The earlier Superthrive labels recommended 1 drop/gal, but this is a
lower concentration than most cell receptors require to respond to hormones, such
as Naphthylacetic Acid [NAA], which I surmise is the active ingredient of
Superthrive. At one point when the Superthrive label read 1 drop/g
The comments on pH and acidity by AJ Hicks and Oliver Sparrow may prove
useful to orchid newcomers like Virginia, but both commentaries ignored the
principal pH factor for orchids, namely FERTILIZER. All commercial fertilizers I
have tested are more or less acidic to compensate for the mild alk
In reply to Peter from Bloubenstrand's question, "What is Banrot," it is a
mixture of two fungicides, which broadens its activity spectrum:
1. Clearies 3336 [Thiophente Methyl] [25%]
2. Turban [Etridiazole] [15%]
In the old days, Benylate was used in place of the Clearies
Paul Bouleau inquires about the application of lime water to Paphs. I
suspect there is some confusion here between "limestone," which is calcium carbonate
and rather insoluble in water, "lime," which is calcium oxide and is
converted to "slaked lime," which is calcium hydroxide, by contact with
Mark Sullivan's post initially mentions the effects of carbon dioxide on
orchid growth but then gets on to an entirely different subject, carbon
dioxide and global warming. The negative information about the ability of enhanced
plant growth to control global warming through carbon fixation
Fredrick JM Depuydt faults the data indicative of Global Warming as
statistical in nature. Please note that an important concept of the Philosophy of
Science is that ALL data is statistical. Information that cannot be expressed as
within an explicit statistical probability is without meaning.
The "Liebig Principle" states that growth will always be limited by
whatever nutritional factors are in limited supply. When we examine an organism
growing in equilibrium with its environment, the factors limiting growth are not
always apparent. We can, however, determine by trial and error
Contemporary scientists no longer regard truth as an absolute: every
proposition can be assigned a probability factor for its ability to predict the
behavior of the universe accurately. Some propositions predict with a high degree
of reliability, and we tend to confuse this with classical "trut
For anyone puzzled by the word "theologizes" in my last post, it was
placed there by my "Spellcheck" when I wasn't looking. It should of course been
"theologists." [Spellcheck, don't you even go near it this time!].
I am delighted by several rational posts that my earlier ones evoked.
In my linguistic readings I learned that a "pidgin" is any contact language
which mixes vocabulary from two unrelated languages with little formal grammar.
It can evolve in complexity with time, even acquiring a grammar and thereby
becoming a "creole." I had no idea there was any pejorative co
The Theory of Relativity was promoted from speculative hypothesis to
accepted scientific dogma by the key observation that the apparent position of a
single star was altered exactly as predicted during a solar eclipse. The
theory was further confirmed at Hiroshima.
Any generalization
Regarding smuggling Appendix 1 orchids, there are two distinct illegalities.
It is not only illegal to ship the orchids from Peru without the proper
papers, but it is also illegal for them to enter the US. Both INRENA in Peru and
US Fish & Wildlife have separate jurisdictions which apply.
Quaternary amines, such as Physan, are strong detergents, which gives
them the ability to disintegrate cell membranes. The outer cell layers of
multicellular organisms, such as plants, have more resistance to this action than
single celled organisms, such as bacteria and fungi including sin
With regard to Iris Cohen's warning [OGD V6 #366, message 4, repeated as
message 8, I presume for emphasis] about cleaning pots in bleach, from my
background in Chemistry and Biophysics, as well as long personal experience, it is
nonsense! I have no idea where the idea of saturated calcium
The active ingredient in bleach is not gaseous chlorine but hypochlorite
ion, which is not volatile. Accordingly, bleach needs no confinement to work
properly. It destroys the amino acid tyrosine, a constitute of all complex
proteins, on immediate contact; the rest of the organic matter fol
AJ Hicks questions [OGD V6#370] the chemistry behind my recommendation of
bleach as a virtually instantaneous sterilization agent. He cites the odor of
chlorine in bleach as evidence of the volatility of hypochlorite. He is
correct that the manufacture of bleach involves the uptake of gase
When I made my original comments about the efficiency of chlorine bleach for
cleaning pots and cutting edges, my intent was to reassure orchid growers,
particularly novitiates, about simple and reliable procedures. I had no
intention of getting into a dispute with AJ Hicks, nor putting word
Sorry to further belabor the point, but if economics is the criterion for
choosing a disinfection method, bleach wins hands down. Pool chlorine costs
about $1/gal locally. To make up a pint of dilute chlorine for cleaning
cutting instruments requires 1/10 of a pint of concentrate, or 1.2 c
I presume that Bob Scully's rebuttal of he antiviral effectiveness of a
simple exposure to bleach [hypochlorite] originates from the Work Ethic concept
that the greater the labor, the greater the reward. Regarding the torch vs.
bleach, it ain't necessarily so.
I have great respect for
I have difficulty in accepting Steve Topletz' generalization that
antibiotics are phytotoxic. The mechanism of action of most antibiotics is directed
against metabolic processes, chiefly involving DNA processing, that differ
between bacteria and eukaryotes. Appearances aside, animals and p
While searching for an article in my pile of reprints, I recently stumbled
upon the original 1967 article by HH Thornberry advocating TSP as a viricide.
It is apparent that his background as a Plant Pathologist did not serve him
well as a Chemical or Biochemical expert. He shows no awarene
With regard to my source of information about orchid species extinction
[Peter O'Byrne, OGD V6 #423 Message 6], it is based on facts we all know. If
orchid fanciers find a given orchid species of interest, entrepreneurs will
propagate it artificially until all desires are fulfilled.
M
Nina Rach's terse commentary on the conviction of George Norris [17 months]
for importing Peruvian Phrags illicitly is too casual. We should all be
outraged for the imposition of draconian penalties for violation of a law
designed to protect endangered species of ANIMALS. If you take into
Regarding Don's question about who informed on Norris, no one knows for
sure, although earlier suspicions about Eric Christenson seem entirely unfounded.
Perhaps no one informed. Attention could have been drawn to Norris simply
by the fact that he offered the tainted species, Phragmipedium,
Prompted by Lauder's problems in getting delivery from a SE Asian Nursery, I
wish to report a more pleasant experience with Saigon Orchids and Flora of
Viet Nam. Some of the fleshy bulbed species [Calanthe, Phaius, etc.] I
ordered were found to harbor beetle larvae by the supposedly lax Mia
There is a powerful enzyme, catalase, present in most cells, bacterial,
plant and animal, that converts hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen real
quick. The peroxide lasts long enough to put the kabash on many bacteria for a
short time, hence its effectiveness in treating crown rot, but
I was dismayed to see how many self righteous OGDers would support the
draconian sentence imposed on George Norris and somewhat relieved that at least
Steve Topletz and Eric Muehlbauer saw fit to place the "crime" in a proper
perspective. Remember Dickens' "Les Miserables," in which Jean Va
The comments of Martin Epstein and Bill Bergstrom about George Norris remind
me of the extent to which George resembles the late Fred Fuchs Jr., vendor
of species orchids in Miami and father of Bob Fuchs. The politics old Fred
spouted were a little to the right of Attila the Hun, and like G
Kathy,
I hold the title of Professor Emeritus of Pharmacology, Physiology and
Biophysics at the University if Miami. Can I serve as the Physiology
Professor you seek until one more to your liking comes along?
Not all the unfiltered information one obtains from a Googol search can
In reply to Ron Kaufman, RGD V6 #472, Jenny's email address
is:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Bert
Pressman
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Mike:
Don't overlook the opportunity to attend
the Redlands Orchid Fair, held each year the Friday, Saturday and
Sunday after Mothers' Day, in Homestead, Florida, in the Miami area.
It will have several vendors from Peru as well as vendors from Ecuador and the
Philippines and all sorts
Tricia's post about having read Glancy's post about Taiwanese pests
puzzles me. I am one of those who received Glancy's posts WITHOUT any
message, yet Tricia says she received the posts WITH the message. Does
that mean that there are different versions of the OGD? When I reply to an
OGD p
Nancy:
Regarding Cycnoches warsweiczii, Cychnoches do occasionally bloom
after they defoliate and enter dormancy for the winter. It probably would
not take up any water or nutrients from the pot if repotted, since its roots are
likely to be dead, but it can draw on stored reserves to bloom.
I have read all those heated discussions on
EC & TDS and wondered if I was experiencing a resurrection of medieval
philosophers arguing about how many angles can dance on the head of a pin.
Do orchids possess EC meters that tell them when to burn their roots? Can
conductivity distingui
1. The point brought up by Mark does have merit; different ions
have different "mobilities" in an electric field, hence different
conductivities. So what exactly does measuring EC tell you about the
effect of a given solution on orchids?
2. Technically, salts by definition include all substa
Maybe I'm missing something. If I habitually fertilize my
orchids with 5 Oz 15-5-15 diluted to 20 gal, that works out to 1/4 Oz/gal.
If there are 128 Oz/gal, that means I add 1/4 part fertilizer to 512 parts water
or about 1 part fertilizer to 2,000 parts water. If
there are 0.15 parts ni
Viateur:
The picture at http://www.orchidspecies.com/catviridiflavum.htm looks
like verdiflavin to me, although mine have some yellow-green blush around the
hood. If you could email me the scent I could be more
certain.Bert
Pressman
__
The Superthrive label lists Thiamin [Vitamin B1] and Naphthalene
Acetic Acid [NAA] as its active ingredients. I have often wondered about the
Thiamin, since plant cells can synthesize their own, which is why we urge Johnny
to eat his veggies. The NAA is a plant hormone that stimulates growth
I understand that orchids from Madagascar and Indonesia will
be available at the Redlands Orchid Festival in Florida this year [May
13-15]. For further information contact Jim Watts, [EMAIL PROTECTED]. Bert
Pressman
The vendors' list for the 9th Annual REDLAND INTERNATIONAL ORCHID
FESTIVAL, to be held at the Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead Florida, May
13-15, is now on line: www.redlandorchidfestival.org .
The list includes 56 vendors, 28 of whom are from overseas, which, I
believe, is without precede
The vendors' list for the 9th Annual REDLAND INTERNATIONAL ORCHID
FESTIVAL, to be held at the Fruit and Spice Park, Homestead Florida, May
13-15, is now on line: www.redlandorchidfestival.org .
The list includes 56 vendors, 28 of whom are from overseas, which, I
believe, is without preced
We have been made aware of the excessive zeal of the US
Plant Police [aka USF&WL] on many recent occasions. Their French
equivalent appears to be equally ruthless.
Some of the organizers of the WOC
requested that Madagascan orchid vendors "show the flag" by selling
Madagascan orchids
In view of the many posts concerning the
politics at the recent WOC, it seems appropriate to relate my own experiences
there. I had been duly registered and issued judge's credentials and
was about to join my team when two of the judging coordinators,
Ric Neiryinck and Cordelia Head, di
I emailed the message below to Martin
Topletz directly, but in view of Andy's remarks impugning my judging
qualifications, without bothering to check facts as usual, I am appending it and
submitting it to the general OGD readership.
No, I am not an accredited AOS
judge, but no suc
Sheldon, Fuchs did not exactly "...clean up at Dijon with his
Vandas." At the end of the regular round of judging, three Vanda
awards were given, including a gold to Martin Motes, Fuchs' South Florida rival,
for best Vanda in Show [V. Blue Grig x V. Arjuna], a bronze to Motes for V.
Motes T
Andy, as the master artist of defamation on
the OGD, it ill befits you to criticize others. If your remarks about
me were not intended to "start a fight," then why else did you make
them?
To begin with I was never informed that I
was no longer a "judge in good standing" at the SFO
Jerry:
You should try coming to the Redlands Fair
in Miami May 13-15. Representatives of the USDA are on hand to issue
paperwork in a professional manner, there will be a lot more vendors than were
at Dijon, especially from overseas, and, besides, it's a lot
closer.
My experiences,
We imported a shipment of orchids from the Saigon Orchids and Flora
nursery about two years ago. While the shipment was delayed by Viet Namese
governmental red tape, it arrived eventually and was of good
quality. No Appendix 1 plants were sent, i.e., none of the
fascinating Viet Namese Pap
Colin, I have some Australian species that are not doing too
well. What's the current market price of Koala bears and where can I
get
one?Bert
Pressman
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Regarding the MSU low phosphate fertilizer
formulation, the author of the Orchids article Leo was trying to recall is Jan
Szyren. She was not the originator of the formula, but, more importantly,
reported her long term success with it as caretaker of the Michigan State
University orchid
Andy, Andy, hey, hey, hey.
Whom you gonna dis today?
It seems to be the consensus that critical
remarks should not be out of bounds in the OGD, but gratuitous nastiness
like "sticky fat fingers" is an admission that the poster
cannot manage the English language with finesse.
Andy now
Andy, my better instincts tell me to ignore
your post, but you did invoke the doctrine of Personal Privilege by mentioning
my name.
I was able to learn that others have been
retained as judges in good standing in the SFOS for years after they stopped
judging. The legitimacy of Fuchs
For years I have heard that this or that
medium is no good for orchid culture "because it absorbs salts," but it is a
simple principle of Physical Chemistry that if the medium absorbs salts
from water, these salts would no longer be available to damage plants. The
plants sense only what
The posts by Ray Barklow and Iris
illustrate what I meant by the persistence of orchid cultural myths which
are contradicted by Physics and Chemistry.
Iris, despite what you've read,
charcoal absorbs only materials that have unsaturated electron systems,
technically termed "Pi elec
Jerry erects a formidable barrier for
reporting on the status of Manuel Arias in suggesting that, "... the
true story of what really happened with his arrest has not been properly
represented in this forum." Furthermore, "...perhaps no one ever will,"
since "various authors perceived id
Andy's latest dart, targeted at Peter
O'Byrne, inadvertently clarified his off OGD email to me of 4/6/05 assuring
me cavalierly that "...you will not be among the judges at the Miami WOC in
2008." He now asserts that he, "... will be part of a committee whose task
is to ensure that
In the same vane as Julio's analogy between
Prohibition and CITES, I remember a husky bully from childhood, who would grab
frailer subjects for subjugation by the collar and threaten us with, "What
did you say about my mother?" Viateur's fascitious conclusion that Julio
is in favor of t
At the AOS Florida-Caribbean Judging
Center, which I attend regularly, teams are autonomous and are composed of
3-6 accredited judges plus perhaps a student judge. They have no
obligations to comply with any AOS master judging plan, but the accredited
judges have been through a rigorous
Zwei Dinge sind unendlich:Das Universum und die menschliche
Dummheit.Aber bei dem Universum bin ich mir noch nicht ganz sicher (Albert
Einstein)
"Two things are eternal:
The Universe and Human Stupidity.
However, I am not yet entirely certain about the
Universe."
It does read better in
G
There is a universal disinfectant somewhat milder than fire and
that is CHLORINE! I use a 1:10 dilution of pool chlorine, which is
equivalent to a 1:5 dilution of commercial Chlorox. Unlike saturated TSP,
which is perpetuated by word of mouth as a viricide, there are lots of real
studies i
Viateur asks if I refer to plastic
pots. Wrong! When I write of clay pots, that is a defined
material. There are lots of plastics and I can't generalize for
all, although in my experience all the various plastic pots that I
have actually exposed to chlorine bleach have been chemically
Nancy's recommendation of a self cleaning oven would work, but what
about the logistics of the procedure? Do you think for one moment that my
wife would let me drag a load of dirty pots from my yard into her
house, let alone placing them in her oven? Do the carbonized residues
fall out of
In a message dated 5/11/2005 6:01:32 AM Eastern Standard Time, Nancy
writes: Like Iris, I run a full load of pots, when the ovenneeds to be
cleaned anyway (you cannot use chemicalsin a self-cleaning oven!). At
perhaps 5-6 times ayear, I think the cost is negligible compared
toscrubbing and
I am surprised that Viateur needs help on conducting a Google
search on Virus + Hypochlorite. Although a lifetime of practical
experience as a Biochemist and Experimental Cell Biologist assures me
that hypochlorite, i.e., chlorine bleach, can clean dirty orchid pots, the above
Google Search
When I first posted my comments on chlorine bleach destroying
viruses and pot debris, my intention was to share with OGDers my expertise on
the inexorable effects of chlorine bleach on all forms of protoplasm as we know
it on earth. Theoretically it might not apply to life forms not based on
I didn't anticipate that the concentration of bleach used for
decontamination would be of such concern. The effectiveness
of chlorine as a viricide was evaluated experimentally at very low
concentrations, presumably to determine minimal conditions for decontaminating
water for human consum
In the Indo-European language group, which
includes Greek, Latin and English, as well as most other European languages,
genders are arbitrary groupings of nouns by grammatical
criteria. Some of the three original genders contained sexually
distinguishable nouns, such as 'man' or 'woman,
Despite contentions that Orchid Taxonomy is
too arcane an art for us amateurs, our orchid experts continue
to delve into areas in which they lack expertise, specifically
Linguistics. When Vandopsis parishii was reassigned to the genus
Hygrochilus, was any sex surgery involved? What woul
Andy should be the last one in the world to complain about orchid
dictatorships after bragging on the OGD that he will never permit me to
judge at the forthcoming WOC in Miami three years hence. Dragon Lady
indeed! And Fuchs' attempt to stop me from judging at Dijon on
the grounds that he
If you had attended our family reunion you would have noticed that
my cousin Linda resembles me more than does my sister Kate. That does not
make Linda my sister nor Kate my cousin, as you might have surmised from
appearances. If you had consulted our family genealogy chart, our true
relat
There must be something in the discussion of permanganate as a
flower preserver that I'm missing. Does one apply it to the cut
stem? If so, how does it affect the flower up stream? If one
applies it to the flower one produces stains of brown manganese
dioxide which would presumably be unc
Juli's admonition ["... never to use metal baskets or metal
anythings because the metal oxidizes and harms the plant"] is the stuff that
myths are made of. Yes, metals do oxidize, but what follows from that?
What evidence did the person originally issuing the warning cite?
Does he, himself
While we're on the subject of hybrids, there is something that has
always puzzled me. If man hybridizes species A and B, the f1 generation is
50%A and 50%B. If the two populations exist closely enough in nature to
form hybrids, the original f1 generation would have probably
been interferti
Regarding Andy's reference to my tilting
at windmills, I actually did receive a couple of key replies to my letter to the
WOC. The letter was copied to a number of individuals for their
edification, but the replies sought were received, and the matter
is still open. As usual, Andy has
Guido:
My old Latin dictionary listed albus-a-um
as white, depending on the gender of the noun being modified.
Definitions are not handed down from Mt.
Sinai with immutable meanings. If you want to be an absolutist about your
definition of "alba", what if a given flower is white in m
I had a problem comprehending what
OGDers expect of "foliar feeding" but was reluctant to weigh in to the
subject out of deference to blaspheming the mystic beliefs of devotees of the
art. Leo's post [OGD V7 #369, Message 5] says it all.
The concept of "foliar feeding" is based on
t
With regard to the mechanism of foliar absorption of nutrients,
John Stanley [OGD V7#372 message 3] is right; the wonder is not the
advantages of foliar feeding but that it can taker place at all. As I
recall, it was Tom Sheehan who obtained experimental evidence for its existence,
but I di
Trying to assess poor David Kurtz' root
problem from the information provided is a little like Senator Frist trying to
assess Terry Schiavo's brain activity from film clips. To begin with the
problem with pH is not that it is difficult to measure but it is so ephemeral
when measured in
Considering all the interest the OGD seems to be showing in Oeceoclades, I
am contemplating importing Madagascan species, including several
Oeceoclades again this coming year for the Redlands Orchid Festival in
Florida next May.
Whether I do or not depends to some extent on interest for adv
I will be importing mature Aeranthes henrici from Malala Orchids
[Madagascar] for the Redlands Festival in Homestead, Florida, scheduled for this
coming May, along with lots of other Madagascan species not otherwise available
in the US. There will be discounts for advance orders and I will sh
The tenth annual REDLAND INTERNATIONAL ORCHID FESTIVAL
will be held outdoors at the Redland Fruit & Spice Park, Homestead,
Florida [suburb of Miami] on May 19-21. Fifty-five vendors,
mostly from overseas, offer a wide variety of orchids, including many
species that are hard to find, at reas
Gene Howard asked about Silca in Cell Walls. Bob Dressler in
"Physiology and Classification of the Orchid Family" discusses the inclusion of
silica bodies in orchid cells sheathing vascular bundles as a presumed
reinforcement of orchid
tissue
[pp 23,25]. However I
While the two species reference books recommended by Stephan Manza are
good, I find myself constantly going back to the Alex Hawkes "Encyclpedia of
Cultivated Orchids" as more comprehensive and informative, even though it was
published 41 years ago. Although it contains few pictures, the wri
I also own a mounted specimen of
Xanthopan morgana praedicta, which will be viewable at the Malala tent
at the Redland International Orchid Festival in Homestead, Florida, May 19-21,
along with over 100 Madagascan species offered for sale. If
anyone would still like a list of these species,
Many lay people exhibit a morbid fear of
chemicals. I have read advisories to wear protective garb and goggles
when applying horticultural chemicals, yet most such agents are relatively
benign. Thus Tom Hillson quotes the LD50 of Orthene to be 700 mg/Kg, which
works out to 1.7 ounces of
This is to advise Buzz Baxter to get a life. I, for one, enjoy all
the "childish bicking [bickering?]" I read in the OGD. What I find
"tiresome" is the attempts of other individuals to appoint themselves community
censors and censurers. Bert
Pressman
__
Mark:
I am keenly interested in access to the Plant
Sciences article as well as Barbara's thesis. By coincidence I was
just thinking Barbara's thesis ought to be about ready just this
morning. Please pass on to Barbara my best regards. If
anyone up there is interested, I will be bring
The blessings of Global Garming! Frosts were
not uncommon in Miami prior to the mid '80's but we haven't had a single frost
since, which the orchids sure appreciate. I used to spend a lot of effort
slinging plastic sheets over the orchid tables for winter, but nowadays I
find it less e
I tried to contribute to the issues of carbon dioxide - oxygen and
man's affect on speciation but my posts were rejected without explanation.
My attempts to contact the webmaster for an explanation have been futile.
This post is a further attermpt to find out if I retain any possibility of
Since the source of atmospheric oxygen is
conversion of carbon dioxide to oxygen by plants, the sum of oxygen + carbon
dioxide remains constant. It is hard to comprehend how
oxygen levels could have ever been much higher than at present. The
present steady state level of carbon dioxid
Jose:
The local grapevine here in Miami says that this
year's Miami International Orchid Show, which was held in Miami Beach as a
tryout for the WOC in 2008, was a financial disaster for both the management
[read Robert Fuchs] and the vendors. During March, Miami Beach is filled
with sn
Fortunately Jerry Fisher understood the intended thrust of my post in OGD
V8#174 which seems to have eluded Andy Easton. The issue is not whether or
not I get to judge, at the Miami WOC but the arrogance of the organizers
and Andy in coming up with ad hoc exclusion criteria. Heretofore
ju
Robert Fuchs' post regarding the rescheduling of 19WOC is disingenuous to
say the least. While the time chosen, the end of January, might
avoid conflict with "several other major international orchid events," it
coincides precisely with the Miami International Orchid Festival, scheduled for
Orchids and pH is an area that is often confusing
to the average orchid cultivator. Marni's experience with how ephemeral is
the pH of unbuffered solutions, like her RO water. Absolutely pure water, which
has a pH of 7.0, will take up enough CO2 from the atmosphere to drop to
5.5; if th
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