In My Bush House March 2018
- Bill Dobson
- Mar 16, 2018
- 2 min read
Sitting down to write this I reflect on the past year and I looked back on an article I wrote about this time last year, and I can’t believe that history is repeating itself. I have not only had an operation on my foot again, but again plagued by a rat and grasshoppers. What, I ask you, is the value of a bush house when the bloody pests get trapped inside? Anyway enough of my rantings. The first time in my bush house for 2 week after having my feet up, and despite all the plants are looking good.
My thanks to my daughter Barbara for misting the plants each evening when required. We had a big dump of rain, hope you did, and the plants have responded. There is nothing like fresh rain for your plants. They all look pretty well apart from a few new weeds forming. I dislike weeds in pots but find it quite therapeutic pulling them out, although I am not pedantic about this.
I noticed a few little chews and when watering managed to kill a couple of small grasshoppers that I disturbed. When I am fully up and around I will resume fertilising. Good that I use a slow release and Blood and Bone so they are getting a little feed. With the return to warm weather and occasional rain there are plenty of new growths still appearing, so you need to move them along and harden off the plump pseudobulbs? If plants need repotting or mounting do it now while it’s not too hot and the roots are moving. They will relish this in new potting mix or mount.
Still some flowers appearing with Sarcochilus dilatatus, Dendrobium tetragonum, Dendrobium prenticei and. Cadetia taylori. There is also the beautiful Dockrillia bowmanii with its beautiful lime green petals and sepals and that pure white contrasting lip. It also has a hybrid Dockrillia Limestone (D. bowmanii x D. cucumerina) which retains and enhances these features by adding more flowers per raceme. I would advise you to get a couple of these as they are very easy and rewarding to grow.
Not too late to add some slow release to your orchids if you haven’t done so yet. While on this I suggest that you have a look at Wayne Turville’s website and his blog on fertilising:
Funnily we have been on the same page for many years over this. While we are at it I also
used to use the Hyponex to add fertiliser, however this is really hit and miss and never exact. I never went the Dosatron® way even though, or with a chemical dosing pump even though I worked for a company that is commercially involved in water treatment and sells the best dosing pumps in the world.
For me the best way, and in the long run, could be the cheapest, is a pump and tank. Measure the fertiliser into the water tank in the correct concentration and pump it out. You have the exact dosage every time, no mistakes. If you need help with this contact me.
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