Protekt and pH - Orchid Board

Dekejis · #1 02-06-2008, 08:00 PM

I read a couple threads on here regarding pH and he growth of orchids, along with an article on the web about Cattleya violacea preferring a lower pH, and this prompted a curiosity in me to check my water pH after my fertilizers and supplements, as i've never bothered to check before.
Incidentally, I might point out that I don't have a pH meter yet, but I did have a pH testing kit I use for my aquariums (I also keep African Cichlids), which I thought might suffice for this application.
My tap water is typically pretty close to neutral, normally, and is generally pretty soft. Anyway, I added in my fertilizer, (I use the MSU RO stuff, in powder form), and I often use K-L-N and/or Protekt with some frequency, so I added into a gallon of water, the recommended dosage listed on the label, and pulled a sample for testing..
which immediately proceeded to turn a violent shade of purple that at first glance appears to be going off the chart to the alkaline.
Is this a reaction to the pH testing chemical, and more to the point, will these tests even work accurately for plants, or is a pH meter the only way to go?
and, after seeing this, I retested everything separately to see who was at fault, and it turned out to be the ProTekt (the K-L-N did not appear to alter the pH much, and he MSU RO made it just slightly more acid, at least according to these tests). So I am curious to know, for those of you who use ProTekt and who actually have a real pH meter, does the ProTekt really raise the pH?
Thanks ,
Dana

Ross · #2 02-06-2008, 08:36 PM

My results with pH strips were "off and on" mostly off. I bought a pH meter and was surprised at the results. I can't respond other than to say if you are worried about pH, get a meter. They aren't expensive CHECKER1 pH Meter - CHECKER1 This is the one I bought.

Oldguypops · #3 02-07-2008, 09:15 AM

Good info Ross.
I have had the same questions as Dana.
I guess it's meter time.

Ray · #4 02-08-2008, 10:17 AM

Absolutely! If you have pure water and add a fertilizer not intended for that, the solution will be VERY acidic, and Pro-Tekt is a perfect way to raise it back up again.

The general orchid guideline for pH is somewhere in the high-5's to low-6's. There are some paphs that like it a bit higher, but most will do fine there.