Fertilizer questions and "weakly, weekly" clarification?

[Kilmiquix]

What is the general opinion of slow release fert like Dynamite?

And, does anyone know if it is safe to put slow release pellets on the beard of a grammataphyllum? They are such heavy feeders that I'd like to use Dynamite slow release, but I don't know how to do it besides putting it on the air roots.

And what is the opinion of little fertilizer bags attached above vanda roots?


Regarding the phrase "Weakly, Weekly", does that apply to specialized orchid fertilizer like OrchidPlus or to generic 20-20-20 or both? Should I be diluting the orchid specific fertilizer or using it as directed on package?

[estación seca]

The most useful thing I read was the fertilizer section in the Free Information part of the First Rays Web site. Ray posts here under the name Ray. Get accustomed to thinking in terms of parts per million of nitrogen (ppm) when diluting. Ray has an easy calculator on his site in that section.

[fishmom]

My understanding of "weekly, weakly" is a weekly dose at approximately 1/4 the recommended dilution on the package. Of course, you are depending on the package to guide you. If you go to Ray Barkalow's website, FirstRays.com, you can find instructions on how to calculate an appropriate amount of fertilizer for feeding at every watering.


Oops, crossposted with ES. But we agree!

[Kilmiquix]

I read Ray's info. All of it. It's a lot to take in. But I was also very tired. There seems to be a lot of math involved.

I wish I could feed at every watering, but there is no way that I can fertilize at every watering. While I CAN water daily, I have to do so in the dark. (I leave for work before the sun comes up, and I don't get home till the sun has set.) And when I fertilize, I generally mix up about 6 milk gallon containers. There is no way I can do that in the morning before work.

SO, Sunday is fertilizer day. 6 gallons of fertilizer with each gallon containing 1 tbs of epsom. (The epsom is new).

Is it bad that I get a little sad when I see all the fertilizer liquid immediately streaming out of my baskets onto the ground after I spent so much time/energy mixing it? LOL.

I so wish I could find a better fertilizer system. I'd love to use slow release. Any suggestions?

[Ray]

Originally Posted by Kilmiquix

I wish I could feed at every watering, but there is no way that I can fertilize at every watering. While I CAN water daily, I have to do so in the dark. (I leave for work before the sun comes up, and I don't get home till the sun has set.) And when I fertilize, I generally mix up about 6 milk gallon containers. There is no way I can do that in the morning before work.

SO, Sunday is fertilizer day. 6 gallons of fertilizer with each gallon containing 1 tbs of epsom. (The epsom is new).

As I no longer grow in a greenhouse with a metering system injecting fertilizer into the water, I no longer feed every time I water, either.

For weekly feeding - my current regimen - I apply 75 ppm N fertilizer. Divide 6 by the %N in your fertilizer; the result is the teaspoons/gallon for 75 ppm N.

One tablespoon of Epsom Salts per gallon, applied weekly, is overkill. That much once a month is plenty.

The MSU fertilizer for PURE water has 13.2% N, 8% Ca and 2% Mg. That means that if you're applying 75 ppm N, you're applying 45 ppm Ca and 11 ppm Mg.

FWIW, I just went through some leaf analysis data - no orchids, but a wide range of grasses, grains, fruits, vegetables and trees - and the ratios of N:Ca:Mg averaged 100:49:11, suggesting that the ratio in the MSU formula (100:63:15) is more than adequate. Likewise K-Lite, a derivative of the MSU RO formula, at 100:78:23.

And yes, seeing the solution pour though the pots can be disheartening, but if you calculate the cost-per-gallon, it's not THAT much.

[estación seca]

People do use slow release. You can collect runoff in a bucket and use on other plants.

[fishmom]

I water the in-house plants over a tub and then toss that on my veggies and citrus. They thrive!


I added some Osmocote slow-release to my catasetum mix last year (heavy feeders) but I had more crystalline deposits on the medium than before, so I may not do that again. Of course, I sometimes allow my catasetums to sit in a saucer of water during the height of summer,, which would negate any flushing action from watering from the top down. That may not be such a great idea if using slow-release granules.

[emmajs243]

So you can do weekly weakly with any fertilizer. Every fertilizer comes with a recommended dosage (depending on the fertilizer some will have a lower amount on the bottle if you ordered it during winter. Normally the instructions will specify this and notify when to return to the higher dosage and what that dosage is so check for that!) Basically, as mentioned above, whatever the recommended dilution is on the bottle, it NORMALLY is for once a month application. If this is the case, you cut this into quarters and provide it once a week instead of once a month. Some fertilizers, like the MSU fertilizer, come with the dosage on the container already set to the weekly weakly dose so you do not have to divide it by four, you just use this amount once a week.

Mind you however, depending on how you water/fertilize, most people apply fertilizer every week for four weeks and on the fifth week they do not fertilize and will do a flush with good water to rid the pot of any remaining fertilizer salts or minerals from your water. Many recommend doing a "double flush" where you soak or water the pot really well and then go back after an hour or so and flush again...I don't remember the EXACT explanation for why but it was something along the lines of the first soak/flush gets everything wet, loosens the salts and helps to leech them from the media and then the second one actually washes away those salts.

I personally flush my pots every watering with my well water before fertilizing and I do the flush every fifth week with RO water. This is only because my water is from a well and very hard though. So if you are watering inbetween fertilizing, and your water quality is good that you are using, I wouldn't worry to much about flushing the fifth week. I do know many people that use this fifth week to apply other products however like a Cal/Mg as needed or a probiotic.

I like to soak my orchids in water for just a few minutes and then soak them in their fertilizer solution. Watering first helps prevent root burn and over fertilizing. Plus, I feel like with most orchids, if you have a similar sized container to soak them in, you use less fertilizer then you would just dumping it on the orchids until they are soaked. I just feel like they get more from a smaller amount by letting them soak for 10 or so minutes and taking up all they want. Using weekly weakly, I have had zero issues with this method and everyone has responded very positively! Plus, like other mentioned, you can use the remaining fertilizer on other plants and you don't have to worry about catching the run off! You just already have it in a container!

I also just want to add. Although you can catch the runoff and reuse, I think ES meant other plants as in, "not orchids"??? Maybe not, but i, personally, would be weary to use it on other orchids.

The only thing I have read about slow release fertilizers is if you have plants that need a winters rest and this is particularly important for them...slow release fertilizers could be difficult to ensure they are truly getting their winter rest because their may still be slow release fertilizer being consumed.

Other then that, I can't give you any info about slow release fertilizers!

[Kilmiquix]

Thanks, everyone, for the input! Lots to think about.

Does the MSU fert have Magnesium and Calcium in it? So, no extra supplements necessary?

[estación seca]

Most MSU formulations sold have some calcium and some magnesium. They don't have much, because calcium reacts with many other fertilizer components to form insoluble precipitates. In agriculture calcium is applied separately because of this.

Most tap water has plenty of calcium. If the pH is adjusted to neutral you can use some tap water and the plants will get plenty of calcium. Check your water quality report online for calcium content,