Root hormone for Phal?

[jeremyinsf]

Originally Posted by Emerald27

Is there a different name for KelpMax, or a different brand of a similar product? I've called around the hydroponics stores in my area and nobody seems to carry it. Any suggestions?

You need to get it from here:

Growth Stimulants First Rays LLC

It's not carried in stores.

[silken]

Kelpmax doesn't seem to available in Canada which is why I suggested seaweed (kelp) which most hydroponics places have. It works great.

[Emerald27]

Originally Posted by silken

Kelpmax doesn't seem to available in Canada which is why I suggested seaweed (kelp) which most hydroponics places have. It works great.

Is there a specific brand you're referring to, or just anything containing those similar ingredients?

[silken]

There are a number of different brands but it is all basically seaweed either freeze dried into a fine powder or sold as a thick brown liquid. A friend of mine in Surrey buys Ocean Magic from a hydroponics place and says it works well. Green Planet Hydroponics Ocean Magic - Green Planet Hydroponics

But any seaweed product will be better than using nothing at all. I've used several both in liquid and powder form and seen results.

[Emerald27]

Hey again everyone. So after tons of calling around, the best thing I could find is a product called Dutch Treat Organic Seaweed Fertilizer.

My question is this: It says to add 15 ml of product to 1 litre of water for "flowering plants." I've read in several posts that when fertilizing orchids you should use 1/4 strength of what is recommended on the bottle. Is this the case with seaweed fertilizer?

Someone in this thread said applying seaweed every 3 weeks is best. Should I be watering with plain water first and then water it with the diluted seaweed? Or just water with the seaweed right from the get go without a regular watering first?

Also - should I be keeping this product in the fridge like it was suggested doing with KelpMax?

Thanks everybody!

[jeremyinsf]

Originally Posted by Emerald27

Hey again everyone. So after tons of calling around, the best thing I could find is a product called Dutch Treat Organic Seaweed Fertilizer.

My question is this: It says to add 15 ml of product to 1 litre of water for "flowering plants." I've read in several posts that when fertilizing orchids you should use 1/4 strength of what is recommended on the bottle. Is this the case with seaweed fertilizer?

Someone in this thread said applying seaweed every 3 weeks is best. Should I be watering with plain water first and then water it with the diluted seaweed? Or just water with the seaweed right from the get go without a regular watering first?

Also - should I be keeping this product in the fridge like it was suggested doing with KelpMax?

Thanks everybody!

It would not hurt to keep it in the fridge.

Do not water first. ADD this to your water, along with your regular fertilizer. Seaweed is not a fertilizer - it's an additive. As such, do not use 1/4 strength like you do with fertilizer. Use what the instructions say on the bottle. 3 weeks is considered a good timeline for it... you do not want to go much more than that.

Best to ya and good luck :-)

[tucker85]

You need to determine if your product is a seaweed supplement or seaweed along with a fertilizer. If it doesn't have fertilizer added then you could probably use it at the recommended strength but I would starting with half strength and see what the results are. I use it every two weeks but every three weeks or once a month is probably fine. Most seaweed products are mild and won't burn roots. If your product has fertilizer added to it then you need to be concerned about burning the roots. You could go to Ray's web-site and use his fertilizer calculator to determine what 50-100 ppm nitrogen would be and use that dose or you could use 1/4 to 1/2 the recommended dose to start with. You don't need to keep it refrigerated unless the label says to do that.

[Emerald27]

Ok, thanks!

I have another question about using my regular fertilizer but don't want to start another thread.

The fertilizer I'm using is called Orgunique Orchid Food 2-3-2. Despite it being specifically for orchids, I've still been only using 1/4 strength what it says on the bottle. This IS what I should be doing right?

[My Green Pets]

Many growers suggest that plants prefer a small dose of fertilizer with every watering, but it depends how often you water. My orchid food's instructions indicate a certain dose once a week from May to September and the same dose once a month October through April.

You're doing the right thing by starting weak. When temps and light increase, you can up your doseage a tiny bit at a time and see how your plants repond. If they seem to 'like it', growing well, good color, etc, you can keep trying more, but in general don't go over the recommended doseage unless you are really in tune with your plants and can spot early signs of over-fertilizing.

[tucker85]

I just changed my original post. When I had said you could probably use your seaweed product at full strength, what I meant was you could use it at the strength recommended on the label. But half the recommended strength is probably a good starting point. As far as your fertilizer is concerned, with 2-3-2 fertilizer 2 teaspoons (10 ml) per gallon will give you 53 ppm nitrogen. That's plenty for this time of year. During the summer when orchids are growing rapidly you may want to increase that to 3 teaspoons (15 ml) per gallon which would be about 80 ppm nitrogen.