Fertilizing a Phal. NoID Orchid?

[The Mutant]

Originally Posted by The Mutant

Ray- you're a well of wisdom when it comes to fertilizers.

Since I'm branching out into the splendid Paph genus I've been forced to try and take note of some of the things you mention in your post, such as, the high level of potassium etc. I've decided to get my hands on both calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate for my Paphs. Do you think it's a good idea to add some magnesium to my Phals too and if so, how much should I add to a gallon of water? I think they get the sufficient amount of calcium they need from the water itself (dH 3).

And this is really not a beginners' discussion is it?

Ray, did you have an answer to my question? If you don't that's okay too.

[Bud]

others dont even bother with fertilizers and they manage to have magnificent blooms...
I didnt use fertilizers up til my second year of orchid care...
its up to you...you dont have to
but since youre already using fertilizer then just use it all up and dont buy anymore...
As for me: I use algoflash, seaweed and worm tea mix
all alternated each week
the bottles all have caps to cover the bottle.
weekly weakly is a gallon of water to a capful of the mix...
I only use MSU powder fertilizer for my mini plants and use rainwater or distilled water to a teaspoonful of powder then heat a cup of water put the teaspoon of powdered fertilizer stirr till boiling point to dissolve the powder then half a cup goes to the gallon bottle of water(weekly weakly=if they give you an instruction then dilute it some more to weaken the potency of the chemical)...

its complicated as you collect complicated plants with specific instructions on growing them...
but a phal noid is not that complicated to care for...just trust your instincts

[Ray]

Originally Posted by The Mutant

Ray- you're a well of wisdom when it comes to fertilizers.

Since I'm branching out into the splendid Paph genus I've been forced to try and take note of some of the things you mention in your post, such as, the high level of potassium etc. I've decided to get my hands on both calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate for my Paphs. Do you think it's a good idea to add some magnesium to my Phals too and if so, how much should I add to a gallon of water? I think they get the sufficient amount of calcium they need from the water itself (dH 3).

And this is really not a beginners' discussion is it?

Calcium and magnesium should always be provided together. That is not to day that adding Epsom Salts to your fertilizer is a violation to be avoided, just that the plants need both, and tend to use them together.

If you add a teaspoon od Epsom Slats per gallon once a month, you are applying roughly the equivalent to the amount in the MSU RO fertilizer, used at every watering. I have added as much as 2 tablespoons per gallon with no ill effects.

The low-K experiments apply to all epiphytes, not only to paphs. So-far, so good.

[Im Just Saying]

I almost asked the same question last weekend Cassandra! I also have a question in relation to this so I figured I would tag along in this convo.

I ended up buying Better Gro - Orchid Plus urea free fertilizer from Lowes. The instructions say 1 tsp. per gallon every 14-21 days. The formula is 20-14-13, my question is this. After following the calculation that Ray provided I got .30 per gallon. In this case would I give it 1/4 tsp per gallon instead of rounding up to 1/2 tsp? Second part of my question is that amount of fertilizer for every 14-21 days or can I use this 3 out of every 4 times I water? With the humidity in my house I tend to water about once every 10-14 days.

Sorry if these questions are too silly I couldn't find answers when I searched through the forum last weekend.

[TheJadeOrchid]

Oh! No! My thread has been taken over!


I don't have ANY fertilizers right now. So fertilizing an orchid is all about personal preference and what YOU want? And it's about trial and error for practically anyone?

So an all balanced water soluble fertilizer will be fine to use?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Im Just Saying

I ended up buying Better Gro - Orchid Plus urea free fertilizer from Lowes. The instructions say 1 tsp. per gallon every 14-21 days. The formula is 20-14-13, my question is this. After following the calculation that Ray provided I got .30 per gallon. In this case would I give it 1/4 tsp per gallon instead of rounding up to 1/2 tsp? Second part of my question is that amount of fertilizer for every 14-21 days or can I use this 3 out of every 4 times I water? With the humidity in my house I tend to water about once every 10-14 days.

I used Ray's calculator to double check, and 1/4 tsp would give 70ppm N in the end, while 1/2tsp is closer to 125ppm N. Both of those amounts are fine, so you can give anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2tsp. As to the frequency, this is calculated for fertilizing at nearly every watering, so as you say every 3 out of 4 waterings. Even if you are only watering every 10-14 days!

Originally Posted by TheJadeOrchid

So an all balanced water soluble fertilizer will be fine to use?

Essentially yes. A balanced fert is good in general. Afterwards, people may try different things, and what they try may also depend on their water quality. I use a nearly balanced fert, but add some calcium/magnesium since my tap water is soft, and soon I'll be trying a seaweed extract supplement.

[The Mutant]

Thanks for the answer Ray! I'll do that since I, like Camille, have rather soft water. I'll keep feeding them only 1/4 of the recommended dosage since this will keep the potassium levels low.

I will also be getting some seaweed extract to feed them with. I wonder what their reaction to all of this will be considering they've been doing quite well so far.

It's really fun to grow as an orchid owner! When I started I had no plans to make my own compost mix OR to start and add chemicals in the water to give them more of what they need. What seemed way over the top a month ago, is becoming reality now.

[TheJadeOrchid]

Originally Posted by camille1585

Essentially yes. A balanced fert is good in general. Afterwards, people may try different things, and what they try may also depend on their water quality. I use a nearly balanced fert, but add some calcium/magnesium since my tap water is soft, and soon I'll be trying a seaweed extract supplement.

Okay. Thanks. So an orchid can have a PPM of 125 for Nitrogen. Can it be a little bit by say 10 PPM?

[Im Just Saying]

Originally Posted by camille1585

I used Ray's calculator to double check, and 1/4 tsp would give 70ppm N in the end, while 1/2tsp is closer to 125ppm N. Both of those amounts are fine, so you can give anywhere between 1/4 and 1/2tsp. As to the frequency, this is calculated for fertilizing at nearly every watering, so as you say every 3 out of 4 waterings. Even if you are only watering every 10-14 days!

Thanks Camille, I thought that was the case but I wanted to check to be sure.