ave
Dear readers,
Yes, I have been quiet for a while as I was really busy in my personal life and there were some issues I had to deal with and just didn’t have the head to write. But, today I got inspired to write this article as I have seen somebody comments on another person question, and their advice was totally irrelevant to anything. Therefore, based on my experience and some analytical thinking I’d like to debunk those daft tips from people who should think twice before they say or write something.
1. Paphiopedilum foliage turning yellow – Odd advice.
This was the question that initially inspired the article. A lovely grower had a paphiopedilum which oldest bottom foliage started turning yellow. The advice was to repot to a smaller pot and less light.
Why?! What was going through the mind of the person who wrote the advice. Firstly if it was sunburn it would be the top foliage, not the lowest which is actually in a certain amount of shade, and why repot? What does that have to do with anything?
I had a similar case where a paph had it’s oldest foliage going yellow and I decided to take it out of the pot to see what is wrong and it came out that the medium was too wet and decomposed. That would be my advice, see if the medium holds too much moisture. Try to research your options and see what works. People who give the “Godly” advice because you know, no you don’t know.
2. Suggesting to repot to a smaller pot. – Constantly.
I hate this, everyone goes about repotting to smaller pots. Why? Where did you read this, do you have your own mind to come up with something new? I have sunburn, repot. My paph isn’t blooming, repot. It’s a deeply overused advice and furthermore, it has nothing to do with the truth. Yes, you have to measure the pot to the size of the plant. Of course, you are not going to plant the orchid in a size 15cm pot if it’s a tiny seedling or a very small compact plant. You have to remember to pot the plant in a pot which will give it room to grow and spread, so yes use your own inner gut.
3. Too much light.
Crap, this is so stupid. Even in the growing books you only have the scientific bracket, there is no definite truth of how much light. I have a complex hybrid which should be grown in a diffused light but I had it in a summer conservatory with a cattleya light and it was perfectly fine, bah, it even grew better and faster.
Use your own experience, read about it but don’t go crazy. Also, the location where you are growing your orchid is very important because different geographical location will have a different level of light diffusion and level which the plants will receive. A shady location in Spain will be bright in Norway. Think, research, don’t give stupid advice.
4. Medium advice.
Sphagnum moss is the best, no bark, no actually perlite, no you are all wrong because…
It’s like kids bickering about who has the better Lego set. Truly is, there's so many things which will make a medium good in one’s climate, temperatures, humidity, and just easiness of care. Living in a hot country I will not use a medium which dries out too quickly because that will eventually kill the plants, and also living in a colder country I won’t use moss because stuff will start rotting too quickly.
I think it’s important to start with the most common bark and then in time when you gain your experience and knowledge what works best, add ingredients and see how it goes. Just because Sam is using something it doesn’t mean it will work for you too.
5. Watering.
You are watering too often, or not often enough.
But really, are you? Do you just water and leave it and forget about the plant? There is a lot of people who give advice without even knowing the watering regime a person has, where they live – yes I’m getting boring with this, but this is also a huge and important point.
If you are the person asking questions, take everything that people say with a pinch of salt. And just think on your own. Before you ask do some research, make some observations. Sometimes getting stupid answers is something you are asking for, for being oblivious to the easily accessible truth.
6. I am in the US and you are in Brazil, I know you grow your paph wrong. Climate advice for somebody who lives 2000 KM away.
I think everyone has seen things like that. My warning, go through all the steps I have just pointed out before, otherwise although you just flattered your Ego with giving some serious growing advice and maybe committed a good deed, everything you said is pure rubbish and doesn’t apply in reality.
As harsh as it sounds, it’s the truth. There are huge geographical differences in the climate, even here in the UK I won’t give advice on growing to people in Scotland or Ireland because our weather patterns will be different, their locations will be colder, the humidity will be different, the level of sun exposure and so on. Be smart, don’t be daft.
7. It’s a Maudiae! It’s a species.
Yes of course, yes it is. Yup, definitely. I keep just nodding and dreaming of having a gun in my hand. I have seen the level of, well not stupidity but just, ignorance. People are lazy and won’t do the research and will rely on sometimes deeply doubtful information. The other day I have seen a woman asking if Masdevallia is a type of Phal. You think that’s funny? How about paphiopedilum Maudiae. Yeah… that. No, it’s not a species. NO it’s not the name of a hybrid. It’s the horticultural reference of a group of hybrids which show similar traits. Done and dusted. And it’s the same about so many other orchids. Vinicolor, also not hybrid or species.
8. You should only fertilise when the flower opens.
Now, the last (yes he will stop talking) this is the weirdest advice I have ever seen. Plants require micronutrients and minerals, and fertiliser throughout all of their life to help them in blooming and growing and just healthy existence. Even in nature, plants which don’t get these elements in their environment will develop poorly. So why people give this stupid advice. The truth is you should fertilise, if you see a flower spike developing switch to the Bloom booster, because that’s why it was designed for. To help boost the flowers system in all of the elements it requires otherwise, you may hurt the plant.
So, I have seen this. You have experienced it in the past, we all did. If you are guilty of giving tips which are just plainly stupid and have no base in reality, please stop. Don't be a narcissistic cow. Think before you write.
Comments
Post a Comment