Orchiata bark - high-nitrogen or balanced fertilizer?

[Andy_Oakland]

I recently repotted most of my orchids into Orchiata bark (mixed with some perlite, charcoal, and coconut coir). So far, so good! I'm excited about not having the bark last a lot longer before disintegrating.

My question is whether I should continue using high-nitrogen fertilizer - it seems that Orchiata shouldn't fix nitrogen the way regular fir bark does and I can use balanced, but I haven't been able to find a definitive answer. It doesn't even seem clear that high-nitrogen is necessary for regular fir bark in the first place.

Thanks!

[jkofferdahl]

Basically, you'll be fine using either, though the balanced is likely preferable. I use a balanced formula with bark. Your plants will absorb and store what they need.

[estación seca]

Most orchids need very little fertilizer, so it really doesn't matter.

[Andy_Oakland]

Thanks! That's what I've been doing - using a balanced fertilizer, and not very much.

[dounoharm]

I prefer a hard fir bark...I don't mind repotting every couple years, it gives me a chance to really see what is happening....mostly I grow cattleyas and they need repotting every 2-3 years anyway....I have used msu for about 8 years, and I am very happy with it....with RO I use the msu fert for pure water....

[Andy_Oakland]

Originally Posted by dounoharm

I prefer a hard fir bark...I don't mind repotting every couple years, it gives me a chance to really see what is happening....mostly I grow cattleyas and they need repotting every 2-3 years anyway....I have used msu for about 8 years, and I am very happy with it....with RO I use the msu fert for pure water....

Thanks. One of my concerns with the fir bark is that apparently there are sustainability problems and dwinding supplies, and it's getting harder to get good quality. Orchiata is supposed to be obtained from sustainable farms.

I recently switched to MSU, but the tapwater version, as I don't (yet) have R/O, and our tapwater is alkaline. The water here is supposed to be really good quality, but they do add chloramine and flouride.

[Roberta]

Originally Posted by Andy_Oakland

The water here is supposed to be really good quality, but they do add chloramine and flouride.

"Good" is mostly a function of total dissolved solids (TDS) The chloramine and fluoride aren't going to make a difference. If the TDS is on the high side (like over 100 ppm) , then its composition is important too. Calcium and magnesium can be tolerated by most orchids to a few hundred ppm, sodium is bad news at much lower levels. You can probably get an indication of your tap water composition from your water company's website. Or invest in a TDS meter - they are quite inexpensive. TDS can be quite variable over the course of the year, so the range that your water district lists may be so wide as to be not very useful.

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Andy_Oakland

Thanks. One of my concerns with the fir bark is that apparently there are sustainability problems and dwinding supplies, and it's getting harder to get good quality. Orchiata is supposed to be obtained from sustainable farms.

I recently switched to MSU, but the tapwater version, as I don't (yet) have R/O, and our tapwater is alkaline. The water here is supposed to be really good quality, but they do add chloramine and flouride.

No need to worry about sustainability, or supply issues. Most fir bark is Douglas fir, which is mostly grown as a managed forestry crop (I.e., it is farmed). Our bark is just one by-product of wood that is mostly harvested for dimensional lumber. Douglas-fir | Oregon Forest Resources Institute No idea about Orchiata but if I had to guess, I would expect a similar story, and neither more nor less sustainability..