Orchids or Apple Pie?

[Heather]

There's a new story entry added:

Orchids or Apple Pie?

Cinnamon (Cinnamomum zeylanicum), one of the oldest spices known, is derived from the bark of a small Southeast Asian evergreen tree and is available as an oil, an extract, or a dried powder. It

[cb977]

Interesting story...thanks Heather
I love the fact that there is something available in nature that can help us tend to our orchids. I use it any time a 'chid has a cut surface

[hrrush]

I have also heard that cinnamon is antifungual. I tried it before to help heal a wound on one of my orchids. It is still alive so I would say it works pretty good. I like that it is natural.

[R Srinivasan]

I was under the impression that cassia belongs to legume family which have bipinnate leaves and distinct bean pods to carry their seeds, while cinnamon produces branched panicles of single berry fruits quite unlike the bean pods. Even the flowers are not labiates. Can someone throw light on this?

[Tindomul]

Great story! I used cinnamon once when I had to cut all the rotting roots off of my Lc.' catts.
It seems to have worked as the rotting didn't continue up the plant.
Thanks for letting me know I was right

[Vim]

Has any one tried using the oil in a spray bottle to tackle pest. Or is the powder form the easiest to apply?

[littlefrog]

There is (or was) a product called cinnamite, which was an alcohol based extract of cinnamon (I believe, I could never get an answer from the company about it). Used as a regular pesticide.

I still have some.. Didn't use much of it, because I wanted to use it on catasetums and I was concerned about the alcohol (isopropyl alcohol was killing several of my catasetums if used straight).

[Vim]

Well isopropyl is also known as "the great obliterator of life".
I think the Cinnamite alcohol wouldn't be as toxic to flora as the isopropyl. But I haven't used either so its just my opinion though.