Water & Fertilizer

[Zoren]

I'm looking for advice and input, I have been reading about the importance that the correct type water & fertilizers for paphs & phrags are. I was using tap water based on my research I found out that RO, distilled or purified water is better because of there low TDS (especially for phrags). I purchased a Zero water pitcher system which will bring tap water down to zero TDS. For the phrag I starting at zero TDS I added fertilizers and other nutrients to satisfy my orchids needs better. This is my phrag water, 1/8tsp-DynaGro (7.9.5); 4drops MagiCal-(2N-3.25mag-1.25cal);4drops seaweed emulsion;4drops super thrive to 1gallon zeroTDS/ppm. My phrag sits in a tray with this water/combo. I will flush the phrag on sunday (my watering day) with straight zero water. Then start a new week w/phrag in tray with water/combo., As for the paphs, I will be using the same zero water, but, more & stronger fertilizer and nutrients. As I understand paphs are bigger feeders than phrags I made 1gallon. I have non-sequential and sequential phaphs.,I intent to make other zero water/fertilizer/nutrient gallon combos. I'm going through all of this to see if my orchids will be Happier & Produce more & Healthier flowers., I would like comments from members (especially seniors) who have more expertize and knowledge then I have. Hoping to hear from all of you with so either constructive criticism or other ideas as to a better way of watering/fertilizing. I water some times a couple of times a week (Florida weather & my Orchids live in my Florida room which faces South/West lots of sun & hot) but only fertilize once time/week. Thank you all in advance anticipating your responses....Zoren....

[fishmom]

Here us a link to a fertilizer dosing calculator at First Rays site: Nitrogen Management Calculator - First Rays LLC
By tinkering with the calculator, it looks like 1/8 tsp. of a 7% nitrogen fertilizer mixed with a gallon of water, will give you around 15 parts per million, which is pretty low.

There is a lot of information there about how much fertilizer to use to avoid over-fertilizing your plants. And I suspect that with 4 drops per gallon of anything, you are using the homeopathic philosophy of fertilization--it would be a negligible amount.

And yes, I'm a senior, nipping at your heels!

[dounoharm]

hi zoren! I too, am senior, not quite as senior as thee...but ancient in the bones! I love my slippers, paphs and phrags....in nc, I had good water, very sweet and used msu for reg water/well water, I think it was called...all my plants did well with that...I used chicken grit for my slippers there....I moved and sold about everything there, and just had a small light stand for a while....I had mostly paphs with a few odds and ends. the water in okla and here in texas where I live now is atrocious!! so I am using RO water from culligans...I think I will buy my own system as I am not satisfied with the output. so, I am using the msu for pure water. I collect in my sprayer, and spray twice a week with the msu, sometimes with a dab of dawn...for bugs...which to date have been an outbreak of black aphid on one sedum I brought in for winter. I use calcium from busted up shells, oyster I think....slippers do like some calcium....once summer comes, and I pitch out the hitchhikers, I will be spraying the entire property, once for bugs, and once for fert every week.....is that rambling on enough? lol....

[jkofferdahl]

I'm not a grower of these genuses and so may be fully off base, but my understanding is that these types of orchids have extremely low fertilizer needs. It sounds like once you add in all of what you add to your mixture you've created a fairly potent broth. I wonder if you're over-fertilizing, which could quite negatively impact your plants and their blooming.

Oh, and I'm also a senior, though still your junior at 60. I work as a librarian, and every day I learn from people much younger than myself. Today my best teacher was six years old!

[Zoren]

I'd like to thank all of you for your input. This is my first phrag and I'm trying hard to have it flower and produce more and more buds for a very long time. As to jkofferdahls feeling that I might be over fertilizing (with all I put into my Zero-TDS water). The TDS is only 115ppm and the ph is about 7.5. Again thanking all of you that commented on my Post, I will take your advice and welcome more comments. Zoren....

[Ray]

The simple fact is that no orchid needs a "lot" of fertilizer. From a physiological processes perspective, a plant only uses about 5g of NPK fertilizer to add a pound of mass.

Look at an orchid in nature - It gets fed when it rains, from the collected dust, droppings, and exudates that trickle down through the forest canopy. The nutrient concentration of that is minuscule, but it happens a lot, maybe several times a day.

1) don't rely on e exact readings of the TDS meter, as they are notoriously inaccurate.
2) drop that pH a bit. You want it to be slightly acidic.
3) don't use kelp and SuperThrive. Pick one, and use it about once a month only, at substantial doses. A few drops per gallon does little-to-nothing for the plant, but makes you buy more, which is the manufacturer's goal.

[Zoren]

Ray thanks for the advice. How do I bring down the ph? I've read that 1-2 tsp to a gallon of water to bring ph down to about 6.5. Is 6.5 good for all orchids? Or, as I am finding out do phrags and paphs need even lower ph!!! Zoren....

[Ray]

Citric acid is my preference for lowering pH, but even vinegar will do.

All of my plants (back when I had almost 1000) saw applied solutions in the 5.5-6.5 range, sometimes in the low-5's.

However, it is impossible to understand that it's really not the pH of the applied solution that's important, it's the pH IN the pot that's more important, and to determine that, you'll need to do a pour-through test.

[jkofferdahl]

Originally Posted by Zoren

Ray thanks for the advice. How do I bring down the ph? I've read that 1-2 tsp to a gallon of water to bring ph down to about 6.5. Is 6.5 good for all orchids? Or, as I am finding out do phrags and paphs need even lower ph!!! Zoren....

Ray's expertise in this area is excellent. The gentleman knows fertilization. I was hoping he would pipe into this thread.

[Roberta]

I'm no expert on the subject, but while Paphs and Phrags have a lot in common culturally, they may diverge a bit on pH. Phrags tend to live in, or next to, seeps and streams. Such places tend to be rather boggy, so probably a little acidic - 5.5 to 6.5 for pH is probably ideal (and low TDS). Some Paphs live on, or near, limestone cliffs. Those probably would like pH a bit higher. When fertilizing,, 6-6.5 is still probably the "sweet spot" for nutrient absorption. But I know that some excellent Paph growers use oyster shell or limestone chips as a top dressing on the plants, to give a little extra calcium (which would also have a tendency to raise pH a bit) Personally, I don't do that... my Paphs get tap water, and that's more calcium than they probably want but they do OK, they certainly don't need any extra. Phrags get RO.