Different care for young Pros. Cochleata? - Page 2 - Orchid Board

PaphMadMan · #11 07-03-2017, 10:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nogreenthumbs

Thanks, I'm using Peters Cal/Mag 15-5-15-5-2 following Ray's recommendation at 25ppm with every watering. Do you then think that I should add a little epson salts once a month or so for a little extra boost?

That's a good fertilizer, and I don't think a monthly application of Epsom salts is needed. What I would do for young growing plants like this, if it is convenient in your collection, is some extra nitrogen, magnesium and calcium just for a short time as they enter active growth. Nothing major, just somewhat higher rate of the same fertilizer every other week for 6-8 weeks since it is a very good formulation, or equivalent boost using calcium nitrate and magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts).

But overall, if you use a good fertilizer regularly at a low rate as Ray suggested it will never be the limiting factor in your success, and more is not necessarily better.

estación seca · #12 07-03-2017, 09:39 PM

I know a lot of people recommend very low doses of fertilizer for many orchids. However, two good Cattleya growers I have met recommend high amounts of fertilizer for Cattleyas in warm, sunny climates: Fred Clarke of Sunset Valley Orchids in Vista, California, and Amy Chung Jacobsen, an AOS judge who lives south of San Francisco, but in a much warmer and sunnier area. Amy specializes in Laelia purpurata, a warm- to hot-growing plant from Brazil.

I have observed June sunshine in the upper Midwest of the US is nowhere near as bright as it is here in Arizona. When I have been in France, Germany and the Netherlands in June it is even less bright. I think orchids are able to produce tissue faster in areas with brighter sun and higher temperatures than they are in more northerly areas. To make this increased amount of tissue they need more water and more fertilizer.

On his Web site Fred Clarke recommends watering his Cattleya seedlings at every watering with approximately 100 parts per million of nitrogen. He uses MSU blend fertilizer. This works out to about 1/2 teaspoon / 2.5ml of powder per gallon / 3.78 liters of water. Fred waters 2-3 times per week in warm weather and once a week in winter. He waters with plain water once a month to leach out salts.

Amy also fertilizes with every watering, but she uses a 20-20-20 blend, also at 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, or approximately 130 PPM nitrogen. She told me we were lucky to have hot weather in Phoenix to grow Laelia purpurata, because we could water and fertilize more often, so our plants would grow even faster.

I am finding much better growth on my Cattleyas since I've upped my fertilizing of my plants in bark to these recommendations. This matches my experiences growing cacti in the Midwest, Seattle, southern California and Arizona - I can fertilize my cacti extremely heavily here in Phoenix, whereas this amount of fertilizer in St Louis would have led to etiolated cacti due to much less sun.

So, I think low fertilizer may be a good idea in cooler and dimmer climates than where orchids are native, because in such places they are not able to use as much fertilizer as they could in warmer, sunnier climates. We are warned excess fertilizer causes weak growth, which predisposes to infections. Cactus people give the same warnings. I think this is about sun, and not excess nitrogen. Cacti getting the sun they really need do not become weak, even with large amounts of fertilizer. Sun in the Midwest of the USA, or in Europe, is sufficient to keep cacti alive, and to bloom many. They neither look as good as, nor bloom as well as, plants grown in better light.

Steve/nogreenthumbs lives in Houston, which is even farther south than Phoenix, so he gets even more light than I do. Prosthechea are in the Cattleya alliance, but most do not grow in as much sun as most Cattleya species. However, realize bright shade in the tropics is much brighter than bright shade in a temperate region. Prosthecheas are still fairly high-light orchids.

nogreenthumbs · #13 07-03-2017, 09:54 PM

ES, interesting info and post. Thanks. Now I have something to consider.

nogreenthumbs · #14 07-09-2017, 02:02 AM

a little bit ago, I noticed some fine "threads" down on some of the media. I looked at it an the plant really closely and thought that it might just be a fungus. I checked again today, it's not fungus, it's spider mites! I don't think it's a bad infestation though. They don't seem to have really covered the thing over. I dunked the plant in water and then rinsed the plant well with the sprayer in the sink. Then I set it outside to get some fresh air. I'll keep that up frequently for a while. I think I've also read that spraying with isopropyl alcohol and a very mild dish soap helps, so I think I'll give that a shot too. I've got this guy isolated away from all of the others.