Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

I believe that if you mist or water with sea water, the NaCl will kill the
plants.
--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"Damage Control" wrote in message
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

You'll kill them dead.

K Barrett

"Damage Control" wrote in message
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

I believe this might be a case in which the conditions that might be
associated with a sea mist may be beneficial - good air movement, an evening
cooling breeze, etc. - and the lore has grown up around it as being the mist
itself.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:hCUmd.351192$wV.58074@attbi_s54...
You'll kill them dead.

K Barrett

"Damage Control" wrote in message
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

I believe this might be a case in which the conditions that might be
associated with a sea mist may be beneficial - good air movement, an evening
cooling breeze, etc. - and the lore has grown up around it as being the mist
itself.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"K Barrett" wrote in message
news:hCUmd.351192$wV.58074@attbi_s54...
You'll kill them dead.

K Barrett

"Damage Control" wrote in message
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

Thanks all for your response. Hadn't tried it yet, sounded like a bad
idea to me, but the person providing the information sounded sincere.
However, she could not provide a dilution ratio or input regarding
other salts involved, etc, just relating something she'd been told...

Thanks all for your response. Hadn't tried it yet, sounded like a bad
idea to me, but the person providing the information sounded sincere.
However, she could not provide a dilution ratio or input regarding
other salts involved, etc, just relating something she'd been told...

Let me start by saying that I don't know Jack about Cymbidiums. I do know
that there are orchids which will tolerate a pretty fair amount of salt -- I
have seen Schombos. growing on palm trees on the beach in Belize, where they
were hanging out over the water and obviously could not avoid getting some
sal****er on them during high winds/seas. But I don't think it's anything
you want to do on purpose.
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids
http://www.jborchids.com

"Damage Control" wrote in message
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

On Thu, 18 Nov 2004 16:09:00 -0500, "Kenni Judd"
wrote:

Let me start by saying that I don't know Jack about Cymbidiums. I do know
that there are orchids which will tolerate a pretty fair amount of salt -- I
have seen Schombos. growing on palm trees on the beach in Belize, where they
were hanging out over the water and obviously could not avoid getting some
sal****er on them during high winds/seas. But I don't think it's anything
you want to do on purpose.


Aren't most high winds/seas the prelude to a storm. A storm
which contains drenching rain. Rain which would wash most of
that salt away before it dried? Or am I simplifying it the other
way as much as you were going towards salt tolerance.
SuE
http://orchids.legolas.org/gallery/albums.php

"Damage Control" skrev i meddelandet
m...
Has anyone heard of misting or watering cymbidiums with sea water? I
was told that cymbidiums are somewhat coastal, getting "salt air"
accompanied by the occasional typhoon and need periodic treatment of
"salty water" to maintain their vigor inland. I know that they can be
grown in the gulf states and California as outdoor plants, and as I've
seen, are absolutely gorgeous.

I haven't been able to verify the information, and wondered if anyone
in the group had heard of it, tried it, what concentration, and to
what success.

Any input would be appreciated.

No Cymbidium have ever thrived in my hands, so I can't say I have the
slightest idea what to do with them, but at least I can give some input on
using salt!

This spring I sprayed sal****er on a Tolumnia which had refused to bloom for
several years. I can't say if it was the spraying that did it, but it spiked
shortly after I begun the treatment. It has now stopped flowering, and the
plant is as healthy as ever. The man that recommended this treatment has a
great deal of experience with orchids, and said that Tolumnias in the wild
(where he had seen them) often were covered with a layer of dried salt, from
the salty winds from the sea.
I will continue to spray my Tolumnia with salt water now and then,
especially when the new growth has matured.
I have also contemplated spraying an equally stubborn Brassavola nodosa. I
have several divisions of that plant, so I'll know for sure if it is the
salt that does it, or if I just lucked out with the Tolumnia.

//H

Addendum:
Maybe the salt is just what is needed to stress an otherwise healthy plant
into blooming? Or maybe (in cultivation) the salt helps dry out the medium
for species that crave a hastily drying compost? I'm thinking Tolumnias
here, of course, bat also the Schomburgkias mentioned earlier.

Maybe (but this is a stretch) the layer of salt prevents the plants from
being burnt by excessive light?

Theories... Never get enough light here up in the north anyway. Am certainly
not in the place to theorize about it

I am going to post a link to a pic of the Tolumnia as I need it identified,
if anyone is interested in seeing it.

//H

On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:42:31 -0500, "Ray"
wrote:

I believe that if you mist or water with sea water, the NaCl will kill the
plants.

Well then, I suspect someone has been misting my plants with sea water
without my knowledge. I assume it's only with the best of intentions,
though.

bb

I am aware that native tolumnias occasionally get a sea mist treatment, but
I believe that they have evolved some sort of mechanism to defend themselves
from the ionic imbalance the Na+ and Cl- might cause, if absorbed.

If I remember correctly, there was an old AOS article precisely about that.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"bb" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:42:31 -0500, "Ray"
wrote:

I believe that if you mist or water with sea water, the NaCl will kill the
plants.

Well then, I suspect someone has been misting my plants with sea water
without my knowledge. I assume it's only with the best of intentions,
though.

bb

I am aware that native tolumnias occasionally get a sea mist treatment, but
I believe that they have evolved some sort of mechanism to defend themselves
from the ionic imbalance the Na+ and Cl- might cause, if absorbed.

If I remember correctly, there was an old AOS article precisely about that.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
..
"bb" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:42:31 -0500, "Ray"
wrote:

I believe that if you mist or water with sea water, the NaCl will kill the
plants.

Well then, I suspect someone has been misting my plants with sea water
without my knowledge. I assume it's only with the best of intentions,
though.

bb

"Ray" skrev i meddelandet
...
I am aware that native tolumnias occasionally get a sea mist treatment,
but
I believe that they have evolved some sort of mechanism to defend
themselves
from the ionic imbalance the Na+ and Cl- might cause, if absorbed.

If I remember correctly, there was an old AOS article precisely about
that.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Books, Artwork, and Lots of Free Info!
.
"bb" wrote in message
...
On Wed, 17 Nov 2004 18:42:31 -0500, "Ray"
wrote:

I believe that if you mist or water with sea water, the NaCl will kill
the
plants.

Well then, I suspect someone has been misting my plants with sea water
without my knowledge. I assume it's only with the best of intentions,
though.

bb


I'd love to read that article!
I'm going through my society's collection of old AOS magazines, do you, Ray
(or anyone else) perhaps have an inkling of which year it was published?

//H