[at-l] OT question for RnR

[RoksnRoots at aol.com (RoksnRoots@aol.com)]

          I've fallen off my orchids lately. The only healthy one is the 
phalenopsis in a clay pot. Of the 6 pineapple plants I had growing 4 died. I 
suspect the tuber-running Florida grass sucked the nutrition and moisture from them 
last fall. I weeded as much as I could, but weeding in August here involves 
high water in the wetlands and a miasma of humidity, mosquitoes, and 
steam-blanket heat. The one pineapple I got was surprisingly fine. My attempt at papaya 
yielded one good crop and then the plant died when the wetlands flooded in the 
rainy season. Papaya is very drainage sensitive and can't stand wet feet. I 
have a Florida avocado sapling ready to go in. My citrus were planted in fall 
2000. So far the grapefruit is tops and going like gangbusters. I still can't 
believe those perfect, large, juicy, and sweet grapefruits come from the edge 
of my deck. 

         Don't transplant radishes or carrots! They grow a sensitive main tap 
root and will mutate or stunt badly if transplanted after being started in a 
pot. 

              I'm pretty sure all orchids have the same fungus-based 
nourishment system. They are more like an air plant than normal flower. The reason you 
grow them in moss is because they don't need dirt minerals for sustenance. 
They grow a microrisomal (?) fungus on their roots that they then derive 
critical nutrients from. The reason you have to add store fertilizer every other 
watering (every 3rd in winter) is because wild orchids derive some nutrients from 
the small amounts of bug and bird scat that normally occurs in the wild. This 
doesn't happen with domesticated ones. You also have to add calcium every now 
and then to compensate for its lack in tap water. They use potash for 
nitrogen, so you might as well just say nitrogen. Both of these are included in the 
store fertilizer for orchids. As far as I know, that is all you need...