Orchid Care

[Des]

Originally Posted by Leisurely

I agree with what Ross has said. I began using MSU about two years ago and my orchids are doing so well but I still keep wondering when something bad is going to happen. At one time I had so many problems that I think I became a littla paranoid and I don't know how to accept everything going so well.

At the same time that I started using MSU I also began paying close attention to PH and adjusted my watering and fertilizing regimen accordingly. I always strive for a Ph between 5.5 and 6.2. Something has paid off and it is either the MSU or the correct Ph or perhaps a combination of both. There is something else that I started doing at about the same time and that was the use of a product called HB101. It is very expensive but I am afraid that if I quit using it, it will show. The only thing that I know about it is that it is an extract from certain juniper and pine and it is supposed to better enable the plant to use nitrogen.

Hb 101 < sounds to me like what is referred to as snake oil so often on this forum . Check the ingredients and you will most probably find some humic or fulvic acid in there somewhere. which when puchased without fancy packaging costs very little.

[blackorchid]

One thing though, if a medium is moist for most of the time and rich in organic matter and microorganism, yet still airy like those for semi-terrestial orchids like Paph and Cym, I hypothesize that urea will help the plant in a long run. Of course if you want to control the amount of fertilizer and you want it to be avalable to your plants quickly then urea is not the one that you should look at. On the plus side, urea is more "organic" I guess? (pun intended)