| June Culture Notes..... For the Wairarapa region (New Zealand) |
| In General..... |
| CULTURE CORNER |
| Make sure that you have plenty of slug & snail pellets out as there are a large number of these pasts about at present & they can do great amounts of damage to your prized flower spikes in a very short time. Remember when using snail pellets to watch that they don’t rest in the crown of plants as they can set off rotting once they get damp. You should be reducing the amount of humidity now & when giving your plants a drink it is best to avoid overhead watering as damp foliage or spike can rot quite quickly. Good air movement in the areas that you are growing your warmer varieties will minimize the amount of condensation that will form, so a strategically place fan will be a big advantage as long as it isn’t blowing directly on the forming flower buds. A spray of All Seasons Oil at polish strength, applied on a nice sunny day, will help deal with Scale & Mealy Bugs etc, that seem to proliferate under conditions that are a bit crowded over winter. Remember the “Golden Rule” for watering over the next couple of months :- If in doubt, don’t !! CYMBIDIUMS will enjoy good ventilation, so make sure that you open the doors up during the day & let a bit of breeze through, unless it’s really freezing. Cymbids are pretty hardy & just need shelter from the wind, the rain, & frost during these colder months, watch out for the southerly in particular, as that is the one that is likely catch you out with frost. Watering will only be about once a week now, allow the top 25mm of the mix to dry out, then water, & keep to your usual feeding programme. Just water the mix, not over the leaves in this colder weather. Plants with spikes need to be fed with a Potash type feed. Stake or mark spikes as you find them as this will help prevent accidental damage to them. If you are using stakes make sure that you put something on the top end of them, a bit of tin foil or a cork or something, to prevent yours or someone else’s eyes from being poked out next time the spike is inspected. DON”T take plants in spike into your warm living quarters, as this is a sure way to set up a dose of bud drop & spike die back. DENDROBIUMS (Aussie types) will take similar conditions to Cymbidiums all year round, so be a little sparing with the water during the cooler months. To get the best flowering you may find that some of the Aussie dendrobium hybrids may need to be kept in slightly warmer conditions. PHALAENOPSIS, feed regularly with a potash type fertiliser now as the new flower spikes should be starting to appear. Keep them warm with the ideal night temperature being 12-15oC. Remember that a drop in temperature much below 12oC is deadly to the forming flower buds, one cold night is enough to loose them all from chill-off !! Also watch that they are not in a draught between doors & windows, as this will have the same effect. When you water make sure that no water is left in the leaf crown, as rot will set in very quickly. Feed with 1/2 strength fertiliser, unless you are using “Orchid Feed” which can be used at the recommended strength, at every watering during the winter. Don’t allow the media to get to dry, but it does not want to be sodden either. A spray of Fungicide will help to stop spotting on the flowers. The benches & floors etc should also be sprayed. CATTLEYAS should be kept with a minimum night temperatures of 5oC & no lower. They need all the natural light you can give them, & plants that are now putting up new growths for the spring flowering will need feeding at each watering, but remember that they are not drying out fast now, so don’t over water. NOBILE type Dendrobiums are a tricky genera to flower & the next few months are critical to achieve this. They require as much full light as possible, but should not have any more feed now, & just be misted over the canes & roots, to stop the canes from withering. Too much water or feed & you are likely to get a crop of Keiki’s instead of flowers. MASDEVALLIAS require plenty of air movement but less watering & feeding now. These plants prefer to be shaded from direct sun light. Also watch that they are sheltered from the frosts, ideally a night time temperature of about 8oC is best suited for these plants. Again as with the others, watch that their media is not left water logged during these cooler months. |