# Aussie Gold



## Nutz4Paphs (Nov 9, 2008)

After caucusing with a few of you re; s/h, bark mixes, etc., I am wondering about this Aussie Gold stuff I have read about. I see that it is expensive and it seems that people haven't had consistent results with it. What say you fellow slipper fans? Im am thinking of getting some, maybe adding some LECA just to give it more air...??? Comments?


----------



## Gcroz (Nov 9, 2008)

Personally, that is the only medium I use. I think it is very good and it can be re-used as well. But, thats just my humble opinion. Be prepared for a "lively" discussion.


----------



## goldenrose (Nov 9, 2008)

Save your money!


----------



## john mickel (Nov 9, 2008)

I changed to it twice - looks good, smells good, feels good, the ideas good but it never produced and killed my pleur's - Sometimes miricles fall short - j


----------



## Renegayde (Nov 9, 2008)

all I use is Aussie Gold......though there are some orchids that I have found do not grow well in it....Masd. ect......a few months ago I switched to mixing my Aussie Gold in equal parts with Kelley's Korner CHC Mix and have found that the mix of the two actually works a little better for me.......but thats just for me in my growing conditions....and I also re-use my Aussie Gold....I just bake it for a hour at like 500....LOL though I think I read somewhere you can bake at like 350 for 30 minutes and kill any bad stuff in mix.....I go for a hour at 500 just to be safe

Todd


----------



## Scott Ware (Nov 9, 2008)

Renegayde said:


> ....LOL though I think I read somewhere you can bake at like 350 for 30 minutes and kill any bad stuff in mix.....I go for a hour at 500 just to be safe
> 
> Todd



Caution! Baking potting mix in the kitchen oven can cause divorce in some states where spouses aren't born with the tolerance gene for orchid antics with kitchen appliances. (Reefkeepers incur similar conditions.) It is best to take appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects on marriage.

Historically we have discovered two areas where the benefit almost always outweighs the cost in this hobby are potting mix and pots. Fresh new mix for every repot and the appropriate clean pot. I have never experienced good success with Aussie Gold. It is exponentially more expensive than mixing from raw components and doesn't perform nearly as well as the custom mix in my growing environment.


----------



## Candace (Nov 9, 2008)

> Caution! Baking potting mix in the kitchen oven can cause divorce in some states where spouses aren't born with the tolerance gene for orchid antics with kitchen appliances. (Reefkeepers incur similar conditions.) It is best to take appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects on marriage.



Very sage advice and why I now BBQ my leca outside. Husbands(and probably wives) can become very grumpy with the stench of cooked orchid matter in the air.


----------



## paphreek (Nov 9, 2008)

Scott Ware said:


> Caution! Baking potting mix in the kitchen oven can cause divorce in some states where spouses aren't born with the tolerance gene for orchid antics with kitchen appliances. (Reefkeepers incur similar conditions.) It is best to take appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects on marriage.



Does this mean I should quit using the Cuisinart to chop New Zealand sphagnum moss?:evil:


----------



## cnycharles (Nov 9, 2008)

paphreek said:


> Does this mean I should quit using the Cuisinart to chop New Zealand sphagnum moss?:evil:



 well, if you buy a blender for the sole purpose of chopping moss, (and don't mix it up with the other kitchen appliances), you should be all set!


----------



## Eric Muehlbauer (Nov 9, 2008)

I used to bake crushed oak leaves in the oven before adding them to my paph mix....I think I should go back to using them.......................Eric


----------



## DavidH (Nov 9, 2008)

I've stopped using Aussie Gold for my paphs after two years, but I've had great success with all my phrags and still use it for them. In the spring, summer, and fall, the mix works great for Tucson because of how dry it is. My problems were in the winter because the mix takes a week to dry out. That caused a lot of root problems. 

I also reuse it by baking it in the oven for 45 minutes. I talked to a diatomite expert who said I'd need temps around 1000 F to cause a chemical change in the material.


----------



## Gcroz (Nov 10, 2008)

I forgot to mention, andI think others hinted around at it, that there is a cheaper alternative: make it yourself. I've generally been able to find the ingredients that make it up and you could tinker with mixtures until you find what works.

And yes, it is important to figure out drying time as it takes awhile to do so, many of my paphs perished while I tried to figure it out. But, on the flipside, my Cats have never seemed to enjy a medium as much as they do AG.


----------



## NYEric (Nov 10, 2008)

Scott Ware said:


> Caution! Baking potting mix in the kitchen oven can cause divorce in some states where spouses aren't born with the tolerance gene for orchid antics with kitchen appliances. (Reefkeepers incur similar conditions.) It is best to take appropriate measures to mitigate negative effects on marriage.


Only suckers buy the cow! :evil:


----------



## cnycharles (Nov 10, 2008)

Gcroz said:


> I forgot to mention, andI think others hinted around at it, that there is a cheaper alternative: make it yourself. I've generally been able to find the ingredients that make it up and you could tinker with mixtures until you find what works.



I used some home-made aussie gold-like material that someone gave/sold me on some seedling species paphs and all but one died quickly. I didn't even water very often, they died from the roots/crown up


----------



## Gcroz (Nov 11, 2008)

cnycharles said:


> I used some home-made aussie gold-like material that someone gave/sold me on some seedling species paphs and all but one died quickly. I didn't even water very often, they died from the roots/crown up



I hear ya! Last winter I had about a 50% attrition rate on certain paph hybrids, mostly parvi hybrids, that died from the roots up. I have corrected the problem, or so I hope , by picking up some pointers from Glen Decker. Try letting the medium dry out completely between waterings. I've found in my gh it takes about 8-9 days for it to dry, then I water. Been a lot of rooting going on and very little death.


----------



## cnycharles (Nov 11, 2008)

oh, like the peat moss media for phals, let it get bone dry or nearly so... I did put a bunch of chunky diatomite in some and potted a phrag longifolium in it also in a clay pot, and it looks okay so far. maybe I just have to dilute it a bunch with inert media

and I also potted a kona coffee seedling in it with some more diatomite and it looks good (except for a few white, fuzzy hitchhikers which found their way onto it somehow)


----------



## Leo Schordje (Nov 11, 2008)

Gcroz said:


> I hear ya! Last winter I had about a 50% attrition rate on certain paph hybrids, mostly parvi hybrids, that died from the roots up. I have corrected the problem, or so I hope , by picking up some pointers from Glen Decker. Try letting the medium dry out completely between waterings. I've found in my gh it takes about 8-9 days for it to dry, then I water. Been a lot of rooting going on and very little death.



This is sage advice - take the time to learn when to water your potting mixes. Best is to not have too many different mixes. Group your plants by watering frequency, this is important in a mixed collection. For example - keep all the 4 inch pots of plants in Aussie Gold next to each other, keep the 2 inch pots together in a differnt group. Your 6 inch pots in coarse bark in another group. The idea being we tend to water our plants as groups rather than putting each plant on its own schedule.


----------



## Gilda (Nov 11, 2008)

Leo Schordje said:


> This is sage advice - take the time to learn when to water your potting mixes. Best is to not have too many different mixes. Group your plants by watering frequency, this is important in a mixed collection. For example - keep all the 4 inch pots of plants in Aussie Gold next to each other, keep the 2 inch pots together in a differnt group. Your 6 inch pots in coarse bark in another group. The idea being we tend to water our plants as groups rather than putting each plant on its own schedule.



Great advice Leo ! A expert grower in our society answered the question "How often do you water '? with this, "I water on Saturday's whether they need it or not " ! :rollhappy: Funny ,but not a good answer for newbies.


----------



## Ray (Nov 12, 2008)

> I talked to a diatomite expert who said I'd need temps around 1000 F to cause a chemical change in the material.


OK. Can we elucidate on that a bit? I thought diatomite was essentially 100% SiO2. What "chemical changes" are going to occur?


----------



## gonewild (Nov 12, 2008)

Ray said:


> OK. Can we elucidate on that a bit? I thought diatomite was essentially 100% SiO2. What "chemical changes" are going to occur?




Maybe they were referring to change of other ingredients in Aussie Gold rather than the diatomite?


----------



## cnycharles (Nov 12, 2008)

maybe he was speaking more along the lines of 'physical' change where the diatomite may melt a bit at that temp.....


----------



## gotsomerice (Nov 12, 2008)

Save your money to buy more paphs!


----------



## Nutz4Paphs (Nov 12, 2008)

Thanks all and especially gotsomerice! I will definitely save the money and buy more paphs


----------



## Renegayde (Nov 12, 2008)

I would just say that if conventional medium works for you then there really would be no point in switching....I for one cannot grow orchids in conventional bark mix....just does not work for me.....I then tried growing in "mud" and that also did not work for me...so I switched to Aussie Gold and had very good results.....but I am thinking the mixing of Aussie Gold with a CHC mix is what's going to work best for me in the long run....just stick with what works best for you

Todd


----------

