Monn Millenium Magic & Horse Manure
 

So my plant is growing well and I decided to repot it into a fresh horse manure mix ( must be fresh per the recipe from the guy in Tasmania ).
I lined the bottom of the 10-12in deep pot with bark . Then added fresh horse manure and straw layer ( about 40% ), then sphag and bark layer ( about 60% ). Apparently if the manure is too strong, then the roots will only penetrate later in the season when its been 'weakened' through watering. When this goes outdoors in May timeframe I will add a top dressing of bone and blood meal.
Hey presto - my plant should be the size of a banana tree by June. :rofl:
BTW - this DOES NOT smell. Its indoors at the moment.
I plan to do all my catasetums in the next month or so, they all have woken up from hibernation.
There is no proof like photographic proof.....
http://tapatalk.imageshack.com/v2/15...c59ce2305f.jpg

I have access to PLENTY of fresh horse manure, so I'm very curious to hear how this works out. I've grown awesome veggies on the side of the manure pile. I'm just starting out in Catasetinae, so if this would make them happier then nifty beans!
(and I'm weirder than I thought, or it's my depraved upbringing... I don't really find horse manure smelly.)

I found the site

Why Horsemanure for Orchids

hopefully some of you join me in this experiment. I know the last time this topic was raised there were plenty of naysayers and party poopers. The trick ( I think ) is not to let the orchid roots come into direct contact with the manure until they are good and ready.

Well, got the turds today and redid my Monn. with them. Its not awakening yet, so let's see how it goes!

GL...just remember no watering until new growth is about 4 inches high and there are lots of roots.
Mine is really taking off, I think the roots have already hit the doo-doo....:rofl:

I've heard of many people growing with this type of media for Catasetinae. It always make me laugh when people worry about their choice in media for these guys. They'll grow in just about anything!

How often do you water?

probably about 1x per week. Mix retains water and I can feel heavy/light.....so when feels light, I water.

its been almost a month. This plant is enormous, with the new bulbs around the size of the old and they have a couple of month's growing ahead. Over 2 feet of growth from mix to top of biggest leaf.
I have started transitioning all my catasetinae into the same manury mix. Can't wait to get them outdoors but its not warm enough yet.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...ae470c0197.jpg

I get it!

what happened with this ? I'm curious to know if other people have had the same experience as I've had.
One of the new growths is already a 'mature' size.
I added a fertiliser basket, filled with dynagro extended release fertiliser granules.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/04...88868bf423.jpg

Mine has only just started its growth, it's only a couple inches yet. When it's time, I do top dress with Dyna-Gro, so hoping my results are just as spectacular.

Help my first Catasetum that I just got has a couple of the older bulbs getting mushy. It is packed in Sphag all the way through. What do I do to make sure the rest doesn't die?What am I doing wrong? Please help?

you might be OK if the new growth is firm and green ? is it too late to repot and cut or break away the mushy growths ? you could lift the entire plant, cut the mushy part away with attached moss and place into a slightly bigger pot with a bark mix ? it sounds as if you have overwatered.......best to post photos on another/new thread.

The mushy part could also just be the plant absorbing its old bulbs, so you don't necessarily want to cut it off. A picture would help. Is the "mushy" bulb a light brown to straw color? Or is it black?

I don't know what is going on with my catasetinae. They started growing so I potted them up, but now their growth has just kind of stagnated. It's been more than a month or water/fertilizer and nada. The others that are dormant are still dormant as well. Maybe I should have tried this horse manure thing xD

These guys often abort growths if disturbed at the wrong time. They'll just start growing new ones soon, but this is one reason why I don't like to unpot my Catasetinae every year.

Fresh horse manure might be worth a try, but I'd prefer old cow manure - seriously.
I just finished repotting of about 400 Catasetinae, what I do every other year. This time I used a mix with wood shavings, as sold in pet stores as absorptive litter for rodents. And I added a slow release fertilizer, those globules that are added to jardinieres.

As requested previously, I started a new thread with pictures of my plant that I am not sure if it is in trouble or not but would rather not let it die. Advise on corrective action or simply how to correct my actions would be appreciated.

one of the bulbs is at least 10 inches long, but more of interest is that another new growth is emerging. Its never happened to me before on these large catasetum types ! Plus there are 3 more months, at least, of growing.
The tenth leaf appears to be the final leaf - its very small - so maybe I will get a spike in the next month or so as the bulb matures.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...5d88eee150.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/05...852e139384.jpg

Please keep us updated about your success. I am curious how bulbs will look at the end of the growing season.

So far so good for mine- it's about 8" or so tall so far, has quite a way to go from the look of it (but it's more than a month behind orchidsarefun's). Not as big as last years growth yet, but bids fair to exceed it. No signs of starting another growth on mine.
I've tried chopping up a fresh road apple and using it as a top dressing on the basketed Stan. nigroviolacea I got for my birthday, my first foray into Stanhopeas. I have 5 new growths started! I got a Coryanthes macrantha and a Gongora gratulabunda at Redland, I tried burying a turd in each of their pots when I did them up too.

Update.
The bulbs are definitely maturing, that was easy, as the lower leaves are yellowing and falling off.
The new growth, from this year's growth - not an old bulb, is growing on slowly. Bear in mind that I am watering this plant normally.......and this new growth should have rotted by now if you follow conventional advice about when to water.
More importantly there are 2 spikes developing !
Left in photo - spike
Right in photo - new growth - just under root.
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/06...0b2bdc5999.jpg

spectacular blooms, fragrant ( reminiscent of licorice, but other notes too ) and another pbulb growing on strong. My payback for loving care and attention.....:biggrin:
http://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...78709c045f.jpghttp://images.tapatalk-cdn.com/15/07...ee475c14ab.jpg

Stunning!

GORGEOUS, I love these blooms so very much!

Hmmmm. I thought this plant blooms during the Fall/Winter?

nothing surprises me with in-home grown orchids anymore and things can/do vary a lot from year to year. I have another catasetum that previously spiked off a just-matured pbulb, this year the spike is growing alongside the immature pbulb.
In fact I hope to get spiking off the other growing pbulbs on my Millenium Magic in Fall/Winter as that is when they will mature. But who knows.....

Beautiful and healthy looking. Great growing.

Thanks for keeping us updated. Cogratulations for your success.

Plants regulate themselves as to when to bloom, go dormant, etc. according to the length of the days they experience, known as photoperiod. Plants grown indoors are often subject to much longer photoperiods due to room lighting. Although such light may not be enough to allow the plant to grow normally, it's often intense enough to mess with the plant's internal clock. Even growing tropical plants in a greenhouse with only natural sunlight in temperate regions exposes them to longer days than they would receive in the native environment.