ORCHID GROWING MEDIUM

WHY HORSE MANURE?

10 POINTS IN IT'S FAVOUR AS A GROWTH MEDIUM

1. An effective and inexpensive medium.
2. A perfectly balanced food including a dozen or so trace elements.
3. A tremendous blossom booster.
4. As an extra bonus, the plants receive hormones, fungi and bacterium, which can affect the genes of the plant which
stimulate better growth and an increase in the number and quality of flowers.
5. The plants produce flowers at an earlier age, sometimes before they are one year old and before they have produced their
first bulb. This is a big benefit for hybridisers.
6. The plants become more resistant to pests and diseases. For millions of years up until about 100 years ago, plants
received only natural food.
7. In my experience, the fresher the manure is the better. There  are bonuses in this which are living things - hormones, fungi
and bacterium. Allowing the manure to become old and dry may adversely affect these bonuses.
8. Plants in horse manure keep on growing in winter in Tasmania in an unheated glass house.
9. Because of the soluble elements in horse manure, you feed the plants automatically each time you water them. Computer
control cannot improve on that.
10. Plants with very low E.C. (electrical conductivity) like Disa and some natives, will grow better in horse manure than anything else, but you do need a buffer to get the E.C. balance right. Spagnum moss is a very good buffer. Fill the pot to 50 - 60% with horse manure then fill the top half with spagnum moss. Plant the orchid in the spagnum moss and water the plant
every day freely with free drainage. This keeps the E.C. balance perfect and you then can't go wrong.
11. Can you find a more effective, cheaper or simpler way to grow your orchids. This applies to all kinds of orchids. There is
not a plant on earth which won't grow the natural way.

Nic van den Bosch

Questo è un Cymbidium coltivato in letame da Nic van den Bosch