Welcome, Rina! I'm no orchid expert, growing only a few, myself... I would like to become a lot more accomplished at growing some of the many types, though... they're so beautiful! Actually, I grow mostly Amaryllids, a couple of Hoyas, and an assortment of other plants. But I do so love orchids! I do know that Ludisia orchids are terrestrial and require different medium and culture than your Phals do. I would not recommend the 511 for your Phals, although a lot will depend upon the environment you have to grow in. I'm stuck with a very dry indoor environment, myself, and I grow most of my plants in an east facing window. Everything I read these days says that Phals are one of the easiest orchids to grow in the average home environment, but I have NOT found this to be true in my case! I've killed several, and I cannot figure out what I'm doing wrong. I've read and researched, tried different mediums and methods, and they simply do not like what I have to offer them, apparently. However, I find that Dendrobiums do much better for me, and seem to be doing very well in a slightly altered rendition of Al's Gritty Mix. In fact, I recently had a young plant develop nice buds... though they ended up shriveling up and dying before they had a chance to open. I am determined to learn enough, and perhaps sacrifice enough orchids, to become successful at growing and blooming them. It is often said that a person can't be called a true orchidist until he or she has killed at least a hundred plants in the learning process... or something to that effect... and though I hope this is not true, I've lost many different types within the past several years. I'm still determined, and I'm not ready to give up just yet! So far, two Dendrobiums, one Encyclia, and a Cymbidium backbulb are all surviving, and even thriving! They're all in a Gritty Mix with more bark than other ingredients, all minus the turface... and the Cymbidium has a tad bit of chopped up sphagnum moss pieces added, just to help retain a little more moisture around the newly grown roots. My question to you, Rina, is what type of environment do you grow in, and what are the average conditions like? As in light, humidity, average temperature, the mediums your plants are in currently, your watering and feeding habits, and anything else you can think of... perhaps we can help!

X: Everytime you post something, I learn something new..Thank you and thank you all for this thread.. I did notice that when I supply no heat to a plant room and group many plants together, it is the highest humid room in my home all winter..It can read 50 on my hygrometer on any givin very dry cold day outside, while the rest of the home reads 30, and when I mist all my plants to get the dust off, the hygrometer can read as much as 80 for the entire day..Once the heat goes on, even misting can't raise the humidity in that room, in fact it drops..I think it makes a wet mini micro climate for the plants surrounded by that water or being sprayed until the leaves have dried off.. Maybe putting a 4inch potted violet on top of pebbles in a 12 ich saucer sitting on stones with water surrounding it might provide some local humidity for that individual plant.No? Mike

Aslamu Alikum! Lucas Bhai, Apna sahi naam to batayain janab..! How are you? Believe that you will be absolutely fine. I am Azee & residing in Gujranwala, Pakistan. Plz also visit my site as tjseeds.com for my complete introduction. Please introduce your self completely. WhatÂs you name? Are you Muslim too & an agriculturist residing in Thailand? Please give me your email Id, phone number, cell number & address & so on. I shell call you to have more conversation. I will go through according to your guide lines & shall inform you the results. Since we were in negotiation, I experimented the following:  On March 30, I used raw tap water to fill 5 gallon bucket & added nutes as described before. Adjusted the Ph at 6.0 that raised 7.2 after 24 hours interval.  On March 30, I also had reserved BOILED water in other bucket & on the boiling date its PH was 8.4. For onward three or four days I lowered the PH again & again by diluted sulfuric acid. I observed that its buffering capacity is being reduced by the time. I reserved it to use it to top up water level of my 5 gallon bucket. I used ½ liter water daily to top up my 5 gallon bucket.  Ph level of my 5 gallon bucket to feed cucumber & bitter gourd seedlings is going very stable now.  On April 2, Ph was adjusted at 6.0 that raised 6.6 after 24 hours.  On April 3, Ph was adjusted at 6.1 that raised 6.5 after 24 hours.  On April 4, Ph was adjusted at 6.2 that raised 6.4 after 24 hours. (No ph down was used but water added)  On April 5, Ph was adjusted at 6.4 that raised 6.6 after 24 hours. There seems to be very much stable ph & no more fluctuation now. ItÂs very hot summer going now. Plz comment over the situation I will proceed with your newly recommended concentrations very soon. My proposed feeding timetable will be as under: On day one, April 2, (FRIDAY) the raw tap water & nutes were added to the 5 gallon reservoir. That water will last for 21 days & will daily be refilled with reserved boiled water to the point marked. This all will last for day one to six. On day seven, APRIL 9 (FRIDAY) one more nutes lot will be added to same water & the water be refilled with tap water to the point marked. This all will last for days eight to thirteen. On day fourteen, APRIL 16 (FRIDAY) one more lot of nutes will be added same water will be topped up. This all will last for days fifteen to twenty. Same will be the plan for next 21 days. (Means it will start all over again with all newly picked water & new nutes on April 23 (FRIDAY). Awaiting comments. Thanks a lot in advance. Best regards Azee.

Here's some info on what EXEL is and what makes it work. Phosphorous Acid Fungicides Explained by John Hartman and Kenny Seebold, Extension Plant Pathologists Kentucky fruit and vegetable growers may have noticed that phosphorous acid has been listed for management of several fruit diseases in recent editions of the commercial tree fruit and small fruit spray guides and management of several vegetable diseases on recent product labels. Some County Extension Agents and growers have been curious to know how they work. Parts of the following material was adapted from an insightful article written by Annemiek Schilder, Michigan State University Plant Pathologist, and was published in the Michigan State University Fruit Crop Advisory Team Alert, Vol. 20, No. 5, May 10, 2005. Phosphorous acid fungicides Recently, a number of new fungicides that have phosphorous acid as the active ingredient have come on the market. Other names sometimes used for this group are phosphonates or phosphites. Commercial products in this group may include ProPhyt, Phostrol® and Agri-Fos®. Aliette® (fosetyl-Al), an older fungicide, is the prototype for this group of fungicides. However, the long-standing patent on Aliette® had prevented similar fungicides from being developed until recently. In Australia, where the patent did not apply, growers have been using the phosphorous acid fungicides for over a decade. Phosphorous acid is not fertilizer. The term "phosphorous acid" should not be confused with phosphoric acid or phosphorus (P), a fertilizer component. In fertilizers, P is normally found in the form of phosphoric acid (H3PO4), which readily disassociates to release hydrogen phosphate (HPO4-2) and dihydrogen phosphate (H2PO4 - ). Both of these ions may be taken up by the plant and are mobile once inside the plant. Phosphorous acid is H3PO3. A single letter difference in the name of a chemical compound can make a major difference in its properties. Phosphorous acid releases the phosphonate ion (HPO3 2; also called phosphite) upon disassociation. Phosphonate is easily taken up and translocated inside the plant. Phosphorous acid does not get converted into phosphate, which is the primary source of P for plants. Because phosphorous acid and its derivatives do not get metabolized in plants, they are fairly stable and probably contribute little or nothing to P nutritional needs of the plants. Some researchers have investigated the ability of phosphorous acid to act as a nutrient source for plant growth and found that P deficiency symptoms developed with phosphorous acid as the sole source of P. This means that although phosphorous acid can control diseases, it is not a substitute for P fertilization. The inverse is also true: phosphate is an excellent source of P for plant growth, but is unable to control diseases other than improving the general health of the crop. So applying high amounts of P fertilizer will not work as a disease control measure. Diseases managed with phosphorous acid. Researchers have found that phosphorous acid fungicides are especially effective against Oomycete pathogens, such as Phytophthora, Pythium, and downy mildews in a number of crops. Our fruit spray guides list Phytophthora collar rot and root rot of tree fruits, blueberries, and brambles; strawberry red stele and leather rot; and grape downy mildew as targets for phosphorous acid fungicides. Phosphorous acid is labeled for use on brassicas (broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower); cucurbits; edible legumes; Solanaceous crops (eggplant, pepper, potato, tomato, and tobacco); onions; and a number of leafy vegetables for management of diseases caused by Phytophthora, Pythium, Rhizoctonia, and Fusarium spp. Downy mildews of these crops are also listed on product labels. Materials containing phosphorous acid, in general, have performed best against Phytophthora blight and downy mildews. Preventive applications were more effective in reducing season-long severity of disease than those applied after disease onset. Phosphorous acid has a direct and possibly an indirect effect on these pathogens. It inhibits a particular metabolic process (oxidative phosphorylation). In addition, some evidence suggests that phosphorous acid has an indirect effect by stimulating the plants natural defense response against pathogen attack. This probably explains the much broader spectrum of activity observed in many fungicide efficacy trials. In fruit crops, it has been found, for instance, that ProPhyt had efficacy against downy mildew, Phomopsis cane and leaf spot, and black rot (but not much against powdery mildew) in grapes. There is also evidence of activity of these compounds against anthracnose in blueberries. The phosphonate ion is highly systemic and fairly stable in plants. The systemic activity allows them to be applied as foliar fungicides for prevention of Phytophthora and Pythium root rots. They may also display some curative activity. In general, applications every 14 days seem to be effective in grapes, but follow label directions. These fungicides are sold as solutions of potassium and/or sodium salts of phosphorous acid. To compare them, one should look at the phosphorous acid equivalent, which should be listed on the label. Fungicide precautions. Phosphorous acid fungicide prices range from about $25 to $35 per gallon, and the application rate ranges from 2 to 5 pt/ acre ($6.25 to $22 per acre, depending on the product and rate). Under high disease pressure, higher rates may need to be used and spray intervals tightened. These fungicides are formulated in salt form, so care must be taken not to exceed a certain concentration, as crop injury may result. In addition, if the concentration is too high, the pH may become so low that in tank mixes with copper products (particularly copper hydroxide such as Kocide), too much copper will become available and result in crop injury. I just ordered some AgriFos and intend on using it as a foliar. As you can see from the above article it's hard to explain the greening up of Ray's tomato plants and more research is needed. What interested me in EXEL is it's organic nature and it would make an excellent partner when teamed up with Actinovate. Using Actinovate as a subsoil fungicide and EXEL as an foliar fungicide that would have a faster knock-down effect on fungus and it's systemic properties. My only concern with EXEL is as a soil drench as I do not know the effect it will have on the microorganisms in the rhizophere, ie mycorrhiza. Further study is required. Ray definitely like you hand held electric sprayer. I bought something similar from the spray-n-grow folks but it had a quart container that was separate from the spray head and connected with a tube. Get yourself some NIMH batteries with a charger rather than using alkaline batteries and it will save you a few bucks in the long run. I would like to thank Ray for his interest in testing some of the products I have mentioned to him. It helps us all to have someone test these products in an unbiased manner and report the results for everybody to see. You are doing us all a great service. Ami