New product - fertiliser
Submitted by olney12 on Tue, 02/09/2008 - 17:19
Hi all, has anybody had any experience with "Strike Back for Orchids" It was advertised in the current Australian Orchid review and is endorsed by the cymbidium orchid club of SA and the cymbidium club of Australia. It must be good for cymbids but not sure about the other types. Can anybody give me any advice? Maureen
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Just another Snake Oil
Don't get too excited Maureen, it's just another fertiliser, nothing special.
When the advertising sounds so good you really need to read the product data sheet, this one is specifically for bloom production NPK 8:3:10 used for six months then you use another of their products for growth the other six months of the year.Just like the old Campbells A & B fertilizers.
It is also pelletised and they fail to mention the temperature range that the product breaks down and releases it's nutrient, that is very scary.
A & B applications work for some orchids but I grow tropical types that flower sometimes twice per year so I prefer a balanced diet, bloom food then grow food in rotation with a seaweed extract with each application.
If you want to use organic in solid form like this new Snake Oil, it's cheaper to use Dynamic Lifter or Blood and Bone.
Bill
new fertiliser
Hi Bill, Yes I can see what you mean, for my Cymbids and Zygo's it would probably be alright, BUT maybe the cats, not so good. Living in S/E Qld, I do have some difficulty geting some cymbids to flower, not all and I saw it as an answer to that problem. I did see on their website that they advocate a choice of two other products for the part B of the treatment and on the container, you have to repeat the application monthly, which is not easy when you have a collection of orchids. Oh well, we will wait and see. Thanks for your comments, I will keep the site informed of the progress of it's effects. Maureen
Have you
already bought it Maureen????
new fertiliser
Yep, only on cymbids.
new fertiliser
When you said about the dynamic lifter, it resembles it in smell and apparence. I suspect there is a large amount of those type of chemicels in it, but as I said, I am only trying it on the cymbids and we will wait and see. I have been doing my masters in nursing for the last 2 years and have kept my orchids alive and flowering with s/r rose fertiliser. You never know what is going to work. I now have to repot multiple orchids because of their overgrowth. Maureen
New fert
The main thing is your plants are surviving your study so your both winners.
Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying this stuff is no good, my bottom line is that it can be done cheaper without the fancy name and packaging.
My Vandas love the Dyn Lifter along with the other ferts I use, only problem is a build up of depleted organic matter.
new fert
Thanks Bill, I get your meaning, I was just grasping at straws, trying to prove to members of my orchid society that you can flower a range of cymbids in S/E QLD without iced water in the dark of night. I have had trouble obtaining Campbells A &B & have been juggling with what is available from the society and when I saw the recommendations, I thought I had the answer. I will continue to use GF9 and it's associated types, but I am trying the new one on the cymbids to see if I can increase their flowering ratio. Keep a watch on this space. Thanks for your advice, Maureen
Seamungus/Strike back/Nutrog
I won a container of Seamungus the night that Nutrog presented their "findings" of Seamungus and Strike Back to our orchid club which, by the way has several members of the SA Cymbidium Club in it too.
Well, I thought I would try these Seamungus pellets on my cyms over winter.
They lasted 3 weeks because I completely flushed them out of the pots as the pellets had become totally covered in a white fluffy fungus/mould substance.
I ended up spreading it on my lawn. Needless to say, NO MORE pellets on orchids, ONLY on lawns. :o)
But it did help my lawns.
I am with Bill here, liquid or dissolvable feed for my orchids.
Anton
Thankyou guys
You have just dissolved me into tears. You should NOT believe what you read in the "The Australian REView." Not really in tears, but you would think that a magazine of this nature would not publish misleading adverts. As I said, I have already done the deed, today, I will wait and see what happens, but will heedyour advise. MAybe it will be different in QLD. ?????? Hoping Maureen
Fungus
Hey Anton
This Fungs/mould is not going to kill your plants
its a bacteria growing on the sugars
Just like the snail pellets
This Fugus/mould will not go into the mix
As would a Fungi or Mould
But I am not an expert
But I know plenty of people that pile Dyn Lifter
on there Cym's & Dendrobiums
Big Plant whole cup
small plant tbl spoon
Thats my 2c worth
Cheers Tim
re Fungus
I am a believer of the adage, "If in doubt, leave it out." ;o))
I just found that the pellets congeal to a gluggy mass as my cyms are outside under a large beach shade and not in a GH
where you can control moisture easier.
For me, I am happier where I can control what I feed them, and also know the rate at which it breaks down and is absorbed,
and not have worry about whether the temperature "is just right" for breakdown of the feed material for it to work correctly.
It's just me.
Anton
inciting communication
Hi guys, well I feel that this topic has definitely produced some toing and froing with persons across Aus. I will let you know how I go, I have used Strike back on my established cymbids that did not need repotting and the other on the repotted and devided ones. If it works in Qld, maybe it is worth a look at, if not, so be it. I am the guinea pig.( I probably spelt that wrong) Thanks, Maureen
New product, "Strike Back for Orchids"
Hi I am just wanting to let others know that my plants have not keeled over with the new orchid fertiliser, "Strike Back". All is well with my cymbids, they have survived dividing up and repotting, no rot and looking great. I do NOT have fungus growing on the top of the pots as some person said and think it is working great so far. It is too early to look at flowering. It may be "Snake Oil" to some, but change in therapy is sometimes a good thing if it works, you have just got to give it a go. Maureen
Keep us updated
Thanks Maureen,
keep us updated as to the progress over the next few months.
Regards wellsy
Hi Steve, yes I will keep you posted
Thanks Steve, I will keep you posted. will keep in contact via e-mail. Maureen
New product????
Hello Maureen, I'm a little confused about your latest entry.
Maureen wrote, "my plants have not keeled over with the new orchid fertiliser, "Strike Back"
Did you think it would hurt your plants???
Maureen wrote, "I do NOT have fungus growing on the top of the pots as some person said and think it is working great so far."
That "some person" is Anton as you well know and I think it is quite rude of you to refer to him as "some person". You asked if anyone had experience with this product, he was kind enough to relay to you what happened when he used the product, he never said you would get the fungus if you used it.
My reference to "Snake Oil" is clearly in relation to the advertising pitch for this product, not the fertiliser itself.
Regards Bill
New product????
Thanks Bill for your comments.
keeping up communication
Hi Steve, can you contact me on my other e-mail, I think that I need to talk to you. I am just want you to take me off the database, after the last comment, I am not prepared to comment further. Thanks, Maureen