. Also, in general, the interior temps are
consistently a little lower in the greenhouses after the wet pad
installation - max temps of 85 - 89 F (29 - 31 C), with a drop in night
temps. The greenhouses are designed to have more than one complete air
exchange per minute - a lot of air flow reducing any possible gassing
off - in my opinion. Plus there are no odors.
2) from Ron Mauder - when I was making the Paph hybrids, the pollen is
moist and sticky - no problem of getting the pollen to stick to the
stigma. And no, Turkey Point nuclear plant is not leaking radiation.
Besides, the trade winds would be away from us!
3) from Xavier Garreau de Loubresse - no insecticides or miticides or
fungicides sprayed. We did have two prescribe burns on our property
(8/12/2005 and 12/5/2005) - that is before and after Hurricane Wilma.
Both burns were textbook and any slight wind was prescribed to carry the
smoke away from the greenhouses. The employees didn't smell any smoke in
or out of the greenhouses.
I have never seen any detrimental affects of using the coconut chip in
the potting media. I have been using the same basic media for the past
10 years. I presoak and rinse the coconut chips a minimum 4 times over a
24 - 30 hour period, including adding calcium nitrate and magnesium
sulfate to one of the RO soaks to further leach out any possible sodium
contamination. The root systems produced are healthy and extensive. In
fact, I use the old potting media as a mulch material in the palm and
bamboo nursery that I have next door - the media does not affect even
the youngest palm seedlings planted in the ground nor does it affect the
weeds trying to grow up through the mulch. I use computer controlled
fertilizer injectors and various types of complete fertilizers - this
program has not changed in years, so it would not be that affecting the
breeding just last year. I use everything from soluble fertilizers
manufactured by different companies to calcium nitrate plus
micro-nutrient foliar sprays to urea to seaweed + fish emulsion, etc.
Orchids are slow to respond and the mix of fertilizers ensures that
nothing is missing.
I also breed throughout the year and at any time of the "lunar cycle" -
I've kept track of the breeding dates and the harvest dates - I can not
see any correlation at all with lunar cycles and breeding Paphs or
Phals.
A lot of the plants that I use for breeding may have 15 to 25 growths
per plant - they do not become stressed or allergic to carrying pods.
This is a problem affecting the region that experienced two to four
hurricanes in one season. It is not just our greenhouse or our city -
the man who does our Paph flasking lives 3.5 hours north of us and he is
experiencing exactly the same problems, and he uses a different potting
media, different fertilization (he only uses his fish-pee water since he
raises fish in what used to be his swimming pool), different pots, and
he grows outdoors under a screen enclosure (no polycarbonate or cool
cells).
The only thing in common seems to be the barometric pressure of the
storms - especially Wilma, which if I remember correctly, was the lowest
recorded pressure ever???
Terry A. Glancy
Pine Ridge Orchids, Inc.
21100 SW 300 Street
Homestead, FL 33030-7812
ph (305) 247-4839
(305) 247-3086
fx (305) 247-8853
Website = http://www.PineRidgeOrchids.com
Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Cc Email = [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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