Fertilizer to use on orchids.

[dennis4246]

I am relatively new to orchids and still have a lot of questions. i bought 2 ligquid fertilizers on the internet and both are called Orchid Focus and made by a company called Hydrodynamics International in lansing MI.
one is called a GROW formula and is a 2-.06-2 with no ammoniia or urea. They said to use this formula when the plant is just in the growing stage. the orther is called BLOOM formula of 2 - 1 -2 with no ammonia or urea. Are these fertilizers sufficient and should I use one for growing and the other for flowering plants. I am kind of puzzled about this and also I use city water as I can't afford the expense of buying distilled water for caring for my plants. thanks for your help.

Dennis in Pensacola

[OrchidLover40]

Dennis: I have been grwoing orchids for many years, and I also still have MANY QUESTIONS! I am grateful to have found this forum, and I hope sharing information like this is helpful. I use a product called Orchid Pro on all of my orchids. It is better than fertilizers, because it gives your plants the entire package of microbiology and trace elements, etc that they need. Best thing for your situation, is that the natural lignins etc. in the product bind to the harmful chemicals and elements in your water supply (like Chlorine, especially) that are harming your plants. If you are not going to use distilled water, please consider using OrchidPro. Many people get confused, as there are other products with similar names, the company website is TurfPro USA - Home
Never be afraid to ask your questions, this forum is great, isn't it!?!

[jrhennek]

Dennis

I have been growing orchids for almost 20 years and have used many different fertilizers. Most any plant food for house plants will work and you don't need a special one for blooming. The one that I have been using for the past 4 years is MSU (Michigan State University) designed for orchids. There is a RO water (Rain water) or a Well water 19-4-23 (city tap water) formula.
Usually you buy this as a granular and mix it with your own water. Some people sell it premixed so you are paying allot for water.
12.7 oz of granules of the RO 13-3-15 will make 128 gallons of working solution at 125 ppm Nitrogen.

Jayme

[dennis4246]

Jayme:
Thanks for the info. I have heard of MSU from others on this board. My next question is about water. I ewant to use distilled but at .73 a gallon i am using 5-6 a week. I live in a condo so collecting rain water is not an option. My only other option is to use the city of Pensacola water system. That is why I originally posted about fertilizers.

[Ray]

Item one: if you want to grow orchids, you must adjust to the fact that it will "cost you" to give them what they need.

If you're only using 5- to 6 gallons a week, you might be better off buying distilled, but you may want to consider RO in the long run.

The smallest unit I carry is rated at 60 gpd - which means for the average household, the true output is in the 40-45 gpd range because of lower pressure and temperature - but at the $4.38 per week you're now spending, you'd pay the cost of it off in under a year.

At that minimal usage rate, you'd be replacing filters and membranes very infrequently (I recommend every 6 months on sediment filters, 1 year on carbon filters, and 2 years on membranes at full capacity - your case could be far less often), keeping your costs very low.

If you do go with an RO system, get one with standard components, as they are inexpensive compared to proprietary ones, and the systems can be upgraded with no issue.