The Best Stuff Ever!!!

[katrina]

Maria -- cinnamon oil and extract are two totally different animals. The oil does not stay suspended in the mixture and it can cause problems. [ask me how i know this]

[maria1971]

Ok, I'll bite, how do you know this? I've been using this without any problems whatsoever.

[karategirl73]

I also have filed away this recipe, I had a surprise when I took home an orchid two months ago and I decided to repot it right away. I was emptying the old medium in the garbage can, and there were two pretty large centipides squirming around in there! GROSS!! Since when do they live in orchid medium?? I don't know if they eat roots or not but it seemed like some of the roots were a little chewed up. ICK! Glad I repotted when I did, but it seems soaking in that recipe is a great idea.

[squire]

thanks gguys, need something to keeep the fungi away
any more ideas?

[Macy]

Cinnamon is a natural anti-fungal. I also put a little alcohol in the spray bottle.

[adelaidebunny]

omg. cockroaches in the pot?! I think I would be screaming and getting my vaccum ready.....

and I also read on the forum that there could be centipedes in your pot?! that is just..........disgusting!

[kmarch]

Originally Posted by squire

thanks gguys, need something to keeep the fungi away
any more ideas?

What kind of fungi? Does your orchid have fungal spotting on the leaves? Not all fungi are cause for concern. Given the organic medium most of us grow in pretty much all orchids will have some fungi in the mix somewhere. It's not necessarily a bad thing.

[anakcili]

Originally Posted by articuno75

10 drops dishsoap
1.8 ml cinnamon extract (about 1/2 tsp.)
2 cups tepid water

adjust ingredients as needed.

This is great for cleaning leaves, bacteria and fungal infections, bug teterrant, and now bug and slug killer !

Hi
Can I use the following as replacement
10 drop of normal dishsoap
1.8ml or 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder

Please advise.

[Lachlan]

Originally Posted by articuno75

10 drops dishsoap
1.8 ml cinnamon extract (about 1/2 tsp.)
2 cups tepid water

adjust ingredients as needed.

This is great for cleaning leaves, bacteria and fungal infections, bug teterrant, and now bug and slug killer !

Hi,
When you say "dishsoap" are you referring to dish-washing detergent or an actual product called dishsoap?
I ask this because soap is a natural product and detergent is synthetic.
All of my orchids are grown outdoors and I figure a wash before I re-pot with this recipe would do them a world of good but I would hate to use the wrong product and kill 20 orchids in 1 go, I think I would also drop dead!
Do you flush the pots with freshwater after?

Cheers,
Lachlan.

[orchids4me]

Originally Posted by Lachlan

Hi,
When you say "dishsoap" are you referring to dish-washing detergent or an actual product called dishsoap?
I ask this because soap is a natural product and detergent is synthetic.
All of my orchids are grown outdoors and I figure a wash before I re-pot with this recipe would do them a world of good but I would hate to use the wrong product and kill 20 orchids in 1 go, I think I would also drop dead!
Do you flush the pots with freshwater after?

Cheers,
Lachlan.

Hi Lachian,
Dish soap not detergent. I played it safe dawn dish soap safe for the enviroment used it to slide the new section on the bay bridge . They use it to wash water fowl and animals in oil spills. So this one is safe. I use this in my batches of brookin's recipe.
Good luck

[Greybeard]

I'm glad somebody reposted on this, I was having trouble finding the recepie, maybe scanning to fast for my old eyes it is tiny AS to centipedes, it is my understanding that most are carnivores, preying on other bugs, depends on what you have, they do love dark moist areas to hide and hunt Creepy crawlies, sometimes have a purpose

[mkduncan]

I used Palmolive Pure and Clear because someone mentioned use the green Palmolive. I used a little bit more Cinnamon and soap for a severe bout of spider mites on cucumber vines and it worked like a charm! I have had a problem getting rid of some mealy bugs on one orchid though. Nothing seems to work except alcohol swap every couple days.

[Phalkiller]

Originally Posted by articuno75

It was gross. But watching the critters surface and scramble for their very lives, only to go into a death rattle and fall back into the mix. It was creepy, but great. Pest free botanicals is all I care about.

I do have to make a note...It doesn't work on silverfish. (When I say everything was in that pot I meant it.) It slowed it down and stunned it, but didn't kill it. Man,,,, it was a fast littler booger too.

Hi articuno75!

I was wondering if i can use that mixture once a week as part of my watering regimen. My orchids are outside permanently as i am trying to mount them onto my tree. Snails are beginning to climb up the tree branches and eating my phal leaves. Would it be ok to use your formula to water the orchids with? i will also put some onto the leaves either with a spray or paint brush. Thank you for your help

[aslesha]

hi guys, im new here, and badly need some help...one of my dendrobiums, which is otherwise in good condition, and by that i mean has a fresh spray of flowers, has a healthy root system...but the leaves paint a different picture..most of the leaves have a speckled appearance...white speckles along the length of the blade,almost as if embedded in the leaf. im not sure if this is a viral infection, and how to go about treating it.its one of my favorite plants.....and i need help.

ps:this plant was attacked at the root by mealy bugs a few months ago, but i managed to flush them out, and hopefully the bugs havent caused this

[david8956]

Just found this thread....a lot of good info here.

For anyone looking for Cinnamon *OIL*, try your local pharmacist. The drug stores here (Florida) all seem to carry it, but you do have to ask for it because it's behind the counter. I bought a bottle recently for about $5.00 (1 Fl Oz, LorAnn cinnamon oil)

Off topic, but if you have any cinnamon oil......try soaking some wooden toothpicks in the oil for a week or more, then suck on them. I can guarantee it will light you up, but man is it good!

[funktified]

Hi Guys, just wanted to share my little experience - this could just be my ignorance, although be careful spraying this stuff on pods.

I had severe problems with those pesky aphids and sprayed about 750ml of this stuff between my 3 Cyms all along the spike, flowers, pods and base. What I found is that over the next week, all the flowers started to die and the pods all fell off after 1-1.5 months.

Well, I got rid of the aphids, and the plants are healthy - just no pods

[GKK]

I used to be an exterminator and yes dish soap is a wonder ingredient. In cockroaches it gets in kinda paralyzes their breathing "tubes" and they cant close them off so they drown in a matter of seconds. Also works on wasps and other flying critters. I have seen a few gnats recently and your post reminded me of all that. I keep cinnamon sticks soaking in my water sprayer all the time so I wonder if that would suffice if you had no extract.