Feeding Orchids-

[Skayc1]

I've decided to do a weakly weekly feeding of my orchids, the Food i have for them is Better-Gro' 'Orchid Plus' It is high in The first number which is Nitrogen,(20-14-13) now right now I'm wanting my rescue orchids to produce more roots, to recover from the treatment they got when they were at Lowes. is there a better orchid food that will encourage the roots to grow more? Is weakly weekly good to do? Oh and my orchid food does say No urea. I don't know what urea is, what is it? Oh and do the different types of orchids need different amounts/types of orchid food?

[DavidCampen]

I have never used it but the Better-Gro product seems like it should be good.

[Skayc1]

is there any orchid food that encourages root-growth? I'm wanting my rescue orchids regrow their roots. Their roots got damaged in different degrees from the treatment they got at lowes..

[cbuchman]

Try adding liquid kelp/seaweed to your feeding regimen. I also use K-L-N once a month and really see a difference.

[Skayc1]

Does the kelp/seaweed help the roots grow? i'm not wanting to encourage blooming, till the roots have recovered. Oh and which orchid foods have the K-L-N ratio? or is this a brand & where do I find it?

[cbuchman]

Yes. Both K-L-N and seaweed will encourage root growth. K-L-N is a product unto it self, I think it is Dyno-Gro. You can buy both these products at repotme.com. amazon.com etc. I often see them at my local nursery. Be sure not to overdose -- as this will have the opposite effect! Always best to start with less than the dosage on the bottle. Also be sure to get the mixture on the pbulbs or wherever roots typically emerge on your orchids. Let us know about your success!

[shushu45]

Here is some info on urea.

Urea, also called carbamide, is an organic chemical compound, and is essentially the waste produced by the body after metabolizing protein. Naturally, the compound is produced when the liver breaks down protein or amino acids, and ammonia; the kidneys then transfer the urea from the blood to the urine. Extra nitrogen is expelled from the body through urea, and because it is extremely soluble, it is a very efficient process. It is found in fertilizers and some animal feed. As for orchids urea is not a good source of nitrogen for them.

[HighSeas]

Urea is high in Nitrogen but not readily available to the orchid and therefore is mainly useless. As the concentrations increase, it can burn your roots. Not something to look forward to. Avoid it.

I use a weak dose of the same Better-Gro fertilizer. Weekly. I also use K-L-N once per month and have really been impressed with it. The only thing somewhat inconvenient is that you can't put the compound on anything you plan on eating and you can't use anything that's come in contact with it again for eating or drinking. I suppose you may grow roots! It works though. I use it once a month.

I also use SuperThrive....Once a month. I alternate with Kelp. I find that this combination works quite nicely here in Florida. Once every two or three months I toss in some Epsom Salts....a wee tiny bit.

I'm currently in the process of trying Lime on my Paphs.

Good Luck!

[Skayc1]

Is superthrive a rooting hormone? and is the K-L-N available in the stores such as lowes? I don't like to shop online.

[shushu45]

Super thrive is not a rotting hormone but it is a good think to have. I never seen K-L-N at my lowes.