I found this link by searching for local suppliers of DynaGro. It's a local hydroponics store. Didn't even know we had one. Well they have small "net" pots and these coir inserts that might be interesting.
I am going to go check it out on Saturday
Would the Dyna Gro Bloom 3- 12 -6 work for the Hoya? My thought is that I needed something higher than a 12
http://www.airlinehydroponics.com/cgi-bin/store.pl?item=588
What do you think of these for hoya pots?
Those look perfect for Hoyas. I really like coconut products for any potted plant, and it seems especially apropriate for Hoyas. They fit in those mesh plastic pots? The only thing- I could see them being dificult for indoor plants when the roots have grown through, maybe hard to keep those outer roots moist. Looks most excellent for greenhouse plants!
Mark
Oh, BTW on the fertilizer, the numbers are the ratio, not the strength. 100 pounds of that fertilizer would yield 3 lbs of nitrogen, 12 lbs of phosprorus, and 6 lbs of potasium. The strength is determined by the application rate. If the label calls for 1/4 tsp per gallon. you could double that to 1/2 tsp per gallon, for double the strength, or halve it for a more dilute concentration, but still with the same ratio of nutrients. For a higher concentration of phosphorous, try a bloom buster like 10-50-50, although i think that might be overdoing it. 3-12-6 sounds really good for an adult Hoya you want to encourage to flower. Apologies if you already knew all this, don't mean to preach.
No actually that's exactly the info I was looking for. I keep looking at the Dyna Gro and can't figure out why they don't have a higher phosporus ratio than a 12.
I was looking at the Earth Juice and the Liquid Karma, too. Must just be another marketing ploy to suck in old hippies like me....something just sounds so right about watering your plants with Liquid Karma.
I think I'm going to get an assortment of the net pots and coir inserts just for something different. Might be good to see the roots coming through so you know what you have, but then what? Time to repot?
yES...they do look terrific, Susan. I would think twice, maybe, on putting the more succulent hoyas like pachyclada etc. in them...but it would keep the outer extremities nice and moist...and coir (coconud fiber) rewets SO well! Asiatica Nursery grows/ships all their plants in those coir pots, I hear!
Carol
Hey, Susan, I actually used to work in a hydroponics store and so am familiar with some of those products. I think the best fert I've ever found is Maxsea, which comes in a balanced (14-14-14), an acid, and a bud buster formula. The nutrients and micronutrients are chelated, so are easy for the plant to take up, and apparently (don't quote me!) are okay for epiphytes too (since the nutrients don't have to be broken down by soil microorganisms, like unchelated ferts do). It also has seaweed extracts, which have lots of micros and a naturally occuring (probably very mild) growth hormone. It smells of the sea, which some like and some don't. Used diluted on my indoor plants the smell dosen't persist long. Not at all like fish emulsion!
I think you hit the nail on the head with your comment about products trying to apeal to the hippie in us, they try to out-do each other with how natural they are. keep in mind that no truly complete fert can be organic, since metals are not biologically produced- they are inorganic by nature, so copper, nickle, et al. can't be called organic.
Dyna grow is very good as well, I've used both it and Maxsea on my Hoyas.
Mark
Great information Mark, I will keep this post filed away!
Heather
Hey, Susan. I love those little coir pots. I plant all my starts in the little two-inch pots.
Mark, thanks for the info on the fertilizers.
Ann