watering/feeding in a smaller pot

[Maurissa]

I have a double phalaenopsis in approx. 4-5" pot, how often and how much water do you give it in a pot that size?

also, i read somewhere that it's good to give it food every 1 to 2 months, so i picked up Miracle Gro Orchid Food. was this worth the buy?

[Bud]

Welcome and Hello!
I suggest you return that fertilizer if you still can.
If you can find a seaweed mix, its best to have those organic stuff rather than the chemicals that will produce salt residue on the roots and cristaline deposits that you need to flush out every month...
read :http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html
or the baker's Phal culture sheet
try watering once a week and see if it works for you...if not do the skewer method in watering.

[WhiteRabbit]

I'm not really familiar with their orchid fertilizer. Ask 100 orchid growers about which fertilizer to use, and you will get 100 different answers!

I use fertilizer labeled for orchids or bromeliads. I do try to avoid those using urea based nitrogen - it's my understanding that is not usable to the plants when temps are less than 70F. I do have some previously bought fert that is urea based, and rotate that with a urea free during warm months, and stick with urea free in cool/cold months.

First Ray's has lots of good info on fertilizing (including calculators) First Rays' Free Info

[Zoi2]

How often to water really depends on what the plants are potted in and your environment. If you live in a humid area you probably will not have to water as frequently as a dry area.
A lot of people on the board use skewers in their pots to judge when to water. Stick the skewer (small bamboo sticks from the grocery store) into the potting media close to the base of the plant. If the skewer feels wet let it go another day. If it's dry it's time to water. Clear plastic pots are good for visually monitering the media/roots too.
I feed my phals once a week.
Joann

[Maurissa]

i keep my plant in the bathroom, figured it will get enough humidity in there with all the moisture from the shower.

zoi2- what did you mean by feeding it weekly? or did you mean watering.

[Paul Mc]

Showers tend to raise the humidity for brief moments in time and do not do anything for the overall 24 hour period. Some plants are extremely sensitive to this change, but phal's tend to do much better. It would be better to get a saucer and fill it with water and then sit the pot above the water line over the saucer. This method still won't raise the humidity that much, but it does a bit and it's more consistent.

The general rule of thumb when it comes to fertilizing is weekly weakly. Do about 1/4th of what the manufacturer's recommend on their labels. With phal's you can probably do this year round, but other orchids require more rest and gradual reduction of fertilizer during the fall through winter.

Anything by Miracle Gro for orchids tends to not be that good. I personally think Miracle Gro was just trying to tap into the orchid market without fully knowing what they were doing. Their orchid mix is horrible and only suitable for terrestrial orchids, with some amendments made before planting.

[Maurissa]

i still have my reciept so i can return that miracle gro food.

[Paul Mc]

One other thing. When we water orchids, you want to water a lot. Just be sure that the water freely flows out the bottom of your pot. I think someone suggested pouring about a gallon of water through each pot each time you water. The purpose of this is to rehydrate the media/potting mix appropriately. Of course, the key here is to be sure your pot freely drains. Most orchids do not like their feet to sit in water - it will quickly rot them.

If you just briefly pour water through the medium, it won't really do much in the way of rehydrating the medium. It's the rehydration and being inside a pot that helps to increase the humidity and the roots ability to absorb water for a longer period of time than just a quick flush of water.

[cythaenopsis]

^ And it's this soaking of the medium that lends itself to fungus growth... which is why there should also be an anti-fungal regimen practiced as well. In the real world, the material that orchids grow in is not potted, so it has plenty of air to dry out a day or two after the rain stopped.

[Paul Mc]

That is a very good point I forgot to mention cythaenopsis. Although you are soaking it, you need to let the medium dry out as well. It's a delicate balance.