Worm Tea - further testing -accerated growth rate

[jerrymeola]

I have been running numerous tests on Orchids with Worm Tea.

I took two flowering Paphs to my office after the Orlando Home and Garden show to see if Worm Tea would extend the life of a flower. It was not too good a test since I did not know how old the flower was when it started.

Well the flower fell off in a month (2-3 months from bud is my expectation) and then a real interesting thing happened.

Paphs which are normally slow growing started to grow like a weed. Paul who shares my office says he can sit and watch it grow. It grew three new pups 3-5 inch's high in only 8 weeks.




It is growing hydroponically in Worm Tea without any drainage. It is 28 feet from the nearest window. I tried to measure the florescent light level, but it was so low as to be useless.

If you look at the picture the little black vertical stem in the middle is the original flower stem and that was the height of the plant. The pup in front grew another inch in the week since I took the photo and the two pups in back are 4 1/2 to 5 inch's each. The shine on the leaves is Worm Tea sprayed directly onto the leavs.

The original plant has lost three leaves already and I expect the two left (yes only two of the leaves in the photo were on the plant 8 weeks ago) will fall off soon.

I will do another posting to show how to grow these in a closed vase.

[chefatplay]

Great picture, Jerry. Are you misting your orchids daily? I have received my worm tea, thank you, and misted today for the first time. I'm anxious to have your opinion. It looks like you really wet the leaf. Should I do this for my Phals?

[siriusmk]

That's exciting news. I had just received my shippment of worm tea last week and used it on all my miltoniopsis. I wasn't sure what dilution I should use because it came with vague instructions (up to a 1/4 cup per gallon). I used a teaspoon per three quarts. How much would u recommend I dilute it?

[jerrymeola]

ChefAtPlay

I mist it whenever I feel the need to do something. It is a lot safer than watering too often.

When I am doing an outdoor show I mist 6-10 times during the day. The flowers and leaves hold up to the heat like that. I had Oncidium in full sun at the St Petersburg show and at the end of the day the flowers were still bright and strong.

Siriusmk

The recommended dilution is 50 to one. It can safely be used at more than double that amount, but I have no idea if the higher levels are beneficial.

35 to 1 dilution is about once ounce of concentrate to a quart of water. Remember to use non-chlorinated water or the chlorine will kill some of the microbes.

[sandra]

I keep putting this off and keep regretting it. As soon as I log out of here, I'm placing my order. I could just kick myself but I have others that will gladly stand in line to comply.

[chefatplay]

OMG, the bottle said to mix with a gallon of water, so I did. I have SUPERTEA. Now I know I can dillute further. Thank you for the instructions.

[jerrymeola]

It you have the four ounce bottle that is 4 ounces to a gallon or one ounce to a quart. That is about a 35-1 ratio and works fine.

you can dilute it with another quart of water to make about a 50-1 ratio.

[sandra]

Jerry, the way in which you've spoken about worm tea from all your threads and being a huge grower of orchids for many years, this must be that once-in-a-lifetime (almost) miraculous discovery you've hit on.

All of your advice and suggestions have been well taken. I've read most of your threads and pay very close attention to everything you suggest. I'm glad you're here and especially being that you live in Florida, the same region that I'm growing my 17 orchids in...compared with your thousands.

I just ordered a gallon of the worm tea concentrate from Our Vital Earth and am looking forward to start using it.

Thanks so much for being here. I appreciate your enthusiasm.

[chefatplay]

Ditto that, Sandra. Maybe we could get together and make a journey to our FL ORCHID DOCTOR some time. Would love to his collection. Have you ever been there?

[flowerchild]

I purchased worm casting to make my own worm tea as it would have cost me over $30.00Cdn to have the worm tea sent to ontario. I went to the hydroponics store and bought worm castings in which I put into a stocking and let sit for 12-24hrs voila worm tea, I have been using it for about 3wks now misting my 20ish orchids and water into the medium and so far so good, my maxillaria tenufolia is doing something(not sure what) that is has never done before, not even grow and I have owned this little gem for 2yrs now. This site is a fountain of useful info, my aunt grows orchids as well and she thinks that I am crazy for trying all this stuff, but we at orchid geeks really know who the crazy one is!!!!!

[chefatplay]

Very interesting, flowerchild. I would have never thought of that. hmmmm

[sandra]

Originally Posted by chefatplay

Ditto that, Sandra. Maybe we could get together and make a journey to our FL ORCHID DOCTOR some time. Would love to his collection. Have you ever been there?

Now that would be fun Ellen...............

[gerneveyn]

Flowerchild, did you add anything to the worm castings to make the tea? I went to a local hydroponics store and bought castings. The store owner told me to mix in molasses with the castings. I wish I'd thought of using a stocking.

[justloveorchids]

Sorry but i simply do not understand all of your reluctance to simply start a wormerie of your own

they are so easy and ecological
they do not need to cost much as you can use any old large plastic container with a lid

any fishing tackle shop will sell you brandling worms and all the peelings and food scraps from your table feed the worms

[flowerchild]

Originally Posted by gerneveyn

Flowerchild, did you add anything to the worm castings to make the tea? I went to a local hydroponics store and bought castings. The store owner told me to mix in molasses with the castings. I wish I'd thought of using a stocking.

Gerneveyn: No I did not, the back of the bag didn't say anything about molasses. What did the person you bought the worm castings from say that it was for and how much do you add? Thanks Cindy aka flowerchild

[gerneveyn]

I didn't ask why. But I read on other sites to add molasses and other nutrients. On one site, it says one liquid ounce of molasses and an equal amount of sea kelp will encourage bacterial development of the tea. Here's the site: http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/09.asp

[flowerchild]

Originally Posted by gerneveyn

I didn't ask why. But I read on other sites to add molasses and other nutrients. On one site, it says one liquid ounce of molasses and an equal amount of sea kelp will encourage bacterial development of the tea. Here's the site: http://www.allthingsorganic.com/How_To/09.asp

Gerneveyn: here's what it says on the back of package of worm compost that I bought: Casting Tea, soak 1 part castings in 3 parts water for 12-24 hrs. Stir well and add water as usual;Casting tea is excellent for fruiting , flowering or difficult to access plants.

[gerneveyn]

How dark was the tea you applied to your plants?

[chefatplay]

Jerry, I'm going to try misting them daily and see what happens. I misted them last night, and it dried before I went to bed. I didn't drench them, but there was water on the leaves. Even misted the violets. The leaves drank it right up!

[flowerchild]

Originally Posted by gerneveyn

How dark was the tea you applied to your plants?

It is black when shaken, but you must shake it before you use it otherwise the sediment lays on the bottom of the spray. But I have seen some improvement in my orchids.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by chefatplay

Even misted the violets. The leaves drank it right up!

I've wondered about this. I've got numerous African Violets and am constantly making sure their leaves stay dry when watering. Wet and violet leaves just don't work well. Wouldn't the same apply with the worm tea?

[snowballsarebad]

Now, I've noticed my worm tea leaves a white residue on my plants' leaves. Too concentrated? Or does everybody using worm tea notice this?

[Sharyn]

Wow Ellen, I never get the leaves of the African violets wet, however, a slight mist - never thought of that. All my other plants love it - perhaps I'll give the violets a mist too.

snowballsarebad: I use pre-made Vital Earth worm tea and I've never noticed any white residue on the leaves. Jerry can probably answer this question for you.

[flowerchild]

Originally Posted by snowballsarebad

Now, I've noticed my worm tea leaves a white residue on my plants' leaves. Too concentrated? Or does everybody using worm tea notice this?

My tea leaves dirty marks on the leaves.

Sandra, African violets love to get their leaves wet. They don't like to get their leaves wet when they're in the sun. If the leaves do get wet, put them in the shade, and don''t put them back until the leaves are dry.

[chefatplay]

Snowballsarebad, The tea I use is also Vital Earth and just a very slight color of yellow and I don't notice any white on my leaves either.

Orchid126, thank for the note about water on the violet leaves in the sun. In the area I have them they get western sun, so I will make sure to water them in the am only.

Sandra and Sharyn, after I misted the violets the first time and saw how they soaked it in, I have done it three more times and they seem to love it. I wonder though, would this mean they don't need immersion watering as much? I've been watering them twice a week. What do you think?

[Sharyn]

Ellen: I don't know. Both of mine are in special african violet planters - the kind where the top pot with the plant sits inside the bottom pot filled with water. The top pot wicks up the water from the bottom pot. So, I never actually water them directly, just fill the reservoir occassionally a few times a month.

[sandra]

Originally Posted by orchid126

Sandra, African violets love to get their leaves wet. They don't like to get their leaves wet when they're in the sun. If the leaves do get wet, put them in the shade, and don''t put them back until the leaves are dry.

I'll take this advice and try misting them when the sun goes down. Thank you for the tip orchid126!

[NancyG]

Thanks for all the updates.

I've been using worm tea for about a month and all my orchids leaves look better. They have been growing better too. I didn't know if it was my imagination or not but they seemed to be blooming better also.

I've also used it on my gardenias. They had a nasty case of scale and mealy bugs. It didn't get rid of all of them but it seems to be slowly elimanating them. Their leaves were alot healthier after misting.

I would still recommend it to anyone.

NancyG

[jerrymeola]

I have been away from this thread too long.

Worm casting and Tea are the same thing one dry and one wet. I recommended the Tea since the castings would wash out of orchid pots.

For African violets the castings alone would work well.

Misting allows the microbes to be absorbed quicker directly through the leaves.

I will have a future posting about the insecticide properties of worm Tea. A good friend from www.ECHOnet.org Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization was very familiar with this and said the Tea has chitanese which dissolves the chitan in the insects skeleton. As a result they leave fast. Scale can not move so it dies. If you scrape the scale with your fingernail and crust it is brown (dead) rather than green.

I recommend everyone to visit the Echo web site. They research the growing of food crops to eliminate hunger in third world countries. They are very good at it.

The spots on the leaves is the minerals dissolved in the water you used. I have a lot in mine and none if you buy bottled water or use RO water. It is harmless. My wife has been using a light lemon water mist to wash the leaves and make them shine.

You will find the microbes help the roots to hold water for longer periods and less watering is needed. Rene who got me interested only gives her 4 inch pots 4 ounces of tea mix a month. I water a lot more but hers do great. Maybe she just gives them more love.

misting certainly seems to soak into the leaves. It dries too quick to be just drying.

[butt0n]

Out of curiousity, how much worm tea do you use for a gallon of water. I followed the instructions using 1/3 cup, but it doesn't seem to be doing anything. I've been using it to mist my orchids, but there's not much difference.

[chefatplay]

Button, you're doing it right. I started noticing a change after about 2 to 3 weeks, now my plants are doing dances. My Vandas are growing new roots like crazy and my Phals are holding on to their flowers forever. The leaves are so green and firm. The new leaf growing on my mother phal is moving right along.

The only problem I had was my fault. Instead of lightly misting my violets I went overboard. I have lost all of the flowers. After two weeks, and no water, I am beginning to see a few buds. The leaves however are growing like gangbusters.

I have soaked my orchids with worm tea also. I would recommend that for you also. Keep up the good work.

[janet_a]

yeah, i'm misting at the 50-1 ratio also; it seems to be helping some of the plants; it's doing a pretty good job keeping the aphids off the roses (although not off the purple passion plant--i swear it's the plant itsellf producing the little buggers).

was chatting with a guy from Floradise about my vuyl at death's door; he was surmising that it was a lack of humidity over the winter that nearly killed it. i'm thinking now that, if it survives (it looks terrible but it's growing a new pbulb - yay!), i'm going to keep a bottle of the worm tea handy and just give it a daily spritz all winter and see if it does better that way.

[trybalpnoy]

janet and anyone else who might have delt with aphids,

i have some keikis that i repotted and they were hoarded with aphids. what's the likelihood that they'll go away with misting of worm tea?

[PhalPal]

Hi again trybalpnoy! Since your plants are quite small I would start by giving them a good bath and manually removing the aphids. I do believe some members have had some success with worm tea and critters; I would rinse first and then spray.

[butt0n]

Originally Posted by chefatplay

Button, you're doing it right. I started noticing a change after about 2 to 3 weeks, now my plants are doing dances. My Vandas are growing new roots like crazy and my Phals are holding on to their flowers forever. The leaves are so green and firm. The new leaf growing on my mother phal is moving right along.

The only problem I had was my fault. Instead of lightly misting my violets I went overboard. I have lost all of the flowers. After two weeks, and no water, I am beginning to see a few buds. The leaves however are growing like gangbusters.

I have soaked my orchids with worm tea also. I would recommend that for you also. Keep up the good work.

Thanks for the input! I guess I see them everyday and don't notice much. I'll have to keep a closer eye on them I suppose. Lastly, how often to you mist with the worm tea? You also mentioned watering with the worm tea. I currently use grow formula and alternate the watering cycles with plain water. Would I have to flush them out before using straight worm tea mixture? Also, do you go through worm tea quickly using only that?

[chefatplay]

At first, I was misting everyday. Now I am misting twice a week. Misting everyday did make me go through my tea very fast. Soaking them isn't as bad because I save the tea for the next time.

So, now I soak once a week. My orchids seem to like that the most. I mist twice a week. If I can't stand it, I mist a little more. I'm trying to hold back though.

I water my Vandas everyday by immersing them in plain water in a 5 gallon bucket. I mist my Vandas two to three times a week with the tea. Everyone is very happy.

Worm tea does NOT like commercial fertilizer. The chemicals kill the microbes. Use one or the other. Flush your orchids before soaking with the worm tea if you have been using chemical fertilizers. Maybe that's why you aren't seeing a difference. Hmmmm...

[butt0n]

I do mist with the worm tea and fertilize with the other stuff. I didn't know that would make a difference; I only thought if I watered with both that that would be the problem. How many times should I flush with water in order to be able to use the worm tea? Do you reuse the tea for every plant that you have?

[chefatplay]

I pour so much worm tea in a container and soak all the orchids in the same solution. What is left over is put back in the container. We will have to ask Jerry for a detail on the misting vs chemical fertilizer. I do know they say don't use chemical fertilizer and worm tea together, and I know no other fertilizer is needed if using the worm tea, so I don't. I have had great results.

Just a good flushing and then start the worm tea. That's what I did and got great results.

I like Kevin's approach to things, simple and effective. If I get too much going, I won't continue. I still work full time and love my plants, so, worm tea for me.

I hope this is helping you. I will help all I can.

[jerrymeola]

Well let's see if we can put the issues into groups with suggestions.

First there is nothing in using Worm Tea with fertilizer, that can harm your plants. At the worst fertilizer may eliminate some of the benefits of the Worm Tea.

Any phosphates interfere with the beneficial microbes in the potting mix (or soil for non-orchids). Using this analogy remember that we fertilize plants outdoors in the ground and the interference with the microbes in the soil has been acceptable for thousands of years. Fertilizer can not work unless there are microbes in the medium that break the chemicals down to a usable form for the plant. So clearly fertilizer does not destroy the growing conditions.

Possibly the phosphates kill some of the microbes, but microbes are alive and will reproduce. In good soil, we have worms producing more microbes constantly.

So the only real issue is if fertilizer and Worm Tea together works better, the same, or retards the growth. I have not seen anything yet that indicates it retards the growth. So for me it is a question of time and cost. I still have not made up my mind.

I am tempted to try Fertilizer - then two weeks of water - and one of Worm Tea. It sounds good. It also would be the most economical.

Since the microbes are alive and reproduce, I doubt that you need to use it as often as every week. Rene treats hers once a month with 3-4 ounces of tea and on 1 1/2 years of this method, she has excellent results.

I am using 2 ounces twice a week on a Phal on my desk potted in sphag. At this rate the water is completely soaked into the sphag. The Phal is potted in a very decorative Zisha pot from China (also called Blue Clay). I am hoping to get to a point where I could say 2 ounces of worm tea every other Sunday with 2 ounces of water on the other Sundays and every Thursday. It would be nice to make it this simple for a beginner. I would be afraid to do this with just water since some of the roots may not get water. With the microbes in worm tea the water is distributed more evenly through the roots.

Misting - Now this made me think. I mist a lot. When I am outdoors at a show the heat beats the flowers terribly. I used to use just water and the tea is better. It definitely refreshes flowers (it also works on cut flowers). This is important for me.

Now as to misting indoors, I think I am a lot like other Newbies in that I always want to do something for my plants especially my personal ones. Watering too often is dangerous, misting is not. So when I feel the need to do something I mist with worm tea. If I analyzed the issue probably once a weeks is sufficient. The Paph on my desk looks the same if I mist once a week or twice.

I would soak my orchids (especially Cattleya) if it dries out completely since that may kill a lot of microbes (or do the live inside the plants?). The cost factor is not significant for me, but for others you probably do not need to use the worm tea as if it was watering the plant.

I have read a lot of articles on Worm Tea and the consensus is that it retains 30% more water in the plant than normal watering. This seems in line and very correct with my results with Vanda roots.

[chefatplay]

Thank you again, Jerry. I always enjoy threads where I learn something. Since I like worm tea so much this thread is enlightening.

[PhalPal]

Thanks for the excellent answer Jerry. I pretty much use worm tea exclusively to mist, especially stressed plants. I had some root rot (damn moss!)and really thought the plant was gone but re-potted in Aussie Gold, watering and misting with worm tea. I was amazed at the comeback and really give all the create to WT. I had new roots and a leaf within a month, X2 different plants. Now I fertilize with Sea Kelp Extract and mist all my plants with your great stuff. So far the plan is working beautifully!

[jerrymeola]

PhalPal

I learned a couple of things about Sea Kelp. Water run off and rain wash minerals and decomposing matter into the ocean. Sea Kelp feeds richly on this sea bed.

It is probably the best single source of trace elements for orchids. I have a friend who maintains a worm bed for his nursery and feeds the worms Sea Kelp to increase the trace elements. OurVitalEarth also adds mineral feed to their worm diet to increase the trace elements.

One of my Hawaiian nurseries top dresses his orchids with kelp. The product works well, it is just a bit on the expensive side.

[sandra]

When you mist the plant, do you as well mist into the pot, on the bark? Is this recommended as part of the misting or just on the plant itself?

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

I would soak my orchids (especially Cattleya) if it dries out completely since that may kill a lot of microbes (or do the live inside the plants?). The cost factor is not significant for me, but for others you probably do not need to use the worm tea as if it was watering the plant.

Clarification please Jerry: Are you recommending that if a cattleya is dried out to soak it in the worm tea rather than a typical watering and that watering with worm tea every watering is not recommended or any more beneficial than if it were being used possibly every other watering or less?

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

I have read a lot of articles on Worm Tea and the consensus is that it retains 30% more water in the plant than normal watering. This seems in line and very correct with my results with Vanda roots.

Does this indicate that watering less often is expected?

[justloveorchids]

Kelp is basically Iodine and this element has long been known to be both deficient and highly nessecary for health of everything from plants to humans

A relative was a Farmer in NZ who did his own science experiments 50 yrs ago on 2 fields .....one with a kelp fertilizer and the other without the results were amazing

A Doctor in Canada found he could cure Breast Cancer by giving elemental iodine but just guess who did not like that fact emerging

Yes Wormeries do work better and need a dose of kelp from time to time

One day the world will realise synthetic fertilizers and drugs are damaging rather than helpful and go back to nature and organics

[jerrymeola]

Sandra

you can water less often when using worm tea because of the water retention. The standard is still to water when dry for Cattleya. If you test for moisture you will find it takes longer to dry.

I can not see why soaking in worm tea would not be OK all the time. My remark was for those considering the cost and wanted them to release it works well when used even only once a month.

[Hummer344]

It would be easy to start your own worm colony. You would accomplish a couple of things. You can feed vegetable/fruit to worms & they will turn it into lovely casting & its less stuff going to your local land fill. Not to much citrus and no meats or bones of any kind. They will multiply like rabbits, errrr well woms. You can get a medium sized container from the store, not a clear one. put some damp shreaded paper in the bottom then left over fruit, worms, and more damp shreaded paper. Keep in a cool shady place and the worms will work for you. Make sure you keep the paper moist but not soggy. Worms will eat the paper too. I use my shreaded office paper. Its one way to make sure no one else gets your info. Let the worms eat it. Where I am, San Jose, CA we use red wigglers for worms to make compost. Seems that they are happier in the fruit mush. As the leader for a garden project we have two worm bin approx 4'x4' by 6" high, plus two compost bins. Its a self sustaining project and we use compost tea all the time. Never thought of worm tea but will be sure to try it now.

[jerrymeola]

Hummer

what you call compost tea may be the same as we call worm tea.

It is the liquid run-off from a worm bin.

The commercial product I use (Vermi-liquid is the more correct term) is a concentrated version by recycling the liquid up to 50 times through the worm bin. Worm Tea is the common name used on the INTERNET but it is not really descriptive of the process.

[Granniek]

We had a several days with temps over 95 F. I didn't think of how it might effect the bottle of concentrate I had out on my work bench. Also does the concentrate have a 'shelf life'? Thx. Sheila

[Atriel]

I just bought some worm tea bags. I live in an apartment so it's not really practical to have my own wormery yet. I will as soon as I buy a house.

After reading this, I'm really excited about it.

[justloveorchids]

Actually its perfectly OK to add meat, fish,bones,eggshells,veggies and peelings to an active worm bin

The baby worms need the meat /fish /bones/eggshells/albumin to feed and grow on

I agree that too much citrus is a problem and that a sprinkling of kelp or ground seaweed is of benefit

[jerrymeola]

Sheila,

Temperatures are extremely tolerant.

I have been over 100 already this summer. I just keep them out of the sun and do not seem to have a problem.

In general the live span of the Tea depends on how it was produced.

Running water over worm beds and using the water has a usable life of 2-3 days.

The concentrated form I buy from OurVitalEarth has a shelf life of about a year. This is because they feed their worms a special diet and recycle the water over the beds about 50 times before bottling the solution.

[jerrymeola]

Justloveorchids

Be careful of using meat. It is probably OK for the worms but can attract rodents and other undesirables. It is safer to stick to a vegetarian diet.

[snowballsarebad]

I think I'm starting to notice some improvements as a result of using worm tea. I rebasketed my vanda, and it had six new root growths. For several months now, it has not been producing any new roots and I was getting a little worried. Seems the worm tea woke it up.
Also, leaves on several of my plants look much more lush and smooth, losing any signs of dehydration. Part of this may be the higher humidity that we get in the summer. I've also noticed the roots on my Phal Snowappel are going nuts. I've got the thing in either a 5 or 6 inch pot and it looks like it wants to grow right out of this one, too!
Another plant, a Cattleya, was on the brink of dying. I mounted it, and I soak it everyday, once a week with worm tea, and it's looking much better. The tiny new growth has put out roots, and I can see some more greet root tips on some of the older roots.
Thanks Jerry, for all the info you've given us on it. I'm really glad I started using it!

[sandra]

Originally Posted by jerrymeola

So the only real issue is if fertilizer and Worm Tea together works better, the same, or retards the growth. I have not seen anything yet that indicates it retards the growth. So for me it is a question of time and cost. I still have not made up my mind.

Jerry, any conclusions to this now that some time has passed? I met up with a commercial grower who recommended high blooming fertilizer now thru December but is this practical/beneficial/benign with the worm tea? What about fertilizing every other week and alternate weeks using the tea or do you know now if both can be used at the same time, deriving the benefits equally? Also, I've been using the tea every watering. Do you recommend flushing every so often?

I've got 2 - 1 gallon containers of the tea that I haven't opened. Should they be opened and the lids kept loosely on them? Will keeping them tightly sealed, break down the microbes or other ingredients?

[chefatplay]

Sandra, crack open the lids. The microbes are alive and need oxygen. Just teh slightest crack will do the trick. I am interested in learing more from Jerry's response to this, too.
BTW, I just brought some curly leafed parsley and rosemary plants home from the grocery store. Since I have been spraying my thyme with worm tea, I tried it on the new tender herbs. WOW, wonderful difference. They are very happy.!

[jerrymeola]

Sandra

definitely crack the lids a little on the tea. the microbes need the air.

I am opposed to high bloom fertilizers under all circumstances.

For a commercial grower to force blooms for the holidays etc, it is a part of the business, but it gets the orchids out of sequence with the seasons and eventually you will lose a blooming season as the plant gets back to its natural pace.

Most forms of Phosphorus are harmful to all beneficial microbes, whether you are using worm tea or allowing the microbes to develop naturally in your pots. dicalcium phosphate is the best form to use but most packages do not give you the source they use.

I have added slow release fertilizers to some of my orchids (grammophyllum, Cattleya, some Dendrobiums and Oncidium.)

I still water everything with worm tea since it is on an automatic dispenser now.

The grammophyllum are growing much better on the slow release fertilizer. They are large plants and need a lot of nutrient to do best. I have taken a 5 inch pot to 10 inches this summer. that's a lot of growing but it has not bloomed while it is twice the size of others that have bloomed. Now next year it may be spectacular. Lack of blooming is probably a result of re-potting twice this summer as it grew.

the Cattleya are all growing so well (with or without the slow release fertilizer) I can not make any distinction. My true miniatures are doing best with just worm tea.

And the Oncidium have not been on the program long enough to notice. The increase in air circulation and the resulting cooler temperatures have made a noticeable improvement.

Dendrobiums always grow. Spraying the flower buds of Dens has resulted in much better flower production and almost eliminated whatever was attacking den buds.

Worm tea has become my first defense against pests.

[sandra]

OK Jerry, I just cracked opn the lids somewhat. Ellen, thank-you too for the instruction here. I've had these 2 bottles sealed in their cartons for about a month now and am hoping the tea has not degraded in this time.

Since I'm not big on fertilizing and I'd rather use the tea, I'll continue the course without fertilizers. I've already added Nutricote to all the orchids and I suspect I may have forced them all into over-kill with additional fert. anyway.

[WIB]

The agent mentioned at the beginning of this thread that may work against insects, at least small ones, is probably "chitinase," an enzyme that works to bread down the main protein in insects' exoskeleton (that is, the hard coating on their outside). Mainly, I would guess, it would be likely to turn the husks of dead insects into available nutrients. On the other hand, chitin is present in fungi, some of which are either beneficial or essential to orchids (at least for germination of seeds), so a lot of chitinase might not be ideal at that stage of the game. -- Bill Bennett

[WIB]

Sorry about error in previous post. -- B

[jerrymeola]

Thanks Bill I have been trying for a year to get the correct spelling of chitinase. I is definitely present in the worm tea I use.

Because it dissolves the skeleton of the insects they leave the area quickly. Scale which can not move is killed as the skeleton is dissolved. It is extremely effective against Asian Scale which is a terror in Florida now. It destroys Sago Palms. Spraying with worm tea and then soaking the ground will completely eliminate the pest for about a year. Normally the scale kills every leaf on the plant.

My favorite charity is Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization www.echonet.org.

They research methods to grow food for third world countries. They have several worm tea beds as one of their research projects. Much of what I say on this site comes from them. As much as possible I have been trying to get a variety of opinions and so far I have never gotten a negative response. The existence of chitinase and its benefits was passed on to me from them.

[exasperatus2002]

If your growing your orchids semi hydroponicaly, would it be better to just use the worm tea to water it or only to mist them?? I have one orchid thats currently s/h and its cause I bought it that way and now see its easier management then with bark. So Im going to be switching over all but 2 of my orchids eventually to s/h. One is a mounted Dendrobium keiki on cork and the other is my big Brassia. Its in a large mixing bowl and has filled it completely. repotting that will be like repotting sod for the yard.

[cassier]

If using worm tea would one use fertilizer also? If so what would be the correct way of alternating them?
thanks
cassie

[Tobi]

Originally Posted by cassier

If using worm tea would one use fertilizer also? If so what would be the correct way of alternating them?
thanks
cassie

Cassie,
This varies from grower to grower. Depending on the type of growing media
and orchid, some people don't fertilize at all and just use the worm tea. I
personally alternate fertilizer and worm tea when I water during the growing
season. During the winter, unless I have something actively growing or blooming, I either don't fertilize or if I do usually every 3-4 weeks. I still have
been using the worm tea about every other week. This seems to work for me
but as I stated, others will have different opinions. The one thing I can
probably say that we share of those who use worm tea is that it seems to
work great.

[articuno75]

I water regularly and mist with worm tea strictly. I don't use fertilizer. If I think that my "chids" need a little more Umph, then I will "water" with wormtea.

[jerrymeola]

An update on what Bill mentioned on germination of seeds.

I have an organic food farmer that is buying worm tea from me in bulk. Worm Tea qualifies for organic food production.

He pre-soaks his tomato seeds for germination. In water they sprout in 7 days and with a commercial product he uses they can sprout in 5 days, but when he used worm tea they sprouted in 36 hours.

As to fertilizers, phosphate kills microbes in soil. (Another reason I hate Bloom Boost fertilizers). So there is a conflict between the worm tea microbes and the phosphate. Yet I have started using slow release fertilizer in most of my Cattleya and Oncidium.

Remember I am a commercial grower so time is money and I need maximum growth. I am proceeding under the assumption that the phosphate may kill some microbes but using both I will still have more than without the worm tea. Also I apply several gallons a week and, when busy I can fail to fertilize, whereas the slow release is always there.

[NancyG]

Good to know, thanks Jerry.

I still use worm tea for fertilizing, fungicide and pesticide. I have had to use an occasional pesticide when discovering scale. My plants are looking good but I would like more blooms (don't we all). I think I'll try some of the slow release fertilizer also.

NancyG

[silkymoon]

where can I get hands on it???

[silkymoon]

Where did you get it from???

[janet_a]

among other places, Our Vital Earth ~ All Natural Worm Castings & Worm Tea

[patlee]

I soaked the division that Epiphyte gave us in worm tea for a couple of days. I could not repot right away, but now I give worm tea at every other watering. No other fertilizer. And I swear I can see a difference in the rate of new growth in just a week

[jerrymeola]

patlee

there is a big growth boost the first week of using worm tea, but it slows down some after that week.

I will be at the Orlando Orchid Society show in February and should get a update on their six month experiment.

There is some testing going on now with worm casting mixed into the potting mix. I have not hear any results yet.

[janet_a]

--going to the WOC, or motes's show, jerry?

[PhalPal]

Patlee your little growth grew about a half inch in the five days I had them here before I had all the addresses and mailed them out. No worm tea, just a mister bottle. I think you have a very viable division and a really good chance of making it.

[patlee]

PhalPal, If it grew that much without the w/tea, think of what it might do with the w/tea every other watering The new growth I am seeing may not have been hidden in the moss. Seeing as how Jerry said the first week gives a growth spurt, it must have been the w/tea (and the sunshine of my smile)

Great info--thanks