Rescue Experiment: Root Rot

[bil]

Originally Posted by jh0330u

I plan on making a homemade fertilizer, by boiling rice water, dried kelp, and dried sardines to mimic the kelp solution. I will also do the 'sphag-and-bag' technique leaving it closer to a wall heater by a window to mimic the terrarium environment.

I wouldn't bother. The Kelpmax is cold vaccuum extracted and the growth hormones etc are intact. Heat denatures them.

[jh0330u]

Originally Posted by estación seca

The rooting hormones in kelp aren't stable when dried nor boiled. There won't be any rooting hormones in your mixture. At this point fertilizer (nutrient solution) is not needed. Rooting hormones are needed.

Hello!
Thank you so much for this input!

When you say dried nor boiled kelp has stable rooting hormones, does that imply that non-heat treated kelp, some from the beach perhaps, DO have stable rooting hormones?
I would think that the sardine fert being high in phosphorus would be useful though?

I currently have zero blooming phals and investing 15$(canadian) in a commercial rooting hormone for these sick little phals just doesn't seem like it's going to be worth it.

---------- Post added at 05:53 AM ---------- Previous post was at 05:21 AM ----------

Originally Posted by bil

I wouldn't bother. The Kelpmax is cold vaccuum extracted and the growth hormones etc are intact. Heat denatures them.

Does this mean that I could get some live kelp next time I am by the beach? (I live a few blocks from a beach)

Originally Posted by bil

Yup. As soon as I get a new orchid home, I repot, even if they don't need it. I want a look at the roots et al, and tbh most times had I not repotted the orchid would have shortly been circling the drain.

I never cut off roots. They provide stability and there is the possibility that they will still wick water to the plant.

"I want to be able to keep healthy plants and be able to manage rotting if it occurs."
If you are doing the first, you are unlikely to have to worry about the second. That's not arrogance, but a simple observation. If they get too hot or cold, andd the crown starts to rot, trust me on this, BIN THEM.

If you put them in moss, and the roots start to rot, then frankly, the cure is, pot them up in coarse bark ONLY and treat them as if they are healthy. From this of course, the obvious deduction is, pot them in bark AT THE START, and then your only problem is underwatering. That can make the leaves go floppy. Then all I do again, is water them as if they were healthy (ie water them more than you were.) Here in High Summer, I water 3 times a week, and in winter, once a week.
In summer they get 25ppm of nitrogen every watering, and winter when it is x1 a week, they get 75ppm.

"My goal is to be able to have 3-4 nice healthy phals which can provide me beautiful blooms year-round, every year."

Nope. What happens with the common phals is that they all synchronise. Mine are starting to throw flower spikes, and once they start flowering, I will have flowers on some of them till September.

One suggestion is, look at the minature phals. I have a white one that was flowering almost all year.

I'll attach a pic of the big and the small white one to show what sort of pot sizes I use. The minature phals are potted in fine bark btw.

Hi Bil. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

I completely understand that keeping a good environment for the phals from the first place is very important. I agree. However, For example, last time I visited my parents, I had noticed one of my father's indoor orchids were dead/dying due to overwatering. My mother said the house maid probably overwatered it while they were overseas.
I could see something like this happen to me if I had to leave my plant for my friend to water.

Watering every two three days with coarse bark medium sounds like a lot! That must mean some of the roots deep in the pot are always wet?

Interesting to hear that you water/fertilize less frequently.

That is too bad about the orchids all synchronizing!

Thanks for the pictures! I love pictures!
That is a very cool setup for your phals!
Wow. This is the first time I've heard of "mini" phals.
That small white one is amazing! Does that mini phal have three blooming spikes at the same time?! Bloom almost all year round?! How long is the dormancy period afterwards?

[estación seca]

Biology can be considered to be mostly electrical engineering, or organic chemistry, so you should pick it up rapidly. Organisms take great care about absorbing and storing ions, and expend large amounts of energy moving them around, to change the electrical potential inside cells and sap/blood.

The concentration of hormones extractable from kelp varies widely from species to species. Kelp don't form roots, so they use these hormones for other purposes. This is a common theme in biology; organisms find new uses for biochemical pathways that evolved long ago. Ray has written he sells KelpMax because the hormone level from the species used is higher than in other species; he writes it is processed in a way that gives better yields and makes it more stable. I don't know how much would be available in your local kelp. Some species have next to none. How do you plan to extract the hormone and leave the salt behind?

Have you priced other kelp extracts at a local hydroponics shop? I would think C$15 would be a relatively small price compared to an EE's time collecting and processing seaweed. Is it legal to harvest?

As for phosphorus... epiphytic plants need very small amounts of it. Plants use phosphorus almost exclusively to make phosphorylated nucleic acid constituents, which they use to store and transfer energy (adenosine triphosphate, or ATP), and as chemical messengers to enzymes and cell control proteins (cyclic adenosine, cytosine and guanine monophosphate.) Very little is needed for this purpose, but the requirement is absolute. Plants do not survive without phosphate. High phosphate fertilizers have been shown to be unnecessary for orchids. They get plenty from low phosphate fertilizers.

The more dissolved particles in solution, the greater the osmolality of the solution. Organisms expend large amounts of energy to maintain their osmolality in a very tight range. Too-salty water they can't handle. Epiphytes tolerate this condition even less well than do terrestrial plants. So, more nutrients than needed is not a good idea.

You can probably go online to your water supplier and find a water quality report. This must be posted in the US and EU, and I think probably in Canada as well. Look for total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH of your water. Orchids prefer lower TDS. Under 600ppm is good for most. Slipper orchids tolerate less, under 200ppm, and Phragmipedium do best at 50 ppm or less. These numbers include whatever fertilizer you add. This is why so many of us use reverse osmosis or rain for our plants, especially when fertilizing.

Nitrogen in animals is in the form of proteins, which must be broken down to amino acids, which must be broken down to simpler inorganic forms of nitrogen for plant absorption - in nature, primarily ammonium ion and nitrite ion. Urea also gets absorbed by Phal roots. Bacteria do this breakdown work external to the roots. Sardine extract is probably a bad idea for epiphytic orchids unless you want a cat-friendly air freshener. Plus there is all that salt - see above for the osmolality discussion.

[bil]

Originally Posted by jh0330u

Does this mean that I could get some live kelp next time I am by the beach? (I live a few blocks from a beach)



Hi Bil. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge!

I completely understand that keeping a good environment for the phals from the first place is very important. I agree. However, For example, last time I visited my parents, I had noticed one of my father's indoor orchids were dead/dying due to overwatering. My mother said the house maid probably overwatered it while they were overseas.
I could see something like this happen to me if I had to leave my plant for my friend to water.

Watering every two three days with coarse bark medium sounds like a lot! That must mean some of the roots deep in the pot are always wet?

Interesting to hear that you water/fertilize less frequently.

That is too bad about the orchids all synchronizing!

Thanks for the pictures! I love pictures!
That is a very cool setup for your phals!
Wow. This is the first time I've heard of "mini" phals.
That small white one is amazing! Does that mini phal have three blooming spikes at the same time?! Bloom almost all year round?! How long is the dormancy period afterwards?

re the kelp.I think you will be putting too much effort into this. Seaweed from the beach is great of the compost heap. I do grasp you want to do stuff yourself, and I commend you for this. However, I think that the 'pain:gain' ratio is too far towards the pain threshold. I can see that you could end up with an inferior product, after a lot of work.
If your father's orchid had been in bark and not allowed to sit in water, It wouldn't have mattered HOW many times it was watered.
I use a plant saucer that is plenty big enough for the orchid pot, but I then stand a slightly smaller saucer upside down in that, and sit the orchid on top of that.

From what I hear, it doesn't matter if the roots are wet all the time. After all in SH, they never get the chance to dry out. You can argue that the medium doesn't need to dry out, because what counts is, CAN THE ROOTS BREATHE? If they are able to then nothing else matters.

Of course, medium that is wet all the time breaks down faster and has to be replaced sooner.

The setup for the big phals came about so that the flower spikes could grow naturally and hang down. It hangs from the roof, and doest touch the plants so that the snails don't bother them.
Some mini phals bloom for longer than others. One of the spikes on that one lasted for more than 6 months before the last flower fell. Then two more spikes took over.
"Watering every two three days with coarse bark medium sounds like a lot!"
Weeelll, yes, but then it makes you check the plant more often, and that's a good thing. Orchids need a bit more attention, IMO and that's a good way to give it.

What is always nice is spotting new roots and shoots, and in some ways I get more excited by that than the flowers in some ways, especially if it is a new plant, because it means you have probably succeeded and it will then grow nicely for you.

Oh yes. If you are too sparse with the watering, the leaves can go into shock, and go all soft and leathery. If that happens, I just ignore it. I just make sure to water more thoroughly. Using a spray, I usually get thru about 10 litres on the 22 Phals on that frame. A good bit is wasted by the spray slipping, or run thru ending up on the floor, but when I water like that, I don't get any leathery leaves.
One useful trick is to water lightly then go back a second time. The idea is that a dry medium lets water run off while it stays dry. Hitting it with a spray wets medium better, and then the medium absorbs that and becomes damp. A damp medium will then take up water very well.

[Arizona Jeanie]

-the bottom leaf was very yellow. I removed it by tearing to avoid any transmission of disease through contact.[/QUOTE]
Lots of info here about roots, how about opinions on removing yellowing leaves? Here's mine, and why. I leave the dying leaf on until it drops or comes loose with a very gentle pull. Plants have a natural process for dropping leaves (abscission). If allowed to proceed normally, the plant will scavenge and recycle some of the nutrients from the leaf. The plant also forms a natural barrier between the "live" part and the dropping part. When the plant is given time to develop this, there is no open wound left when the leaf drops off, it's maybe the botanical equivalent of a scar. No need to spray, dust, dip, burn, or otherwise take a chance on injuring healthy cells. (I'd do it differently with an infected/diseased leaf.) We really can't "make" a plant grow, but we can create the conditions that allow it to thrive. You'll get there!
Yes I've learned to recognize "engineer brain" as we call it in my family. Dad once tried to grow tomatoes from seed, but after a week informed me that they weren't going to sprout. When I asked him how he knew, turns out he was digging them up daily to check! (He really was a rocket scientist, but not much of a gardener.)
Carry on!

[jh0330u]

It has been over a month and I see no progression of the root rot!!! I believe the orchid is in stable condition now!!

Originally Posted by estación seca

Biology can be considered to be mostly electrical engineering, or organic chemistry, so you should pick it up rapidly. Organisms take great care about absorbing and storing ions, and expend large amounts of energy moving them around, to change the electrical potential inside cells and sap/blood.

The concentration of hormones extractable from kelp varies widely from species to species. Kelp don't form roots, so they use these hormones for other purposes. This is a common theme in biology; organisms find new uses for biochemical pathways that evolved long ago. Ray has written he sells KelpMax because the hormone level from the species used is higher than in other species; he writes it is processed in a way that gives better yields and makes it more stable. I don't know how much would be available in your local kelp. Some species have next to none. How do you plan to extract the hormone and leave the salt behind?

Have you priced other kelp extracts at a local hydroponics shop? I would think C$15 would be a relatively small price compared to an EE's time collecting and processing seaweed. Is it legal to harvest?

As for phosphorus... epiphytic plants need very small amounts of it. Plants use phosphorus almost exclusively to make phosphorylated nucleic acid constituents, which they use to store and transfer energy (adenosine triphosphate, or ATP), and as chemical messengers to enzymes and cell control proteins (cyclic adenosine, cytosine and guanine monophosphate.) Very little is needed for this purpose, but the requirement is absolute. Plants do not survive without phosphate. High phosphate fertilizers have been shown to be unnecessary for orchids. They get plenty from low phosphate fertilizers.

The more dissolved particles in solution, the greater the osmolality of the solution. Organisms expend large amounts of energy to maintain their osmolality in a very tight range. Too-salty water they can't handle. Epiphytes tolerate this condition even less well than do terrestrial plants. So, more nutrients than needed is not a good idea.

You can probably go online to your water supplier and find a water quality report. This must be posted in the US and EU, and I think probably in Canada as well. Look for total dissolved solids (TDS) and pH of your water. Orchids prefer lower TDS. Under 600ppm is good for most. Slipper orchids tolerate less, under 200ppm, and Phragmipedium do best at 50 ppm or less. These numbers include whatever fertilizer you add. This is why so many of us use reverse osmosis or rain for our plants, especially when fertilizing.

Nitrogen in animals is in the form of proteins, which must be broken down to amino acids, which must be broken down to simpler inorganic forms of nitrogen for plant absorption - in nature, primarily ammonium ion and nitrite ion. Urea also gets absorbed by Phal roots. Bacteria do this breakdown work external to the roots. Sardine extract is probably a bad idea for epiphytic orchids unless you want a cat-friendly air freshener. Plus there is all that salt - see above for the osmolality discussion.

I wish . A few things have been going on in my life and currently unemployed at the moment. Also, I mean the plant is only $3.50 and I know (almost certain even without trying it myself) the store bought kelp extract (or any other supplements) will work. I feel like it would be cheating for my project! (if I had any nice big orchids I would definitely would purchase nutrients/hormones).

I also remember reading this about that phosphate (although very little) is absolute but high phosphate is unnecessary. I thought that this also means that they orchids (hopefully phals too) can tolerate quite a bit of phosphorus. Therefore I could provide some with low risk of adding too much phosphorus.

For the TDS, I have read a post about this before too for watering but thank you for the heads up. I read up, and again just now, that the water in my area is said to be very low in TDS. Only 10ppm! I think this would let me assume that there is enough space for me to add some nutrition to my water.

For the smell, I was thinking of soaking the roots for only 1 hour, dumping the water out, and filling up with fresh water again (right up to under the lowest root).

I would think that bird poop could have some salt water fish and a bit of salt. I wouldn't think it would be harmful to the plant, rather it could be good? Is that a bad assumption? The reason I want to use fish is because it would have so many nutritious things for the plant (phosphorus, nitrogen, maybe urea nitrogen, potassium, etc.). Also, to be blunt, it's what I have on hand.

For removing the salt, I thought boiling them for a good hour, then removing the water and rinse in fresh water would do the trick.

Thanks for your comments! Really appreciate all the help I can get!

Originally Posted by bil

re the kelp.I think you will be putting too much effort into this. Seaweed from the beach is great of the compost heap. I do grasp you want to do stuff yourself, and I commend you for this. However, I think that the 'pain:gain' ratio is too far towards the pain threshold. I can see that you could end up with an inferior product, after a lot of work.
If your father's orchid had been in bark and not allowed to sit in water, It wouldn't have mattered HOW many times it was watered.
I use a plant saucer that is plenty big enough for the orchid pot, but I then stand a slightly smaller saucer upside down in that, and sit the orchid on top of that.

From what I hear, it doesn't matter if the roots are wet all the time. After all in SH, they never get the chance to dry out. You can argue that the medium doesn't need to dry out, because what counts is, CAN THE ROOTS BREATHE? If they are able to then nothing else matters.

Of course, medium that is wet all the time breaks down faster and has to be replaced sooner.

The setup for the big phals came about so that the flower spikes could grow naturally and hang down. It hangs from the roof, and doest touch the plants so that the snails don't bother them.
Some mini phals bloom for longer than others. One of the spikes on that one lasted for more than 6 months before the last flower fell. Then two more spikes took over.
"Watering every two three days with coarse bark medium sounds like a lot!"
Weeelll, yes, but then it makes you check the plant more often, and that's a good thing. Orchids need a bit more attention, IMO and that's a good way to give it.

What is always nice is spotting new roots and shoots, and in some ways I get more excited by that than the flowers in some ways, especially if it is a new plant, because it means you have probably succeeded and it will then grow nicely for you.

Oh yes. If you are too sparse with the watering, the leaves can go into shock, and go all soft and leathery. If that happens, I just ignore it. I just make sure to water more thoroughly. Using a spray, I usually get thru about 10 litres on the 22 Phals on that frame. A good bit is wasted by the spray slipping, or run thru ending up on the floor, but when I water like that, I don't get any leathery leaves.
One useful trick is to water lightly then go back a second time. The idea is that a dry medium lets water run off while it stays dry. Hitting it with a spray wets medium better, and then the medium absorbs that and becomes damp. A damp medium will then take up water very well.

Thanks again for your input Bil, I will soon need to find way to plant my plant down in some medium and I was also thinking of coarse bark. I am thinking the roots for this plant may not be suited to the moss that it came with(?).

I can't wait to see some new roots grow! I think I see a new stump but I am not really sure if it was already there or not. sigh.

Luckily, the remaining leaves are still quite firm. I'll keep an eye out for it getting leathery maybe increase watering schedule slightly more frequently if it occurs.

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

-the bottom leaf was very yellow. I removed it by tearing to avoid any transmission of disease through contact.
Lots of info here about roots, how about opinions on removing yellowing leaves? Here's mine, and why. I leave the dying leaf on until it drops or comes loose with a very gentle pull. Plants have a natural process for dropping leaves (abscission). If allowed to proceed normally, the plant will scavenge and recycle some of the nutrients from the leaf. The plant also forms a natural barrier between the "live" part and the dropping part. When the plant is given time to develop this, there is no open wound left when the leaf drops off, it's maybe the botanical equivalent of a scar. No need to spray, dust, dip, burn, or otherwise take a chance on injuring healthy cells. (I'd do it differently with an infected/diseased leaf.) We really can't "make" a plant grow, but we can create the conditions that allow it to thrive. You'll get there!
Yes I've learned to recognize "engineer brain" as we call it in my family. Dad once tried to grow tomatoes from seed, but after a week informed me that they weren't going to sprout. When I asked him how he knew, turns out he was digging them up daily to check! (He really was a rocket scientist, but not much of a gardener.)
Carry on!

For the leaf, honestly I was thinking the same thing! Until I saw some youtube videos about yellow leaves of course. They told me to rip/cut off leaves. I can't complain though, they did give me lots of other basic information I did not know.

That is absolutely hilarious about your dad! I am probably nowhere near a scientist as your dad but I also have difficulty leaving my plant alone. When I had my plant in moss for a week, the temptation to dig up the plant to check the roots was tremendous! I have to resist the temptation to keep watering these silver roots too. I swear it feels like these silver roots are telling me to water them but I have to ignore them and stay on schedule. Luckily (?) I have my plant suspended in air so I don't need to keep digging it up!
This comment got me thinking though. I have heard that plants should not be frequently moved around and that plants grow in a way for optimal sun-light/conditions. I move my plant everyday to water. Maybe this isn't so great for the plant? I try to return it in the same angle and position though (very roughly the same).

[Arizona Jeanie]

My phal that is growing in a vase without media doesn't seem bothered by the amount of movement it gets with the water/soak/pour method. I do return it to the same orientation on the windowsill each time. Leaves are tilting toward the window, roots are generally growing away. It is interesting to see the roots. The top of the plant looks to be in the same good health as my three other phals growing in bark, so I postulate that their roots are equally healthy!
re Making your own fertilizer, have you studied statistics? What do you think your chances are of concocting a brew that is beneficial vs one that is toxic ? Phals don't seem to need a lot of fertilizer, and my understanding is that they only absorb the elemental form--they don't directly break down complex molecules to a usable form. I think that tiny amounts of a complete fertilizer might be a better bet than a well-meant home brew. I really don't think it's cheating! (And doesn't have to be expensive.) The kelp extract is used not so much as a fertilizer, but as a source of the plant hormones that stimulate root growth.
I'm very much enjoying this whole discussion, thanks to all for keeping it going!

[jh0330u]

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

My phal that is growing in a vase without media doesn't seem bothered by the amount of movement it gets with the water/soak/pour method. I do return it to the same orientation on the windowsill each time. Leaves are tilting toward the window, roots are generally growing away. It is interesting to see the roots. The top of the plant looks to be in the same good health as my three other phals growing in bark, so I postulate that their roots are equally healthy!
re Making your own fertilizer, have you studied statistics? What do you think your chances are of concocting a brew that is beneficial vs one that is toxic ? Phals don't seem to need a lot of fertilizer, and my understanding is that they only absorb the elemental form--they don't directly break down complex molecules to a usable form. I think that tiny amounts of a complete fertilizer might be a better bet than a well-meant home brew. I really don't think it's cheating! (And doesn't have to be expensive.) The kelp extract is used not so much as a fertilizer, but as a source of the plant hormones that stimulate root growth.
I'm very much enjoying this whole discussion, thanks to all for keeping it going!

Hi again! Thanks for your input as always!
I have taken a 400 level stat course in the past. I somewhat enjoy math but I hated stat so so very much!
I can't tell you an exact (or even rough) percentage of the homemade fertilizer not being toxic. However, I plan to provide the fertilizer to the plant starting from a very dilute solution (slowly making more concentrated). Also, I know that black root tips is an indicator of over fertilizing. If there is any indication of this happens I will "flush" the plant with pure water for 1-2 weeks then dilute the fertilizer solution (or at this point buy store bought ).

Furthermore, when I read that Kelpmax uses a special species of kelp which is high in stable hormones for the orchid, I thought an alternate interpretation could be that all kelp DO have some stable and unstable hormones. It wasn't stated what effects unstable hormones have on orchids but it doesn't seem to be terribly bad as the statement also implies some unstable hormones will be present. Also, it seems that it is vital for orchids to receive specific nutrients in specific molecular forms. From chemistry, I know that both acceptable and unacceptable molecular forms of nutrients will be provided in my fertilizing solution (maybe not exactly high/great in proportionality but I hypothesize 100% likelihood that some will be available in the solution especially after letting sit for few days). I would think that the unacceptable molecules shouldn't cause any issue to the plant (other than raise the TDS).

For the past month, my test orchid has only received fresh tap water during its battle with root rot. Due to losing some root mass to root rot, a stimulant like Kelpmax would definitely be beneficial. However, the orhid is in stable condition and will need nutrients ( with or without hormones/stimulants). My guess for orchids in original containers receiving only water and staying healthy for long periods is because there should be traces of nutrients in the medium and around the roots from before.

To be honest, I am only theorizing and I don't even have the slightest idea of what concentration of the solution will be tolerable (if tolerable at all). The idea of home-made fertilizer came to me because I have made wine a few years back and I had remember reading someone feeding their orchids some of the of the fermented grape solids (mixed with water I assume) and the orchids loved it (wine is fairly acidic and I am unsure how dilute their solution was but this means orchids should be able to tolerate slight change of pH from my solution as well). I might have some pH test strips somewhere in the house but I don't think it will be necessary (I've read people using lemon juice to lower their pH for watering).

All in all, as long as I avoid over-concentrating my solution before watering, I hypothesize it should be beneficial for the orchid. PS I will update with results over the next weeks/month.

[Arizona Jeanie]

Sorry to break the news, but there is absolutely no relationship between the original cost of the orchid and the amount of money that will be spent on it.

[bil]

Originally Posted by jh0330u

Hi again!
I can't tell you an exact (or even rough) percentage of the homemade fertilizer not being toxic. However, I plan to provide the fertilizer to the plant starting from a very dilute solution (slowly making more concentrated). Also, I know that black root tips is an indicator of over fertilizing. If there is any indication of this happens I will "flush" the plant with pure water for 1-2 weeks then dilute the fertilizer solution (or at this point buy store bought ).

Furthermore, when I read that Kelpmax uses a special species of kelp which is high in stable hormones for the orchid, I thought an alternate interpretation could be that all kelp DO have some stable and unstable hormones. It wasn't stated what effects unstable hormones have on orchids but it doesn't seem to be terribly bad as the statement also implies some unstable hormones will be present. Also, it seems that it is vital for orchids to receive specific nutrients in specific molecular forms. From chemistry, I know that both acceptable and unacceptable molecular forms of nutrients will be provided in my fertilizing solution (maybe not exactly high/great in proportionality but I hypothesize 100% likelihood that some will be available in the solution especially after letting sit for few days). I would think that the unacceptable molecules shouldn't cause any issue to the plant (other than raise the TDS).

For the past month, my test orchid has only received fresh tap water during its battle with root rot. Due to losing some root mass to root rot, a stimulant like Kelpmax would definitely be beneficial. However, the orhid is in stable condition and will need nutrients ( with or without hormones/stimulants). My guess for orchids in original containers receiving only water and staying healthy for long periods is because there should be traces of nutrients in the medium and around the roots from before.

To be honest, I am only theorizing and I don't even have the slightest idea of what concentration of the solution will be tolerable (if tolerable at all). The idea of home-made fertilizer came to me because I have made wine a few years back and I had remember reading someone feeding their orchids some of the of the fermented grape solids (mixed with water I assume) and the orchids loved it (wine is fairly acidic and I am unsure how dilute their solution was but this means orchids should be able to tolerate slight change of pH from my solution as well). I might have some pH test strips somewhere in the house but I don't think it will be necessary (I've read people using lemon juice to lower their pH for watering).

All in all, as long as I avoid over-concentrating my solution before watering, I hypothesize it should be beneficial for the orchid. PS I will update with results over the next weeks/month.

"Also, I know that black root tips is an indicator of over fertilizing."
Ummm, no, it is an indicator of dead root tissue. Having achieved this myself once I can say that you can rinse it all you like, it will take months for the roots to recover, and most won't. New ones will have to grow.

I understand the desire to experiment, but this really is reinventing the wheel. A commercial fertiliser has the numbers, and by adding a KNOWN amount to RO water, you KNOW that what you are giving is correct. Orchids really only need a very small amount, ideally in every watering. Plus, low levels of P& K seem to do well for a lot of orchids, and in a home made mix, unless you are an analytic chemist with time to kill.....

I dunno, maybe age has made me less keen on playing these games.....