Phrag Fritz Somberg...Help ! Dead or Salvageable?

[Roberta]

Remember, of all of the cultural factors with orchid growing, fertilizer is the LEAST important. They need "some" fertilizer (minerals to build cell walls, etc) but think of fertilizer as "vitamins" not "food". Green plants make their own food - carbs - by photosynthesis. If you have a commercial nursery with thousands of plants, you'll tweak the fertilizer to get optimum growth. (You'll tweak all of the other factors too) With a small collection, the "once weekly, weakly" approach is plenty. The exact formulation, largely irrelevant.

Actually, the Schultz formulation looks like it was designed for very hard water - the middle number (Phosphorus) is not particularly important for orchids, it serves mostly as an acidifier for alkaline hard water. The first number, nitrogen, is the most important constituent. But if you're using fairly pure water, you would not want to use a hard-water formulation.

[Cearbhael]

Originally Posted by Roberta

Actually, the Schultz formulation looks like it was designed for very hard water - the middle number (Phosphorus) is not particularly important for orchids, it serves mostly as an acidifier for alkaline hard water. The first number, nitrogen, is the most important constituent. But if you're using fairly pure water, you would not want to use a hard-water formulation.

My water is going to be a mix of 1/4 hard water (calcium rich) and 3/4 distilled. It is hopeful it will prevent the type of rot in the top green growth which has possibly destroyed my Fritz Schomberg. Being I have healthy roots, I am hoping the calcium will encourage new growth and prevent the same from happening in any other of my Phrags. I have gone from March to September, and the majority are fairly healthy. The daily care they require has definitely formed a bond, I would say I am fairly emotionally committed and definitely wish to succeed in growing Phrags. It is my first attempt and I have wanted to try for years now! Fritz Schomberg has been a bit of a blow and it moved so fast over the summer! I have no control over the summer temps that usually include brief heatwaves, but nothing like what we have seen this summer. Persistent abnormally hot weather. I am sure it contributed to Fritz Schomberg’s downfall, and my choosing to go straight distilled water early June probably was a very bad decision. Next summer they are getting refrigerated water and refrigerated misting to cool them down when temps spike

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