Orchid fertilizer/supplements question

[Roberta]

That's plenty for the orchids, unless you have a lot of something else in the water, your city water is quite good. (A lot better than mine...)

[Ray]

Of the products you mentioned, as has been recommended above, the MSU RO formula you are using is the only thing you really need. 1/2 teaspoon/gallon weekly is sufficient. (However, I urge you to shop around; that vendor has high prices and charges ridiculously for shipping.)

Mega Thrive is a urea-based foliar fertilizer containing “mega” doses of boron and molybdenum.

Mega Thrive “pros”:
1) the large doses of trace elements cause the plants to produce abnormally high levels of auxins.
2) auxins stimulate root growth, which, in turn, stimulates plant growth.

Mega Thrive “cons”:
1) large doses of auxins - just like the synthetic ones in products like Superthrive - can cause deformities in flowers, as has been stated.
2) large doses of those trace elements can be toxic to the plants themselves. They are generally applied as “trace” elements for a reason, and there is a sufficient level of each in the fertilizer.
3) the molybdenum makes the plants toxic to birds and mammals. Keep pets and kids away.

[Steve83]

Ditch the Superthrive for Kelpmax and Quantum. Quantum is a great foliar for preventing bacterial spotting etc from damage.

[Optimist]

I started using root stimulator at a much higher dilution than recommended on the bottle. My orchids were not happy at all, but once I started using that they became happier. It is a hormone, not a fertilizer. I believe it is similar to the growth hormone in sea kelp. My other epiphitic cactii and hoyas have also really bounced back and are very lush now. ---

Oh, and another thing I have done-- since I am working at home now is to put all my plants outside when the weather (nights) is warm enough. Remember to water though and bring them in if it is too hot. The additional sunlight seems to really get them growing right.

[estación seca]

I put a lot out a couple of weeks ago. Then last week we had cold weather so I moved them back in. Now it warmed up so out they go today.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Optimist

I started using root stimulator at a much higher dilution than recommended on the bottle. My orchids were not happy at all, but once I started using that they became happier. It is a hormone, not a fertilizer. I believe it is similar to the growth hormone in sea kelp. My other epiphitic cactii and hoyas have also really bounced back and are very lush now. ---

Be careful using stimulants at "much higher" than recommended doses, as that can lead to overstimulation of the plants, which can lead to flower deformities, stunting, or even death, especially if they are synthetic hormones.

What product is that?

[Roberta]

I used Superthrive (about 3 drops per gallon) for quite awhile (a few years, I recall) and started seeing deformed flowers (especially Catts) - segments not separating properly on some plants. I stopped using the stuff, and I haven't seen the problem since, Ray is spot-on... you can get damage from such products. The problem develops slowly (since orchids grow slowly) so it can take a year or more to show up, will not affect all equally, but watch for it!

[SouthPark]

Maybe it's possible that if you use the Super/MegaThrive in a particular way --- such as occasionally --- and drop the 'dosage', then it could do something nice as well. For example - use other recommended orchid fertiisers and supplements ---- at usual times. And then, occasionally ----- a little touch of Super/MegaThrive.

[Ray]

SuperThrive is a mixture of synthetic hormones, vitamins, and who-knows-what-else.

Mega Thrive is a urea fertilizer to which large doses of boron and molybdenum have been added.

The former may stimulate root growth (if it is fresh). The latter stimulates the plant into producing the hormones that stimulate root growth, and is far more reliable in doing so, although it makes the plants toxic to birds and mammals.