Soldier beetle (cantharidae) found in the orchid

Soldier beetle (cantharidae) found in the orchids. Adult diet Is nectard,pollen. Adult habitat, veggitation and flower. Predators: some hervabors. Larvae habitat: litter and soil.

Orchid Potting

Last Thursday Rachel and I potted Orchids. Before we could actually start potting, we had to cut Keikis (baby plants growing on the mother plant) away from the mother plant. The Keikis develop roots that hang down. When we severed them from the mother plant, we made sure to keep these roots intact with the Keikis. After separating them, Rachel and I wrapped the roots on the Keikis with spaghum moss. After we did that we filled the pots with rocks and wood chips. This type of soil is good for Orchids because they need soil that will drain easily. If we used soil that would remain wet for long, the roots would be likely to rot. The mother plant and the Keikis need watering once a week and are growing pretty well. Pictures will be coming soon.

Hotbed Assessment and tater barrel assessment

After a full summer of disuse, the hotbed was in rough shape. Structurally it was fine. The log sides and surrounding dirt mound were structurally sound and still in there place. The pit however was a diffrent story. Weeds three and four feet tall filled the bed and when they were finally removed we found that the soil had become nearly as tough and compact as it was when we first dug it up. Steps to remedy the problems are as follows:

1-Remove the weeds

2-Remove dirt and manure until we hit the bottom mat

3-clean up surrounding area

4-prep for second semester horticulture class (includes adding 50/50 straw and manure, preferrably horse or cow)

Materials list: cow or horse manure mixed 50/50 with straw

Tater barrel

The tater barrel was a little easier to fix. No weeds could grow in it because of the absence of dirt and it does'nt have a surrounding area. The trash bags filled with leaves were removed from around it and the barrel must be washed out. The steps to remedy are:

1-pull off black trash bags and dump the leaves in compost pile

2-wash out barrel

3-prep for growing by adding a small layer of gravel to the bottom and getting good dirt ready.