In My Bush House - December 2018
Well the weather is starting to warm up and we may have a summer yet. We shouldn’t be too ready to wish for hot weather as in QLD round Gladstone and Eungella, Finch Hatten, Broken River and Crediton. The fires up there will take the bush 10-15 years to repair.
We continue to re-pot and divide where necessary. For the rest of the plants I have dosed all in the bush house with Blood and bone and watered in also today I fertilised with Peters Excel Finisher and added 70ml/100 litres of Auxinone to give them a boost.
I have started to give the plants a mist every evening with Dramm Fogg-It Nozzle which is designed for misting delicate seedlings or for raising humidity around plants. This nozzle has three mist jets which create a conical spray pattern. They are available in 4 different discharge rates. Made in the U.S.A. from solid brass. 3/4 NPT hose threads. Available in 4 different flow rate sizes. The one I use is 1 gallon/min and available from Garden City Plastics. They cost about $30 with adaptor, and worth every penny. Indeed I will next year fit some of these on a permanent boom in the bush house to cool things down on a hot day.
Outside the bush house I have started to use Carbaryl and Eco-oil for Dendrobium beetles and other nasty biting insects. Inside the bush house I use Confidor balls and cut into the required amount depending on pot side. Wayne Turville has these also for smaller quantities and also details how to cut them up on his blog - https://www.australianorchids.com.au/blogs/blog/using-confidor-pills-on-smaller-orchids-thanks-keith.
As for flowering plants we have Sarcochilus ceciliae, Sarcochilus setosus with its furry labellum, Bulbophyllum johnsoniae, Bulbophyllum newportii, Dendrobium prenticei, and Phaius tankervilleae.
Well keep up the water, both to the plants and yourself, wear a hat and keep cool for the summer.
Have a merry Christmas and see you in the New Year.
