I started using the beer formula fertilizer sometime in dec or jan and my plants grew all winter long. I was told on more than one occasion that i would get tip damage by allowing them to grow during the cold months but it never happened.
I fetilized all winter long and kept the heat set on low (40-50 max) and managed to get an abundance of new growth over the winter months and those are my plans again for this year!!!! I fully intend on these hoyas starting to pay for themselves by spring of 08" so we need to get growing and we need to do it all winter long!!!!
Tami try the aquarium heater thing for keeping your water warm to use on your hoyas this winter it works great! I use a 25watt for up to 55 gallons and that's plenty for me The higher watt the heater the more gallons it will heat and the price of the heater gets higher as well!!!
dmichael
Hot Hats
Thanks all for your input. I'm gonna try it at 60, and see if I can get a good nights sleep. Heck it's already getting down to 58 in there, so I guess I shouldn't panic. David even your warm loving hoya's grow at that temperature?
I seem to remember most of them growing at that temp even the thin leaved hoyas like subcalva grew all witner long. I kept it closed during the day and it would get quite warm in there but at night the temps would go down as low as 40-50.
I've had tropical hibiscus blooming during jan and feb at those temps. I think so long as they are not exposed to anything lower than 40 there shouldnt be a problem.
It costs me enough as it is just keeping 2gh's heated to such low temps. If I tried keeping them heated to 60 or higher I couldnt do it,not on a single income that's why I just unloaded all of my tropicals off on someone else and moved my hoyas into the big gh so i'd only have to heat on gh this winter.
I got my budget notice formt eh gas company 2 days ago letting me know that my new budget year has begun and what i'll now be paying per month. The first year it was $70,last year it was $59 now it has gone up to $151 per month. No way am I doing it. My plan is to cancel the budget and go on the will call program where I call them once a month to top it off and it wont cost me near as much per month to do it like that.
I have a 325G tank and it is currently full and since i'll only be heating 1 gh this year and depending on how cold our winter ends up being I may not need anymore gas at all this year,we'll just have to wait and see.
dmichael
dmichael- Would you share the beer formula fertilizer for me and others?
Thanks- Dee
Dee, This is the original recipe as it was first posted. At some point later on it was edited to omit something totally,a little less of this or more of that but I still uses it in its orignal formulation with no problems and my hoyas love it. I use it on my cactus plants as well and they are all doing great as well.
12 oz--beer ( I use icehouse)
1/2 C--ammonia (no lemon)
1 C--epsom salts
2 C--water
1/2 C--molasses
4 tablespoons--bloom booster fertilizer ( I use dyno-gro)
250-500 mg--vitamin B-12 ( I use 500 mg and crush it in a paper towel to make a powder)
Mix all ingredients well and apply at the rate of 1 TBS per gallon of water every 2 weeks.
I have to admit that I am not one for following directions and use it at the rate of 2 TBS per G for 3 waterings then I water the next 2 times with just plain water. Then back to the fertilizer and my hoyas grow like weeds!! Just remember though that what works for me may or may not work for you and others who see this so I would try it at the recommended rate first.
Dmichael
Dmichael-
Thanks so very much for sharing and I also have a large collection of cactus so will use it on them also. I will start with the recommended first.
Dee
The first original didn't call for the molasses, the B-12, or the bloom buster fertilizer. I use it with the molasses, but have not added the other 2 items to it.
Marcy
Wherever I saw it at first that's how it was printed. I cant recall where it was though,this is the formula that I use and it works great.
Marcy, I think this was the first one I saw on the epi forum:
1 12-ounce can or bottle of beer
1 cup of Epsom salts
1/2 cup of ammonia
2 cups of water
Blessings,
Awanda
I use a quarter teaspoon of Superthrive instead of the B vitamin, because I all ready had some and it contains B vitamins. Hope that helps
P.S. I wrote an idiot's guide (for me especially!) earlier this year which is at http://hillshoya.blogspot.com/2007/03/beer-fertilizer.html
I use the superthrive also, but have not tried the molasses, even though I have some that I bought once for I don't know what....I believe in this stuff too, it really does work.
Tami, I found some online sites with much cheaper prices for the inline fertilizer syphons. Just type in a search for Hyponex brass syphon and you'll get a lot sources for it some as low as $12-14
Thanks David, I haven't had time to do that yet, so I really appreciate you looking them up. How did your miracle grow container work?
Thanks for the beer recipe as well David and Awanda, I may try this next spring, as everyone who is using it seems to have nice deep green foilage.
You dont even want to know how that went!!!! I knew I had one of those miricle grow feeders around here someplace I just couldnt out my hands on it. Then I finally found it on a shelf in the storage building.
I go out to the gh fill up the container,get it all hooked up and turn the water on and the bottom blew out of it soaking me and everything around me with homebrew fertilizer. The container had dry rotted and when the water pressure hit it it exploded!! So looks like i'll be off to HD tomorrow for a new one. Or maybe it'd just be easier to invest in one of those brass syphons!!
dmichael
David, you mentioned tip damage with the beer fertilizer...I am noticing that some of the vines on my hoyas, even on the outdoor plants, are drying out at the ends...I have been using the beer fertilizer with every watering, about a tsp per gal....since the outside plants are getting plenty of humidity, could the fertilizer be the reason the vine tips are drying out and dying back? The plants aren't getting too much sun, maybe a few hours in the morning and bright light the rest of the day.
Jen, I thought at one time this stuff was causing a problem so I quit using it for a few months. I had soeme leaves turning yellow and dropping but then I thought about it and realised that I had had that problem even before I started usign the beer mix so I went back to using it.
As far as tip dying goes i've had that happen at some point or another on most of my hoyas since i've been growing them. Dont know what causes it but that was also occuring before I began using the beer fert.
thanks David, I don't understand why it is happening, and it has happened to me before the beer fertilizer as well. One day the vine will be fine and the next day the last inch or so just withers away. All I know is that it can't be lack of humidity.
Awanda, I don't think Ted has changed anything on his website besides new plant entries for ages.
Mel, I guess you and Leslie were way ahead of the pack with the perlite only business. I'm convinced.