Sherry baby won't spike!

[K.Veren]

is urea bad for phalaenopsis orchids too? I have been using Schultz Orchid Food which says it's 19-31-17, and 13.4% "urea nitrogen"
my beauty has been doing well on it (she's had blooms for 2+ months and is growing new leaf) but I want to think about her long-term health too...

[quiltingwacko]

If light is truly a problem, consider buying a light for your chids. Carol

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I wish I knew more about urea other than what I just told you all. I'll bet there are more answers if the chemical composition of urea is known and what the actual properties are. Then there's the specific physiological response that an epiphytical orchid has to urea, that I just don't have the answers to. If anybody else knows more, go ahead chime in.

Other than that, it's usually recommended that a fertilizer with Ammoniacal Nitrogen be used as this is more readily useable by epiphytes.

[Newt]

First off, a big good-on-ya to everyone coming to my aid in this thread. Learning hit it right on the head, I'm getting A TON of very useful insight here. Thanks a bunch people!

King, are you by any chance relate to tut? I'm feeling kind of cursed now... I don't know if it's a recent development, or if I just never noticed but I have black spotting and slight yellowing on the tips of leaves from the oldest bulbs. Frag-haggen-boo-tan-anny! Also, come to find out I'm using urea on all my plants, as my other fertilizers are also urea based. Repotting and a flush (great idea, thanks Learning) coming later this week. I feel like a bad parent!

It's funny you should bring up lights Carol. I was having a private message conversation with Matt concerning a possible switch to S/H. I know if I do that, the next step would be lights (some big-ol' honkin' merc halides), followed shortly by a ton more orchids to absorb all that wonderful light. It's just too bad I'm about to go back to school and don't have any cash to do this yet. Note the word yet...

So down to business: fertilizer change is definitely needed, I have already started to acclimate the plant to direct sun (thanks isurus BTW, my palest friend is my montana-raised girlfriend), and the aforementioned repotting and flush is on the way. The big question is with the pot. Unglazed ceramic or plastic? Ever since I got it, it has been in plastic with no real problems. Which would be better for drainage? Which is better for root insulation? A little help here, if you please jedi masters!

Thanks again for all your tremendous help. Once repotting begins, I'll be sure to take pics documenting the progress. Hopefully I'll take some more shortly there after showing it in spike.

That's right Learning, a pee joke. Sophisticated, eh?

[isurus79]

Originally Posted by Newt

(thanks isurus BTW, my palest friend is my montana-raised girlfriend),

lol My palest friends is also my girlfriend! Shes from Alaska though.

Originally Posted by Newt

The big question is with the pot. Unglazed ceramic or plastic? Ever since I got it, it has been in plastic with no real problems. Which would be better for drainage? Which is better for root insulation?

I like plastic because its cheaper and easier to peel root off of when repotting. Plastic doesn't breathe but I cut holes in the side of mine to fix that. Unglazed clay pots tend to breath naturally and so allow plenty of airflow around the roots which is good, but again, they're more expensive and orchid roots tend to attach really strongly to clay. Just a personal preference though and I know that there are those out there who swear by clay pots. Try both!

[learning2letgo]

Newt, glad to see you're taking all this in and maintaining a sense of humor about it all. I know what you mean about having the extra cash. I work a full-time day job and go to school at night, so it's a real butt kicker sometimes, but I still find a way somehow and somewhere to smuggle funds into my favorite obsession