I need some input on M.U. fertilizer

[William]

I've read about M.U. fertilizer and would like to know more about it. Is it really better than what I may get from a local store like Home Depot ? What's the origin, how and when and where to use it. Where can I get some? I've looked in local stores and haven't seen any. I'm not sure if this is the correct spot for this thread but any help would be appreciated.

[peeweelovesbooks]

I get mine at Repotme.com. I can't compare it to any other fertilizer because that's all I've ever used. My orchids are happy

[Ray]

The MSU (not MU) fertilizer is a very well-balanced, and complete formula designed by Dr. Bill Argo and tested at his alma mater, Michigan State.

It is manufactured by the Greencare company in Iowa and sold as "Greencare Orchid Special", with two formulas. One (the RO version) is designed for use with pure water (RO, distilled, DI, etc.), the other (Well Water) for water supplies containing dissolved minerals, as most folks have right out of the tap. It is designed to be used year-round, with no need to switch formulas.

I have used ithe RO version exclusively for 5 years (in another month) at a rate of 125 ppm N at every watering, and I LOVE it! My plants are growing and blooming significantly better than ever before.

I have it available (or will when the store is back up), and it appears that repotme.com does too (I really have to wonder about their prices - $12.50 for 1.5#? I sell 5# for $15, and trucking fuel costs just forced me to increase it to that). There are some others marketing knock-offs out there, but still being sold as "MSU Fertilizer", and while I know they are not identical in formula, are probably still OK.

[William]

My thanks to all for the help. Ray, let me know when you're up and running. At the moment all I use for water is what I get out of the tap. Do you think there is a significant difference between that and the pure types of water?

[William]

Another thing I wonder about. On the packages of fertilizer I get they all claim not to contain Urea. I guess that must be a good thing but what is Urea and why may I not want it? Dumb question huh?

[Ray]

William, as to whether there is a significant difference, it depends upon the chemistry of your water supply, so nobody can answer precisely, but I prefer starting with pure water as I can knowingly control exactly what my plants get. If I had a water analysis, I could do the same, but having a well, it varies, and I'd be paying for testing all the time.

There are three classes of nitrogen compounds used in fertilizers, nitrates, ammoniacals, and urea. The first two can be utilized directly by the plants, but urea must decompose into ammonium compounds first. There is some evidence that it takes bacterial intervention for that to happen, and there is debate whether that happens effectively in non-soil media, so orchid growers often avoid it.

I urge everyone to read Dr. Bill Argo's 5-part series on plant nutrition, which was published in some 2003 IPA journals. He sent me the pdf's, which can be seen here: Plant Nutrition