"the Big Island of Hawaii... Mary and Dean Monroe... grow and ship... cut [flowers] and potted orchid plants all over the world from the greenhouses on their... farm near Hilo (Kaleialoha Orchids & Tropical Flowers...)
the new orchid varieties... are less expensive... also easier to grow... Cut stems of orchids also are easy to ship as the blooms [some...] have a vase life of up to three weeks. Potted orchid plants also are easy to ship... the Monroes' top five orchid growing tips: Don't overwater -- Dendrobiums need water only every eight to 10 days and need to dry out between drinking binges... fertilize -- Mary and Dean recommend Osmocote or some other slow-release fertilizer that won't burn the foliage... dilute any liquid plant food to half-strength and feed twice as often as the instructions recommend. Do not use soil... Give orchid plants bright, indirect light... Clean the foliage often to keep off the bugs... "We use a lot of Safer's soap... (on organic pesticide) to keep aphid and mites off our plants," says Dean. A home gardener can add a few drops of Ivory soap to a quart of water and wash the leaves of the orchid once a week to prevent any insect outbreaks." URL : http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/nwgardens/369277_binetti03.html ***************** Regards, VB _______________________________________________ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) [email protected] http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
