Dendrobium Calcium Supplement Hilarity

[GirlGoneWild]

Ok, so I was told one of my orchids needed a calcium supplement, and after hemming and hawing about what to do about it, I finally decided to make a trip to the pet store, where someone had suggested I can actually find lots of stuff orchids like.

After pondering whether to buy the liquid or solid form of "Repti-Calcium," I finally decided to go with the solid (it was cheaper)...the plan being to get it home and use it as a top-dressing for my calcium-hungry orchid.

I was expecting chunky stuff...instead, this soft white powder is...well, it's basically super-finely ground classroom chalk. I just spent $6.00 for crap I already have in bulk at home. I could have just run the chalk I bought my kids for $1 at the supermarket through the food processor, and ta-da...I would have had a chunky calcium supplement to mix in with my substrate.

Instead, I am now literally covered in white dust, because the white powder went flying everywhere (including up my nose) as I tried to distribute some of it across the top of my bark. I have a feeling I ended up dumping way too much in.

On the bright side, if a random lizard ever makes its home in one of my orchid pots, it certainly won't suffer from a calcium deficiency.

Anyone got any better ideas on how to give my orchids some calcium? If not, I'll be smashing up some classroom chalk in my kitchen.

[cbuchman]

Oh dear - the mental picture is too much

I've heard you can use ground egg shells (though I would think you'd better clean them first or they would be stinky !). I have to confess, though; I've never tried this myself.

[Ray]

I recommend washing that powder out of the pots right away! Calcium minerals tend to have low solubility, but the surface area of a powder offsets that, so can sharply raise the pH.

Crushed oyster shell is a good alternative.


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[GirlGoneWild]

Originally Posted by Ray

I recommend washing that powder out of the pots right away! Calcium minerals tend to have low solubility, but the surface area of a powder offsets that, so can sharply raise the pH.

Crushed oyster shell is a good alternative.

ACK!! Okay...off to rinse out the pots!! A couple of folks have suggested that I use crushed eggshells, so I'm currently cooling some hard-boiled eggs so I can smash up the shells and use them as a top dressing. Unfortunately my local pet store did not have crushed oyster shells.

The original plant I needed the calcium for was a Dendrobium Green Lantern that seems to be suffering from "failure to thrive" syndrome. While my other dens have been growing like gangbusters, this one hasn't been doing much, and every once in a while a leaf will turn yellow and go fluttering to the ground.

I contacted the seller after a couple of months, and he said it's a heavy feeder that needs a calcium supplement. Hence, the search for calcium.

But I'm also concerned about a Paph Micranthum that isn't very happy. It arrived showing signs of overfertilization...the substrate was absolutely loaded with limestone, oyster shell, and other unidentifiable stuff, and leaves were yellowing and falling off all over the place. I got it out of that mix and repotted it in a clean mix, but I'm still getting slow yellowing of the bottom leaves on the various growths. It's slowed down considerably since repotting, but it's still happening.

I'm now wondering if the plant might be in shock from having all its limestone, calcium, and whatever else was in there taken away, so I'd like to add some back in.

If the micranthum continues to give me trouble, I'll start a new thread on it. But I'm hoping finding a good calcium supplement will solve the problem.

Thanks!

[Leafmite]

I use eggshell. Last fall, I lost growths and had many problems due to calcium deficiency. I use lava rock so the oyster shell just washed through. I remembered that I had heard people say they added powdered milk to their water and so each watering I added about one or two teaspoons to my watering can each week, the rest of the winter, spring and summer and began to add eggshell this spring. I've had no further problems. Eggshell does break down slowly so it makes a good long-term addition. Good luck!

[Leafmite]

Some paphs seem to need extra calcium, some don't. I have three paphs and one of them just gets a normal dose while the other two seem happier with more calcium. Good luck!

[GirlGoneWild]

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Some paphs seem to need extra calcium, some don't. I have three paphs and one of them just gets a normal dose while the other two seem happier with more calcium. Good luck!

It's fascinating how different plants need different things. I've never had a paph with yellowing leaves before. They've all been perfectly content with their watering and fertilizing routine, and they've grown well.

But my Micranthum is clearly struggling, so hopefully the eggshells will cheer it up a bit. Thanks for the tips!