RE: Three questions

From: Ron McHatton rmchatton at photocircuits.com> on 2001.01.09 at 01:08:36(5827) Hello, this is Ron McHatton. As to the question of pressure treated lumber......I have been growing orchids, aroids, and other stuff for about 35 years in various pressure treated wood-frame greenhouses without any apparent problem (ones which I can attribute to the wood). At first, the conventional wisdom was that roots which came in contact with the wood would die back from chemical burn. This may be true with wood treated with treatment chemicals like the ones used for telephone polls. Using wood treated with chrome copper arsenate (all the pressure-treated wood products available through home improvement centers and the like) doesn't seem to be a problem. The treatment chemicals are not volatile and they also don't seem to be leachable. At least with epiphytic orchids, they will easily root to this sort of wood and, since I try to grow under cloud forest conditions, I grow substantial stands of moss on the wood without any apparent problems. I wouldn't worry about the framing. Cork oak bark is used for artificial trees because nothing else lasts like that material. The initial investment is staggering (depending on the size of the tree obviously) but amortized over time, its fairly reasonable. The problem with other materials is longevity and the destruction of the root systems when you have to get the plants off to rebuild. Tree fern has a life time of about 5 years (and when it goes, it turns rapidly septic), long-fiber moss in a wire mess frame is a nightmare to refresh the moss as it breaks down. I have had plants on cork bark for over twenty years and the bark is still holding up. If you can supply sufficient humidity and water, you might try cement/ +More -----Original Message----- From: brian williams [SMTP:pugturd50@hotmail.com] Sent: Sunday, January 07, 2001 6:38 PM To: Multiple recipients of list AROID-L Subject: Re: Three questions Hello Adam this is Brian Willimas. for your first question on Alocasia Sarian. I have looked up as much as I can on it and it seems no one really knows what it is. Most think it is a hybrid? I also have never had any babies form the mother plant. But intertest to here yours is growing in a tub of water? As for the wood in your greenhouse i am also interested to here what people say about it. The wood in mine is treated. I dont think it would hurt the plants but who knows. As for the artificial tree I have a few of them in the plans for my greenhouse. Here are the ways i have heard to do it. First the fairchild garden way wich works very well but does coast alot. One way to help say is put long fiber moss were the plants will be and put a lot of plants on it. Also cover the parts that will be seen. You could also use a dead tree it wil rot but can be used for awhile. Also their are the cement trees which usually wont look right unless the person building them is very talented. Hope this helps some. _________________________________________________________________ Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com

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