Yellow Stem on Phal

[Call_Me_Bob]

its ok...weve all killed our share. and, it probably got whatever it was that killed it from the store. so dont feel bad go buy yourself a replacement

[RosieC]

Yeah, don't blame yourself. I don't know what I would have done with that one either.

Oh and remember... replacements have to come in pairs... it will make you feel better if you replace the ones you kill with two new ones... how do you think we all end up with such big collections

And to make you feel better, I've just declared one of my 'chids dead today

[Charlene]

I was so frustrated and sad yesterday, I took the orchid out and pulled out all the potting material to see what the roots looked like. I figured since it was already dead, I couldn't kill it again. Anyway, as you all suspected, all the roots and the core were black. Two of the roots looked a little green still. I just put the potting material back and I figured I'd keep it til the flowers fell off.

[Charlene]

I forgot to ask: what kind of fertilizer do you recommend and how often do you fertilize?

[RosieC]

A good balanced fertiliser is good for orchids.

Getting the right concentration is the thing, and it can get quite complicated. If you buy a fertiliser that says it's for orchids then using it as recomended is a good beginners way to go (and what I've done until recently).

[Call_Me_Bob]

Originally Posted by RosieC

A good balanced fertiliser is good for orchids.

Getting the right concentration is the thing, and it can get quite complicated. If you buy a fertiliser that says it's for orchids then using it as recomended is a good beginners way to go (and what I've done until recently).

the only orchid fetilizers ive found have HIGH posphorus. i just get normal fertilizers like a 20-20-20 but diluted

[Charlene]

Thank you. I purchased a liquid fertilizer called Jack's Classic Orchid Bloom Booster 3-9-6. It is made by JR Peters. I read the directions and I'm to mix it with water and use every time I water. So my question is: When I normally water, the water drains down through the bark potting material. If the water drains down, how much of the actual fertilizer is going to stay or just appear to drain through like the water? I hope this makes sense.

[Call_Me_Bob]

its ok that it drains through. that is fine, unless you want to soak the pot in the water/fert. you could soak it for a few minutes. but eventually it will have to drain.