June 14, Horticultural Building at Golden Gate Park, 9 to 3.
The SF Club is an affiliate of the AVSA. At a meeting
the topic of fertilizers and potting mediums and related topics was discussed at length by local experts. Much that they discussed has been presented on this Forum, so I was prepared. Some tips, 1) Fish Emulsion is used occasionally
to provide many trace elements as nutrients. To avoid odor, mix it with hot water. When it hits the plant, it will have cooled. 2) While the older fertilizers with worm casings and many other organic ingredients discussed here had many advantages, they also have disadvantages. The consensus seems to be to use synthetics, but watch out for the potting mediums and perlite as they contain fertilizer, especially if using Miracle Gro brand. 3) Instead, Black Gold brand is recommended. 4) Also, use Orchid Food rather than AV food to feed violets. 5) Use styrofoam cups to plant AVs, leaves, suckers, etc. The cups can be cut to size, holes poked in the bottom, and written on. Even if the writing wears off, the indentation of the writing will show.
These cups are cheap and available everywhere. Crumbled up bits of the styrofoam can be used to line the bottom of a cup or pot. However, it might eventually break down.
6) They recommend using insecticides on AVs inside the house, rather than outside, to cause less harm to the environment. Others prefer to spray outdoors. I have been using granules rather than a spray.

One member brought in an organic fertilizer she found and will report on the results. Some were interested in organic gardening.

For myself, synthetics are fine, as they are sterile.

The upcoming show and sale will be in September. Instructions were given for the theme and suggestions for designs. Also discussed were problems plants develop when grown under lights.

Joanne

This post was edited by fortyseven on Mon, May 26, 14 at 9:34