Weeds

[Gary S]

Thanks Andy, you picked him straight away.

Gary..

[Gary S]

Why is it that there seems to be so many thieves and scoundrels in the orchid world these days.

Put this together with the people with agenda's running societies and judges without a clue, and no wonder the average person in the street hobbyist gets so disenchanted with the scene!!

God only knows - no pun intended.

Cheers

Gary.

[Nigel]

Of late there has been an active "tea leaf" here in the greater San Francisco area.

All right. I can't remain quiet any longer. Please explain the meaning of the phrase "tea leaf".

[Gary S]

Nigel

Rhyming slang for "thief".

Not sure where you are located, but we out here in the antipodes know all of these terms, in fact a lot probably originated here in Oz.

Cheers

Gary..

[MrCym]

Bet Nigel knows about "Bristols"

[Gary S]

Yes Nigel, can you enlighten us on that one please.

[Gary S]

I have managed to get hold of a small quantity of Afalon from a friend who has no problem at all with using it on his orchids. Will try it on a few plants as a trial that can be sacrificed, will use it at the rate he does and will report how it goes.

Hell it is expensive in the smallest size you can commercially buy it in (over $500.00 for 5 litres)

Gary..

[Van Deiman]

A doctor said to me once upon a time, "If you can feel it, smell it, taste it .. it is already in your brain" . This is completely to do with chemical usage. My advice is to hand pick the weeds, every time they show their faces.

BTW Gary S, Nigel is closer to you than he is to me.

[orchids3]

My earlier post said that I didnt have a problem with weeds - well actually I do. Not in pots with the orchids
but with my neighbors Bamboo. Clumping bamboo is not a problem but the neighbors rambling type is.
The stuff grows under my canvas ground cover and eventually punches thru and I find it growing thru the
benches and sticking up above the cymbidiums. Would rather buy my stakes thank you. The past week has been wasted moving everything and digging out the runners and putting down a herbicide - Not happy.

[kamuela]

Al, I think your concentration of Karmex is incorrect. The recommended rate is 1 teaspoon per gallon, not 1 tablespoon. We have found even at this rate it can burn certain orchids. Cymbidiums seem fairly immune but I never used more than 1/4 teaspoon per gallon rate just to error on the safe side. Of course the spraying should be limited to the weeds, avoiding drift onto the plants. I used to use Karmex every two months or so but stopped several years ago. Some of my plants starting showing a weird phytotoxicity with stunted growth and knarled leaves. Once I've stopped spraying weeds in the pots the symptoms stopped.