Best Fertilizer for Phalaenopsis

[cra323]

Hello everyone,

I'm trying to figure out a good fertilizer to buy for my Phals. 3 out of 5 of them aren't in the best shape--- recently acquired with damaged/rotten roots--- they have been repotted and the most of the roots had to be removed.

They are currently potted in a mixture of AAA New Zealand Sphagnum Moss, Medium Orchiata Monterey Pine Bark, Hydroton, Large Sponge Rock, and Medium Cork Chips. (My goal is to transition them to a complete bark mix--- but since they have been traumatized I'm trying to be gentle).

Any suggestions for fertilizers?

I'm leaning towards MSU RO/Rain/Tap Water Formula 13-3-15 8Ca-2Mg...

Macronutrients:
•Total Nitrogen 13% (Nitrate Nitrogen 12.5%, Ammoniacal Nitrogen 0.7%)
•Phosphate 3.7%
•Potash 15.9%
•Calcium 8%
•Magnesium 2.6%

Micronutrients:
•Iron 0.177%
•Manganese 0.088%
•Zinc 0.044%
•Copper 0.044%
•Boron 0.018%
•Molybdenum 0.018%

[RandomGemini]

You're better off just repotting them in bark mix now. This time of year, these plants are actively putting out new roots and growing new leaves. This is the perfect time to repot, IMO. Phals are not so sensitive that you have to worry about things like acclimating them to new bark. They'll be fine.

As far as the fertilizer goes, that depends on the phal. You make no mention of whether you are growing hybrids or species. Hybrids will do just fine with a big box store bought fert. I use better gro orchid plus for my hybrids.

[Orchid Whisperer]

The fertilizer you propose using should be fine.

Because they have very few roots right now, I would not fertilize with anything until you see some root growth. To put it another way, wait until you have some new roots that have grown at least a few inches long before you use fertilizers.

Now that you have re-potted to the mix you describe, I would not re-pot again for a while (maybe a year+), but next time you are in a similar situation, just go ahead and re-pot into the medium you plan to use long-term. Since your mix contains Sphagnum, be careful when watering; be sure to wait and water only when the mix is nearly dry.

---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------

BTW, I'm not arguing with the advice given by RG, we were just typing at about the same time. Re-potting into bark mix now is certainly another option here.

[silken]

I always grow my Phals in a mix of moss and bark. They grow awesome roots. However I have lots of drainage holes in the pots and it is not packed in extremely tight. It all depends on your growing conditions as to what works. MSU is a good balanced fertilizer that should be great for your orchids.

[orchidsarefun]

orchids need different nutrients at different times, depending on dormancy, growth and blooming. Its difficult to predict the uptake requirements and consequently guidelines for fertilising usually are very general - for eg use blossom-promoting fertiliser in Fall/Autumn.
As a result, I don't stick to 1 brand of fertiliser for my indoor plants - I alternate ( weakly, weekly ) and currently use Jack's Classic, Scotts and Hausermann's Fertil-ade. You can probably substitute any of these with any labelled Orchid fertiliser that also contains minerals. This works for me and my plants, and I have seen much better results since I started doing this last year.

[RandomGemini]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

The fertilizer you propose using should be fine.



Because they have very few roots right now, I would not fertilize with anything until you see some root growth. To put it another way, wait until you have some new roots that have grown at least a few inches long before you use fertilizers.



Now that you have re-potted to the mix you describe, I would not re-pot again for a while (maybe a year+), but next time you are in a similar situation, just go ahead and re-pot into the medium you plan to use long-term. Since your mix contains Sphagnum, be careful when watering; be sure to wait and water only when the mix is nearly dry.

---------- Post added at 01:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 01:17 PM ----------

BTW, I'm not arguing with the advice given by RG, we were just typing at about the same time. Re-potting into bark mix now is certainly another option here.

No, I admit, I skimmed the post and didn't see that the plants had so few roots. I agree with Orchid Whisperer's advice here. If the plants are already in distress, leave them alone until new root growth begins. Otherwise they'll just continue to have setbacks.

[tucker85]

The fertilizer you mentioned should be ideal for your orchids. I like fertilizers that have calcium and magnesium. Not all fertilizers contain those elements.

[cra323]

Thanks everyone! I will definitely wait until they have put on some root growth before fertilizing.

And to be honest, I have NO idea if they are hybrid or species... Two of them my husband picked up from Lowes, and one of them is from Whole Foods.

[RandomGemini]

They are hybrids then. I've never seen a species in a big box store. They will not be terribly fussy as far as phals go. I have a species that has a reputation for growing only two leaves per year. I thought I was doing something wrong, had the wrong fertilizer. Turned out, that's just the way that plant grows.

I think there's this myth that orchids are super hard to grow, some of them are, but many aren't! So those of us that are new to the hobby drown ourselves in research and can overload our brains from time to time.

[cra323]

That is absolutely my problem!!

I've never been much of a plant person, but I absolutely LOVE orchids, and my desire to do everything right has made me go a bit overboard... if that makes sense

Also, I keep buying orchids that are in poor shape and need to be repotted and have roots cut, etc. I think in my anxiety to help them I might be overdoing it a bit--- perhaps hurting them more (???).

Hopefully, in time, I'll get the hang of this