Jump to content
Forum for Epiphytic Myrmecophytes

Frank

Administrators
  • Posts

    206
  • Joined

  • Last visited

  • Days Won

    5

Everything posted by Frank

  1. I am very pleased to announce that new leadership has stepped up to keep our Forum on the internet and growing. His forum name is Jelle and he is one of our European members. Those of you who check in and contribute to the various Facebook ant-plant groups will recognize that he is active on that stage as well and has a growing collection and interest in ant-plants. I expect that he will have more to say about himself now that I have introduced him to the group. Please give him the support he needs to keep what we have here growing. For my part I will no long function as a Moderator on the Forum but I will remain as a member and contributor. I will be contributing a posting about one of my favorite new ant-plants soon - Myrmecodia solomonensis. Thanks to all of you for the seven years you have supported me and the Forum. Frank
  2. I am unable to continue maintaining this forum on the internet. I need someone to step up and take control of the forum and its administration by the end of this month or it will be lost - gone from the internet forever. I want to thank all of you who have helped me to support this forum for many years. It is not rocket science to do this job. You need to pay $20 a month to invision, erase the spam that shows up some days and promote the forum in ways you see fit. If you want the job contact me at frankinmi@aol.com. If no one wants the job you can kiss the forum goodbye! Thank you, Frank
  3. Here is one of my M albertisii, the second plant is the same as first just older. And here is a more recent photo
  4. This is the plant i got by this name from Andreas Wistuba last summer? Some body has something wrong.
  5. WOW! IT IS ONLY FEBRUARY 17th AND THE FORUM IS FULLY FUNDED FOR 2023!!!!!! A huge shout out to 3 longtime members of the forum who each have funded multiple months of the 2023 Forum for us: Jay Vannini, Ken Howell and Philpatrick. Thank you very much men, this is very generous of you! Your generosity is greatly appreciated. AS TO THIS COMING YEARS: I intend to keep this Forum alive and accessible because there is so much information and so many exceptional photos of ant-plants that have accumulated here. I invite all our members and guests to contribute to this endeavor as well - with postings and/or monetary contributions. (Postings anytime and funding for next year in January of 2024.) With our monthly fee to our internet host "Invision" being only $20 it should not “break the bank” for most of us to pitch in and fund a month or two. This small amount is keeping the fabulous photos and information we have accumulated here available to the entire world via the internet. To fund a month, please email me at my wife's paypal account: cathiemelina@aol.com with the name you want me to use for you in the chart below (or let me know if you prefer to be acknowledged as “anonymous” or perhaps as "guest") and $20 for each month you want to fund. Thank you very much for your contribution. (Before any strange rumors start to fly let me assure you we are using my wife's paypal account only because paypal has messed with mine and restricted access to it.) First in line to contribute for the year 2023 is the internationally acclaimed grower of Aroids and Ant-plants Jay Vannini. Jay is one of the original members of this forum and has posted over 200 high quality messages on this site. Thank you immensely Jay for your postings to our forum and now for the $100 contribution that will fund the first 5 months of 2023 for us. Very much appreciated!!! Once again Ken Howell has funded multiple months of the Forum - 3 months this year. This is the 6th straight year that Ken has funded multiple months for us!!!!! You are a superstar Ken, Thank you so very much! Philpatrick is best know here for his postings of high quality and high resolution microscopic photos on the Forum. Thank you very much Philpatrick for stepping up with this very generous funding of 4 months of the Forum for this year as well! All your contributions are appreciated. Thank you very much to Jay, Ken and Philpatrick for their participation in the Forum and their donations. Thank you all our members, Forum Administrator, Frank Omilian 2023 CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORUM: January - Jay Vannini February - Jay Vannini March - Jay Vannini April - Jay Vannini May - Jay Vannini June - Ken Howell July - Ken Howell August - Ken Howell September - Philpatrick October - Philpatrick November - Philpatrick December - Philpatrick
  6. The last few months this plant has produced some flowers. No sign of fruits yet. So I pulled out my cameras and microscope and took some photos. Not the best photos I have ever taken but perhaps good enough to gets us some confirmation of it being in the alata complex or even to narrow it down to a particular species. The flower buds are not very large and they open just barely and not for a very long time. My ruler in the photos is numbered in centimeters so the distance between each of the short unnumbered lines is a millimeter. Microscopic photo of a cut open flower bud. The almost triangle shaped piece of tissue pinned just above the bottom of the stamens got torn off the bottom of the floral tube, so its 3 mm added to the 9 mm of the intact portion of the flower means a flower length of at least 12 mm. The stamens clearly number 4. This photo confirms the long style and shows that the stigma has at least 2 parts. Also here is the first confirmation of upright pointing hairs lining the bottom of the floral tube. This last photo confirms that the 4 stamens are positioned near the bottom of the floral tube and the multitude of upright pointing hairs in the throat of the tube.
  7. I bought a plant of this species from Andreas in May of 2019. Looking at his photos above it was obvious this plant would grow well hanging over the lip of a pot. Since I grow under lights in a basement hanging baskets are not one of my favorite ways to grow so I planted it instead in a 6 inch shallow vanda tray and slid that under one of my 4 foot T5 fluorescent fixtures. You can see here that it grew well in that situation so it came time to upsize the pot. As it grew over the edges of that Vanda tray I moved it into a much larger tray, 22 inches by 11 inches : If you look closely at the the branches to the left and right side of the tray you can tell that each grew into another 6 inch vanda tray. So when it comes a time to propagate and transplant I can snip the narrow neck where it enters into the two side trays and lift those trays out with minimal root disturbance.
  8. Epiphytic Myrmecophytes: Bizarre Wonder of Nature 2022 HI, it is unclear to me how this link works and if it will work here going forward. But lets give it a try as this is a monumental work that needs to be of easy access given the dearth of good ant-plant information. Serious kudos to Derrick for his work over the years for putting this information together and making it freely available. Thank you very much Derrick! https://drive.google.com/.../1BISi7muZ8PUV705xImAH_0Pi...
  9. Hi, Welcome to the Forum. Yes, there is an extensive list kept by Derrick Rowe on his facebook group called "Epiphytic Myrmecophytes" His 2021 version of the work is available there in the very first listing on the site. Clicking there will get you to the Dropbox where he keeps the magnificent work available to the public. He is currently working on the 2022 revision and he has some of that new material already detailed on the facebook page further down the page.
  10. Anyone else grown this species from seed? These 3 seedlings are about 3 years old in 3 inch pots and have more ant entry holes than any other ant-plants I have ever grown from seed.
  11. Thank you very much to all who have contributed to the funding of our forum in the previous years!

     

    AS TO THIS YEAR, 2022: 

    Every time I sign on to our Forum the first thing I check is who is currently online.  Over 90% of the viewers are "guests".  Many of our original and early members have left or visit only occasionally.   This is not really a surprise; there has always been an "ebb and flow" to what group of plants are popular and being sought out in any given year.  The "tide is clearly out" on ant-plants right now.

    I intend to keep this Forum alive and accessible because there is so much information and so many exceptional photos of ant-plants that have accumulated here.  I invite all our members and guests to contribute to this endeavor as well.

    With our monthly fee to Invision being only $20 it should not “break the bank” for most of us to pitch in and fund a month or two. This small amount is keeping the fabulous photos and information we have accumulated here available to the entire world via the internet.

    To fund a month, please email me at franksantplants@gmail.com   with the name you want me to use for you in the chart below (or let me know if you prefer to be acknowledged as “anonymous” or perhaps as "guest").  I will email you back with a paypal address for you to send your donation to.  Thank you very much for your contribution.

    First in line to contribute this year is Shoal Creek Succulents, a USA grower selling on eBay and Etsy with excellent reviews and feedback.

     

    Please make your mark in 2022 by stepping up and helping with the forum funding.

     

    Thank you, Forum Administrator, Frank Omilian 

     

    2022 CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORUM:

    January - Shoal Creek Succulents, Thank you very much for starting the year off for us!

    February -

    March -

    April - 

    May - 

    June  - 

    July 

    August -

    September -

    October -

    November -

    December -

    Edited  by Frank

  12. Thank you very much to all who have contributed to the funding of our forum this year and in all the previous years! AS TO THIS YEAR, 2022: Every time I sign on to our Forum the first thing I check is who is currently online. Over 90% of the viewers are "guests". Many of our original and early members have left or visit only occasionally. This is not really a surprise; there has always been an "ebb and flow" to what group of plants are popular and being sought out in any given year. The "tide is clearly out" on ant-plants right now. I intend to keep this Forum alive and accessible because there is so much information and so many exceptional photos of ant-plants that have accumulated here. I invite all our members and guests to contribute to this endeavor as well. With our monthly fee to "Invision" being only $20 it should not “break the bank” for most of us to pitch in and fund a month or two. This small amount is keeping the fabulous photos and information we have accumulated here available to the entire world via the internet. To fund a month, please email me at franksantplants@gmail.com with the name you want me to use for you in the chart below (or let me know if you prefer to be acknowledged as “anonymous” or perhaps as "guest"). I will email you back with a paypal address for you to send your donation to. Thank you very much for your contribution. First in line to contribute this year is Shoal Creek Succulents, a USA grower selling on eBay and Etsy with excellent reviews and feedback. Thank you very much! Yesterday, Jan. 3rd, was a great day! Two of our members stepped forward to fund a month of the forum. Thank you very much Jules and also Marcel Van Den Broek!! Your support is appreciated! Once again Ken Howell has funded 2 months of the Forum. This is the 5th straight year Ken has done this for us!!!!! You are a superstar Ken, Thank you very much! Maxwell Solomon was inspired to contribute here after he made some recent buys from Andreas's Carnivorous Plant Shop and was impressed with how much additional information and photos he found about those plants here. Glad you found us helpful Maxwell! Thanks a bunch for your contribution! July, August and September were funded by me, Frank Omilian, the Forum Administrator. I can't be asking each and every one of you to fund the forum and not do it myself! So today I was doing some desk work and watching the leaves fall (Michigan, USA) when I got an email from a long time member who wanted to anonymously fund the last 3 months of the forum's cost for this year! WOW, yes please! And thank you so much. Your generosity is much appreciated! Thank you to Mr. Anonymous and all who have made their mark in 2022 by stepping up and helping with the forum funding. MISSED YOUR CHANCE? The posting for "2023 Forum Donors" will be on this page soon. Thank you all, Forum Administrator, Frank Omilian 2022 CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORUM: January - Shoal Creek Succulents, Thank you very much for starting the year off for us! February - Jules, Thank you very much. Jules is one of our newest members. March - Marcel Van Den Broek, Thank you very much for helping to keep us going forward. April - Ken Howell, You are a superstar Ken! Thank you so very much. May - Ken Howell, Your consistent support is deeply appreciated! June - Maxwell Solomon, Glad you found valuable info here Max, thanks for your support! July - Frank Omilian, Forum Administrator August - Frank Omilian, Forum Administrator September - Frank Omilian, Forum Administrator October - Anonymous long time member, has made Christmas come early this year by funding the last three months of the forum for this year. Thank you so much!!!!!! November - Anonymous long time member, Thank you oh so much!!!!!! December - Anonymous long time member, Thank you oh, oh so much!!!!!!
  13. Home / Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants Expansion of the fern genus Lecanopteris to encompass some species previously included in Microsorum and Colysis (Polypodiaceae) Download Article: Download (PDF 435.8 kb) Authors: Perrie, L.R.; Field, A.R.; Ohlsen, D.J.; Brownsey, P.J. Source: Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants Publisher: Naturalis Biodiversity Center DOI: https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2021.66.03.07 This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence. < previous | view fast track articles Abstract References Citations Supplementary Data The fern genus Microsorum is not monophyletic, with previous phylogenetic analyses finding three lineages to group not with the type species, but to form a grade related to the 13 species of Lecanopteris. These three lineages have recently been recognised as separate genera: Bosmania, Dendroconche, and Zealandia. Here, we explore the morphological characterisation of Lecanopteris and these other three lecanopteroid genera. While the traditional circumscription of Lecanopteris has seemed sacrosanct, its defining morphological character states of rhizome cavities and ant brooding associations occur in other lecanopteroid ferns and elsewhere in the Polypodiaceae. Instead, we suggest that the morphological characterisation of an expanded Lecanopteris including the Dendroconche and Zealandia lineages is just as good, if not better, with the pertinent character states being the absence of sclerenchyma strands in the rhizome and at least some fronds having Nooteboom’s type 5 venation pattern. This wider circumscription is also better able to accommodate phylogenetic uncertainty, and it means that groups of species traditionally placed together in a single genus are not distributed across different genera. General users familiar with the narrower circumscription of Lecanopteris will not be significantly disrupted, because there is little geographic overlap with the lineages added to the genus. Consequently, we make new combinations in Lecanopteris for 11 species and one subspecies. Keywords: Bosmania; Colysis; Dendroconche; Zealandia; lecanopteroid; microsoroid; taxonomy Appeared or available online: November 16, 2021
  14. Home / Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants Hoya buntokensis (Apocynaceae, Asclepiadoideae), a new myrmecophytic species and Hoya wallichii subsp. tenebrosa, a new subspecies from Borneo (Kalimantan, Indonesia) Authors: Rahayu, S.; Rodda, M. Source: Blumea - Biodiversity, Evolution and Biogeography of Plants Publisher: Naturalis Biodiversity Center DOI: https://doi.org/10.3767/blumea.2021.66.03.06 This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND licence. Abstract References Citations Supplementary Data We describe a new Hoya species from Central Kalimantan, H. buntokensis, and a new subspecies of H. wallichii from West Kalimantan, Hoya wallichii subsp. tenebrosa. Hoya buntokensis is part of a group of four species that form specialised leaf structures harbouring ants (here defined as megadomatia), and it is most similar to H. undulata. Hoya buntokensis differs from H. undulata in lamina margin (flat vs undulate); shape of corona lobes outer processes (fan shaped vs elliptic), and in the pollinarium morphology (corpusculum larger than pollinia vs corpusculum smaller than pollinia). Both H. wallichii subsp. wallichii and H. wallichii subsp. tenebrosa are slender plants with ovate to oblong, thinly coriaceous glabrous leaves, slender peduncles with 1 or 2 flowers open at a time, and broadly campanulate corollas. Hoya wallichii subsp. tenebrosa differs from H. wallichii subsp. wallichii in corolla colour (dark purple with a paler edge vs white-cream), corona lobe shape and surface (broadly elliptic, spreading and with a minute inner process, almost black with a velvety surface vs kidney-shaped, erect and with a well-developed acuminate inner process, purple with a shiny surface). Keywords: Hoya darwinii; Hoya mitrata; Hoya undulata; Hoya wallichii; Southeast Asia; ant plant; epiphyte; heath forest; megadomatium; myrmecophyte Appeared or available online: November 15, 2021
  15. Hi Piotrsw, Very nice set of photos! Thank you for posting them here. Are you using a microscope to get those close up photos? Were there only 2 anthers in the flower or did you remove 2 to get the photo? There are some unique things about this flower, I have to say I like it. That ring of hairs is the tightest I have ever seen and that anther color is fantastic. I am now even more anxious to get my H. manberamoense to flower. I hope you will continue to provide content here on the Forum, this really is good stuff! I got my manbramoense from Andreas Wistuba in May of 2019. It has never grown like blockbusters but it is doing ok considering it has a fungus disease in the leaves that I have been unable to cure. I do like the caudex. The photo here was taken today with the plant in a 3-1/2 inch pot.
  16. Seeds don't travel as well overseas given rules and delays. So give us the country where you are and maybe someone there will give or sell you some seeds If your "Thank's mate" is a clue, we do have some wonderful members in Australia who may post to you here or send you a PM (personal message here on our site)
  17. Hi Ideaguy, welcome to the forum. Yep, everyone got it right! If you are lucky enough that a little caudex starts to form it will be slow and ugly and never get to be the real thing - and may never fruit and if it does you could have done it faster and better with a seed. Start from a seed and you will have a caudex within a couple months (yes, I know,very small to start but already with an ant entry hole in the bottom!). Folks on the facebook group "Ant Plant Cultivation" talk about cuttings on a regular basis. Search back there if you want to see more "its not worth it". Much better you should ask there if any seeds are available. A lot of seed moves thru that site. And growing from seed is easy, just lay them on long fiber sphagnum moss and don't let it dry out. Hydnophytum moseleyanum is usually not shy about blooming. If your plant is in a 4 inch pot or bigger it should be flowering, even possibly in a 3 inch pot. Give if tomato fertilizer or any formula that promotes flowering and fruiting on a regular basis.
  18. Derrick!!! Thank you very much for providing us with the fruits of your many years of labor as regards your extensive database of Epiphytic Myrmecophytes!!!!!!!! I just browsed 4 of the chapters and had no trouble opening or navigating them. Photo quality is excellent and the extent of your research is truly inspiring! We are honored to have all this available to us at our "finger tips". I want to encourage all of our members and guests make use of all of this that you have provided. It is so thorough that some of us will feel overwhelmed with reading it, but start at least with browsing some of the chapters and look for photos and things that interest you. I expect you will keep coming back. Administrator, Frank
  19. In 2017 I received a packet of seeds labeled as Anthorrhiza caerulea. I sowed them and got good germination. There was some variation in the seedlings and young plants but all were making large asymmetrically branched spines on both the caudex and stem - what was not to like about that! In 2018 and 2019 I sold some of the plants on the American eBay using the name on the seed packet, Anthorrhiza caerulea. "Caerulea" is derived from a Latin word meaning blue in reference to the fact that this species has beautiful blue flowers. My first plant bloomed in September of 2020 and is pictured here. The far right plant in this next photo is my A. caerulea plant again - note the raised, bold nature of the leaf veins on the underside of the leaves. By the time I took this photo it was obvious that the other plants I still had from this sowing were not A. caerulea. They are the two smaller plants in the above photo. They have more elongated narrower leaves, and the veins on the underside are not bold and outstanding. Then I got an email from Ken Howell (a Forum member) who had bought one of my eBay supposedly A. caerulea plants. He was wondering why his plant had flowered with 2 inch long pure white flowers and not the expected blue flowers? Ken did an excellent job of growing these plants! Here is a great photo of his most recent blooming and fruiting event. Note the asymmetrically branched spines, especially on the stem, the large white flowers and the unusual fruit color. With Ken's information and photo, and with reference to the "Huxley and Jebb article on the genus Anthorrhiza" on the internet, it is obvious that this is not A. caerulea but is in fact Anthorrhiza chrysacantha. The yellow-orange fruit color is a nice confirmation of the ID. Turns out that these two species live as epiphytes in the same mountain forests in PNG. That would account for the mixed seeds I had in my seed packet. So, if you acquired one of my "A. caerulea" plants from me in 2018 or 2019 and your plant looks like Ken's photo here you will need to change your plant's label to A. chrysacantha. If you are growing either of these species I suggest you look at the drawings in this article that you can find on the internet with a Google search: "Huxley CR, Jebb MHP. 1991. The tuberous epiphytes of the Rubiaceae 2: The new genus Anthorrhiza". The drawings of both species show the stems and caudexes entirely covered with dense spinage. It is going to be exciting watching the spines filling in as these plants mature. (You can also see photos of "full spinage" in the posting by Andreas titled "Anthorrhiza chrysacantha" slightly below this posting in this Anthorrhiza section of the Forum) Let me also note that in 2018 Andreas Wistuba sold seedlings of a plant he called A. chrysacantha from Mt. Kaindi in PNG. I am growing one of these and it is chunkier than the chrysacanthas I have, currently has little spinage and reminds me more of a M. horrida. I am waiting for it to flower so I can study it and discuss it further. (Ken's photo of his A. chrysacantha plant is used here with his written permission. The other 2 photos are mine. As per Forum policy reuse of any photos here require written permission of the original photo owner.)
  20. Frank

    2021 FORUM DONORS

    Thank you very much to all who have contributed to the funding of our forum in the previous years! AS TO THIS YEAR, 2021: Every time I sign on to our forum the first thing I check is who is currently online. Over 90% of the viewers are "guests". Many of our original and early members have left or visit only occasionally. This is not really a surprise; there has always been an "ebb and flow" to what group of plants are popular and being sought out in any given year. The "tide is clearly out" on ant-plants right now. There are thousand of books and websites for orchids, cacti, succulents, carnivorous plants, etc. But there is little to answer the need for information on ant-plants. That is why I, and the other monetary contributors here, are making an effort to keep all the great information and photos stored here available to the entire world via the internet. I need you, the visitors who profit most from the availability of this information, to help fund this forum. It would cost you plenty to buy a book that had all the information found here on this site. Some of you visit and "read the book" on a regular basis. Please pay a little for that opportunity. I am asking you, our guests, to step up and fund a month or two of our forum fees to Invision. That is the sole use of your contributions. With our monthly fees to Invision being only $20 it should not “break the bank” for most of us to pitch in and fund a month or two. This small amount is keeping the fabulous photos and information we have accumulated here available to the entire world via the internet. To fund a month, please email me at franksantplants@gmail.com with the “note” line saying “forum” and the name you want me to use for you in the chart below (or let me know if you prefer to be acknowledged as “anonymous” or perhaps as "guest"). I will email you back with a paypal address for you to send the donation to. Thank you very much. Please make your mark in 2021 by stepping up and helping with the forum funding. Thank you, Forum Administrator, Frank Omilian 2021 CONTRIBUTORS TO THE FORUM: January - Ken Howell, Thank you Ken for starting the year off for us again this year! February - Ken Howell March - Bern Mlynczak, And thank you Bern for giving us 2 months again like you did last year! April - Bern Mlynczak May - Frank Omilian, Thanks men, you inspired me! Who will be next? Step up and take July please. June - Frank Omilian July - Adrian Napiorkowski, Excellent Adrian, thank you for contributing again this year! Well done. August September October November December Edited November 26 by Frank
  21. frogsintn3, The third photo in your posting above is not a M erinacea - The leaf shape is drastically wrong and there needs to be branched spines on the caudex.
  22. Hi Anita, welcome to the forum. Why don't you gather a little more information on this. Perhaps use a single-edge razor blade to cut the raised area in several different directions and see if they are solid or if there are perhaps insect larvae inside. Are new ones forming constantly or did the plant come with a certain number and they are not increasing? You may want to do a precautionary spray for bugs, something like safer's insecticidal soap - especially lf more leaves are getting the deformation since you got the plant. If it is not showing up on new, previous uninfected leaves you may be able to end the whole problem by just cutting off the infected/infested leaves.
  23. Hi Ladislav, The other 3 plants in the case look good, are you treating this new one the same as those or different? What do you mean by "dew"? Does that mean you only mist the plant and do not saturate the growing media with water? Does the growing media for this sick plant have sphagnum in it or is it all bark pieces? I see the droopy leaves as either a lack of watering or as a fungus causing rot in the stem or caudex. If you have not given the plant a good watering yet - as in set the pot in a bucket of water for a few hours so the bark or sphagnum can fully absorb water - than do that immediately. (Do not submerge the actual plant just have the water deep enough in the bucket so the entire media has a chance to soak up all the water it can.) If you have the media fully saturated with water already, do not water more until it starts to dry out. If the drooping continues gently touch the stem and caudex to look for soft spots that could be rot. (If the pot is just very dry the caudex will be somewhat soft because it normally stores water - but if the softness is because of the caudex turning to black mush inside that is rot and it needs to be cut out if the plant is to have a chance to survive.) Let us know how you proceed and how it works. Good luck
  24. What do I use for a growing media for Rubiaceous ant-plants you ask! The answer has changed many times over the years. What I am currently growing with is about: 33% long fiber sphagnum 27 % triple washed coconut husk chips 20% #3 perlite 15% Growstone, GS-2, for aeration 5% charcoal chips And for larger plants in larger pots I add about 5 to 10 % of Hydroton - baked clay pellets that are round and red. Now, for the finer details: SPHAGNUM The long fiber sphagnum has to be very good quality. The one I use now is a widely available one on eBay called “Spagmoss”. I soak it for an hour or two before using and then cut it into 1/2 to 1 inch pieces, slightly longer for large plants in larger pots. COCONUT HUSK CHUNKS I like the way roots attach to coconut husk chunks better than the bark I used to use. I use 1/8 to 3/8 inch size pieces for plants in smaller pots, say to 4 inch pots. Bigger pots than that I use 1/2 to 5/8 inch pieces. It is very important to triple soak these overnight to get the excess salt out of them. I have an electrical conductivity meter (DiST 3, Hana Instsruments) to measure the amount of salt in liquids. My tap water (city) registers about 140. When a put a bag of the husks into a 5 gallon bucket of that water within an hour the water tests out at over 1000. The next morning I dump that water and refill the bucket with fresh water. And again the third morning. After that if I fill with water again it tests in the 150s to 180 range and is ready for use. PERLITE I agonize over whether I should rinse off the perlite before use to get rid of the fine dust – or is it actually good in the mix? Now I generally pre-rinse only when I get near the bottom of the bag and there is a lot of the fines. GROWSTONE I like this in the mix for no apparent reason that I can think of other than it helps with drainage and therefore helps reduce root rot. CHARCOAL CHIPS These I definitely rinse before using otherwise the mix has a “dirty look” from the charcoal dust. HYDROTON I like using these because when I unpot a plant the roots will be hanging on to these. It is recommended to rinse and soak these before use. WATER AND FERTILIZER I make an effort to never let the pots dry out completely. I water as soon as the top of the media gets dry. My go-to fertilizer now is “Miracle Gro, water soluble tomato food, 18 -18 -21”. It has additional micronutrients. Once in a while I will switch over for a feeding or two to the Maxsea seaweed fertilizer (16-16-16) that Jay has championed here on the forum (also with micronutrients). I fertilize only when the plants are in active growth and only when the growing media is wet. There is nothing magical about the mix I use. Our individual growing conditions and climates are so different that it has to mean that no one mix will work for everyone. So you will need to experiment to see what works best for you. I hope my remarks will help you. Good Growing!
  25. Hi Derrick, The link you just put in the above post is not taking us to any information about M. horrida. You may want to fine tune the link. As to updating your e-book, I suggest you keep people up to date by posting notes as as you proceed to build your magnificent work in the folder just below this one titled: "Derrick Rowe's ant plant e-book has just been released!!! and is available on our forum for free". Or as an alternative you could put notes about the changes to your e-book in the folder: "Ant plants - general information, literature and links" in the thread titled: "Now available for free download Epiphytic Myrmecophytes Bizarre Wonders of Nature 2019". You will want to start with updating the link to your e-book there, because that one no longer works. Or another alternative would be to start a new thread here in the "News" folder titled something like: "A listing of the latest updates to Derrick Rowe's e-book: Epiphytic Myrmecophytes, Bizzare Wonders of Nature". If you put that one in here I will pin it to stay near the top of the "News" folder. Thank you for your continuing efforts on behalf of ant-plants.
×
×
  • Create New...