Re: [OGD] Wet Walls
Mr Plummer said: Thank you to everyone who responded on- and off-list to my query about a wet wall for my new greenhouse. Bear in mind Legionella as a potential problem. (Same with swamp coolers, but teh better ones have a UV disinfector in the sump.) __ Oliver Sparrow +44 (0)20 7736 9716 www.chforum.org ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Spam problems
May I suggest MailWasher Pro. It intercepts emails while still in the ISP so that they never get to your computer. You look over the list and decide what you will accept and what you reject. It also allows you to 'bounce' emails so that your email address does not show up to the spammers. It has a pretty good data base of blacklisted items. I do not know is it works with Yahoo, et. al., so you might want to check. Jerry in IN ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
Re: [OGD] Helpful Tips
In a message dated 3/11/07 10:37:52 PM, Ewan writes: I not long ago subscribed to this mailing list as a fairly new Orchid grower looking for some helpful tips on how to grow Orchids and so on. There are still a few non-bickering growers here. What specific information are you looking for? Iris ** AOL now offers free email to everyone. Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Sealing a wet wall for winter
Gentleperson Nick asks about sealing a wet wall during the winter. Two winters ago we moved up to RI from MD and built a new greenhouse. This one is too large for a cabinet-type swamp cooler, although I guess I could just have multiplied them, so we have a cooler wall that looks just like the picture Nick supplied (although much smaller). Up here, we worry a lot about sealing the greenhouse during the winter, and the aluminum shutters on the outside of the wet pads are not much better than an open window. During the non-summer seasons, I find that the roof vent and exhaust fan provide adequate cooling. May through September, we use the wet wall. When the wet wall is not being used, we seal it with bubble pack on the outside of the aluminum shutters, using the exterior grade tape sold for attaching insulation. It lasts through the season and then some! On the inside, we remove the pads and stuff the opening with the thick styrofoam insulation sold at home centers, cut to size and taped together. The exhaust fan has a longer season of utility, but when it starts getting really cold, we block that up and seal it with bubble wrap, also, and just rely upon the roof vent for cooling. JL Orchids has quite a nice arrangement for sealing their wet wall. Rather than have aluminum shutters on the outside, they have a side wall vent--polycarb. This seals very nicely--but requires still another vent motor, still another relay, still another run of wires... The vent racks are external, so it doesn't require space in the greenhouse. I wish I had done it their way, and some day I may. In MD, I found that the cooler was useful during the day, but useless during the night, when the RH was always in the upper 90s. Here, since I live near the shore, this is still true. I use the computerized controller to limit the hours the wet pad pump runs, although I allow the shutter to remain open. I sprang for a Wadsworth EnviroStep controller, and I am so glad I did--it supports all kinds of interactions and controls. Nick, may you enjoy your new greenhouse as much as I am enjoying mine! --Lisa, pleurothallidiot I have no commercial interest in any of the products mentioned above. -- Lisa Thoerle, Little Compton, RI [EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED] ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Deep Ocean Water (Taiwan)
Taiwan's Council for Economic Planning and Development has chosen Taidong County in the southeast as the site of the island's first deep ocean water (DOW) pilot plant... DOW usually refers to water 200 meters below the surface of the sea, where it is clean, cool (under 10 degrees Celsius), has small molecules, and is rich in mineral content. It contains few germs, since sunshine cannot penetrate that deeply and photosynthesis is impossible... The pilot plant, which is to be built over four years... will serve as an RD and technology transfer center for DOW technology. In addition to the production of drinking water, this technology can also be used in a wide range of other applications including agricultural production... horticulture... The plant will be designed to tap water at a depth of 400 meters below the surface; this is one of the main reasons for the choice of Taidong, since the seas there drop to 600 meters less than two kilometers off the coast there. In addition, oceanic currents flow past, and the surrounding sea and land areas are free of pollution. These factors help make Taiwan one of the best places in the world for developing the DOW industry, along with South Korea, eastern Japan, and Hawaii. The semi-governmental Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will build the pilot plant on a 1.8-hectare plot at the Zhiben River estuary, and a pipeline, capable of drawing 10,000 metric tons of water a day, will be extended 2,500 meters into the sea within one year. ... A related plan... mapped out by the Taidong County Government, calls for the development of a DOW industry park adjacent to the pilot plant. The park will cover 32 hectares... Several private enterprises are already scrambling to tap the huge DOW market potential... Kuang Lung's plant in Hualian County has four pipelines that can draw in 24,000 metric tons of DOW per day... Another entrant into the line is the Lucky Cement Corp., which started to develop a DOW biotech park in Hualian two years ago... The company, which has obtained technological support from ITRI... plans to use DOW for orchid cultivation... Investors are optimistic about the future of the DOW industry in Taiwan. They point to its success in Japan article URL : http://www.taiwanheadlines.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=65516ctNode=9 *** Regards, VB ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] Cultivation
Does anyone have any info on what Orchid would be a nice easy starter plant and possible to as to growing medium, light requirements and so on I would need to propagate them from seed. Ewan, you will not want to grow them from seeds, which is not as easy as you may believe it is. I like to suggest that you purchase a very helpful booklet that answers many of the basic questions you have. It is not very expensive and will answer your questions quicker than doing it via e-mail or OGD posts. The booklet is: All About Orchids, ISBN: 0897214242 an Ortho series booklet you can find in any Barnes and Noble store or on the internet: www.bn.com peter___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
[OGD] beginners
Now hold on a minute...I have been a member of this group, OGD, its immediate predecessor, OGO, and its grandparent OLDI must say that I can understand why a beginner would find this forum intimidating...we have some strong personalities here...but it really should not be that scary to a newbie. FWIW, a beginner question posed here will get a range of responses, that will give a beginner a good idea of the range of potential answers. They also will, by and large, be stated politely. Its really the more knowledgable people here who provoke discussions that may, to the uninitiated, appear to be quite nasty...well, sometimes, truth be told, they are. But this is of no concern to a beginner. Maybe, some day you too shall be an experienced grower with strong opinions and possibly grudges to carry. But meanwhile don't be turned off to this list. It is a perverse quality of this list that the most contentious postings provoke the most responses and discussions...this is nothing compared to some of what we have seen in the past. But, I truly feel that all the lurkers here, beginners and shy people...should all post their questions. A civilly posed question will receive a civil, and informative answer. No one here gets an abrasive response just for being a beginner...This list is what you want it to be. By all means, beginners, newbies, closet growers, etc...please post! You will generate a lot of discussion that will benefit you...and if it provokes an argument between the so-called experts, grab some popcorn, sit back, and enjoy.Take care, Eric Muehlbauer in finally warming Queens NY. ___ the OrchidGuide Digest (OGD) orchids@orchidguide.com http://orchidguide.com/mailman/listinfo/orchids_orchidguide.com
