fertilisers for aerides multiflora

[razzer13]

hey can someone recommend me which fertilisers (not the orchid specific ones) should i buy for my aerides? also, what should i look out for when buying one? the city where i live doesnt have fertilisers that are made for orchids and they have the normal fertilisers and i dont know what to look for and what not to.

[Fairorchids]

Any balanced fertilizer will do (numbers for N, P & K are reasonably close to each other). If the fertilizer does not include trace amounts of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) & Sulphur (SO), you will need to augment for these.

In all cases, since orchids are light feeders, only use 1/3 to 1/2 of the dosage suggested by the fertilizer manufacturer.

[razzer13]

Originally Posted by Fairorchids

Any balanced fertilizer will do (numbers for N, P & K are reasonably close to each other). If the fertilizer does not include trace amounts of Calcium (Ca), Magnesium (Mg) & Sulphur (SO), you will need to augment for these.

In all cases, since orchids are light feeders, only use 1/3 to 1/2 of the dosage suggested by the fertilizer manufacturer.

so maybe a 20-20-20 or 10-20-30 will do good right?
and how do i fertilise? do i like mist/spray it or do i soak in it?

[estación seca]

I would choose the 20-20-20 with micronutrients if you can get it. You can either spray the plant, ensuring all the roots have turned dark green, or soak it in a container for an hour or so. If you have seasons with low relative humidity the soaking might work better.

[razzer13]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would choose the 20-20-20 with micronutrients if you can get it. You can either spray the plant, ensuring all the roots have turned dark green, or soak it in a container for an hour or so. If you have seasons with low relative humidity the soaking might work better.

thanks a lot! i actually did bought a fertiliser today from my local agrochemicals store. it had npk in 20-20-20 and 0.5% each of Mg and Ca. But the thing is, it looks weird. it looks black as if it has soil and has some kind of white powder mixed in. there wasnt any dosage recommendation as it was sold loose. will it work?

[estación seca]

I would mix the dry powder as well as possible in the bag. I don't know what size measures you have. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5ml of powder per gallon / 4 liters of water and use once a week.

[razzer13]

Originally Posted by estación seca

I would mix the dry powder as well as possible in the bag. I don't know what size measures you have. Start with about 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5ml of powder per gallon / 4 liters of water and use once a week.

Thanks a lot for the help!!

[Ray]

If you divide 9.2 by the %N in the formula, the result is ml/L to use for 100 ppm N, which is the middle of a recommended range (75-125 ppm N) good for a weekly application.

In your case 9.2/20=0.46, so 1/2 ml/L would be great.