Semi-hydro and worm tea

[janice]

I am just becoming familiar with worm tea..........a lot of my orchids are in semi-hyrdro - any tips for usage of worm tea. I assume I can spray but can worm tea be left in the holding area at the bottom of each container?? The other problem I see is re-using the worm tea because I will be mixing it possible with existing water in the holding area???

[berkeleysgr8]

I think the worm tea would probably be beneficial to use in s/h. Maybe try one or two orchids and see what you get? I am just starting a worm bin and will be able to collect "worm tea" from the container... I am planning on trying it on some of my s/h plants. I'm just starting the bin though, so no worm tea for few months for me! I am also interested in other's experiences with worm tea and s/h growing!

[tom499]

(Correct me if Im wrong) I believe that worm tea would be great for s/h as it does not cause root burn like other fertilisers, so having it left behind in the reservoir would not be a problem, it would simply soak up and be used by the plant when it wants it.

The usual flushing of the pot will get rid of any old tea just like with the water.

[articuno75]

Janice~ There's a thread here somewhere with S/H and wormtea. I've seen it, I know it's here somewhere, but can't remember the name. Jerry Meola and I think Jay use it.

When I try S/H that's what I'm going to do is use wormtea in the reservoir. I think I'm going to try S/H with one of my Neos. All I need now is courage

[NancyG]

Hi Janice,

I use worm tea on my orchids in s/h. It acts as a fungicide and pesticide. I have found that my plants still need some other fertilizer to give them a boost. The worm tea seemed over the past year to be not as effective as a fertilizer. I still like it and use it for good growth for leaves and roots. I have started using Bloom Booster again to give them a nudge for flowers.

NancyG

[jay]

I have used the worm tea from OVE diluted as they recommend in S/H. I still use it for misting, but now use MSU type fertilizer. I will soak a new or stressed orchid in worm tea and water with worm tea for a while before going to normal fertilizer.

[berkeleysgr8]

Jay, where are you buying your MSU type fertilizer? Any recommendations for hobbyists?

[jay]

I get it from FirstRays.com

I use the pure water type and mix it in distilled or reverse osmosis water.