Orchid fertiliser dose rate

[black cat dan]

I usually fertilise my orchids with fish emulsion fertiliser with no problems at a rate of 0.5-1 mL/litre every third or fourth watering. My question to you is what dose rate do you use? I rarely if ever go over the 1 mL mark (careful not to over fertilise).

[Ray]

Not all fish emulsions are the same; you need to know the NPK analysis to have a meaningful discussion.

[black cat dan]

Originally Posted by Ray

Not all fish emulsions are the same; you need to know the NPK analysis to have a meaningful discussion.

NPK analysis is N=12%, P=1.4% and K=7% + potassium humate 3.08%. I do get reasonable results with the product I'm using.

[esthandior]

Fish emulsion fertilizer, does it work good? ive never tried it before. Whats the extra benefits, compared to common fertilizer?

[Ray]

I think you are applying a moderate dose (65-125 ppm N), fairly infrequently, which is fine for orchids.

I do think that your plants would benefit from a more complete formula every now and then, specifically one containing calcium and magnesium, plus the full array of trace elements not typically found in fish emulsions.

[black cat dan]

Originally Posted by Ray

I think you are applying a moderate dose (65-125 ppm N), fairly infrequently, which is fine for orchids.

I do think that your plants would benefit from a more complete formula every now and then, specifically one containing calcium and magnesium, plus the full array of trace elements not typically found in fish emulsions.

I like the organic type fertilisers as the inorganic ones pose a risk of salt build up. Are there any risk of salt build up in organic (fish or seaweed based) fertilisers? Maybe I should give an orchid formulation a shot.

---------- Post added at 11:30 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:28 AM ----------

Originally Posted by esthandior

Fish emulsion fertilizer, does it work good? ive never tried it before. Whats the extra benefits, compared to common fertilizer?

It works great on my other plants, I havnt tried an orchid formulation yet so I can't really tell what the extra benefits are