Air movement improves orchid nutrition

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by DirtyCoconuts

(hurricanes and tornados are not optimum growing areas)

That's a good point DC. For example --- an F5 tornado on an orchid could end in tears. Maybe even a F1.

[estación seca]

In the cultivation section at his Web site, Fred Clarke at Sunset Valley Orchids, with warm days most of the year, says he fertilizes Cattleya seedlings with 1/2 tsp / 2.5ml of MSU fertilizer powder per gallon / 3.78 liters of water at almost all waterings. He uses plain water once a month. He says during warm summer days he needs to water more frequently, about 3 times a week. He says this lets the seedlings take up more fertilizer.

[Dusty Ol' Man]

[Shadeflower]

ES, didn't isurus do a video chat with fred recently or was that someone else? Cause that chat was very good, I would have remembered if he said something I completely disagreed with.

Keysgey, love your thought that it's not blowing nutrients around. Fans do cause more drying and you might think if more water is reaching the roots and evaporating thus sucking more water to that area then the plant is receiving more nutrients but the plant doesn't need more nutrients if you are feeding it optimally in the first place.

I read somewhere that plants can change which Nutrients they absorb more or less of. They can influence that to some degree. If something is completely lacking then he plants can't change that but the orchids can through mechanisms absorb more or less. I have noticed this in winter, my orchids tend to still absorb a bit of water but less nutrients than in summer. So in some pots as a result the concentration of nutrients goes up over time if I don't reduce the fertilizer strength.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I read somewhere that plants can change which Nutrients they absorb more or less of. They can influence that to some degree. If something is completely lacking then he plants can't change that but the orchids can through mechanisms absorb more or less. I have noticed this in winter, my orchids tend to still absorb a bit of water but less nutrients than in summer. So in some pots as a result the concentration of nutrients goes up over time if I don't reduce the fertilizer strength.

My understanding is a bit different, but I am not knowledgeable enough to know what is the “true” situation.

Most nutrients are taken up at a rate proportional to their concentration in the irrigation solutions.

K, Ca, & Mg are in that category, but as they can compete for “incorporation sites” within the plant, one may prevent another from being absorbed and captured at the proportional rate.

Then there’s P, which the plant will “grab” as much as it can and stash it away in cell vacuoles, for no clearly-proven reason.

---------- Post added at 08:39 AM ---------- Previous post was at 08:38 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I read somewhere that plants can change which Nutrients they absorb more or less of. They can influence that to some degree. If something is completely lacking then he plants can't change that but the orchids can through mechanisms absorb more or less. I have noticed this in winter, my orchids tend to still absorb a bit of water but less nutrients than in summer. So in some pots as a result the concentration of nutrients goes up over time if I don't reduce the fertilizer strength.

How do you know they are absorbing less nutrition?

My understanding about nutrient uptake is a bit different, but I am not knowledgeable enough to know what is the “true” situation.

Most nutrients are taken up at a rate proportional to their concentration in the irrigation solutions.

K, Ca, & Mg are in that category, but as they can compete for “incorporation sites” within the plant, one may prevent another from being absorbed and captured at the proportional rate.

Then there’s P, which the plant will “grab” as much as it can and stash it away in cell vacuoles, for no clearly-proven reason.

[SouthPark]

Originally Posted by estación seca

In the cultivation section at his Web site, Fred Clarke at Sunset Valley Orchids, with warm days most of the year, says he fertilizes Cattleya seedlings with 1/2 tsp / 2.5ml of MSU fertilizer powder per gallon / 3.78 liters of water at almost all waterings. He uses plain water once a month. He says during warm summer days he needs to water more frequently, about 3 times a week. He says this lets the seedlings take up more fertilizer.

Thanks for that info ES. I guess - as long as it works nicely for him, then that's really good. Although - just going back to knowing that orchids generally don't grow like bamboo, banana plants, and papaya trees etc ...... as in the relatively fast rate ------ it's possible that it's not necessary to use fertiliser for almost all watering instances. Maybe depends on how many roots, or how long the roots are, and on the media type (size etc).

[DirtyCoconuts]

as someone who grows almost all my orchids outside in a windy(ish) area, my plants are happy and easier to maintain when i lean into the environment *use way open, inorganic medium; water a lot when there is not rain* as opposed to try to fight against it, the plants are happier

i have phals that keep flowers 4-5 months and they are tossed about in the breeze

[rbarata]

I haven't confirmed but common sense tells me that the evaporation rate under an air flow 90% RH is different from an air flow 60% RH, and so on.
This means, the higher the humidity the less important is evaporation in the equation.
Adding to this, air doesn't have any nutrient in its content. It might be present in the water droplets but for that to happen, without any artificial device (mister or similar), RH must be at almost 100%.

If you think this doesn't add anything valuable to the discussion, that means I haven't understood the original post.

[estación seca]

I think the point is plants that transpire more must take up more water to survive, so under such conditions plants are able to take up more fertilizer if present in the water.

[Roberta]

I sense here an attempt to "micromanage" the orchid growing process. All of the factors are interrelated, so for good growth, they just need the basics - light, air, temperature, water in the correct amounts. A small amount of fertilizer, but the details not all that important, The rest takes care of itself. Tweaking one factor in the absence of the others is not going to make miracles. There aren't any magic potions.