fertilizing question

[ladyslipper]

Hi guys, when would you use the fertilzers that boost the flower production as opposed to using the general purpose Grow 7-9-5 fertilizer? Can I alternate between the Grow 7-9-5 and the Bloom 3-12-6? What about other fertilizers such as Pro-TeKt (silicon solution fertilzers) How does one really know what kind of fertilzers to use especially if the plant is looking like its happy?

Regards, M

[dennis]

you answered your own question. How does one really know what kind of fertilzers to use especially if the plant is looking like its happy?
if it is happy then there is no need to change anything. when it comes tp fert. there are so many links to rays site to which he goes into great detail about fertilizer and to what actualy is a balancerd fertilizer not just 20-20-20. i dont remember if it was his site but i do remember reading about bloom boosters and what they actually do. they compare it to feeding a child sugar all day the kid will run like crazy for hours untill he collaspes, because he is not recieving the proper nutrition to last all day. this is the same as your plants you can not feed them higher doses of phospherous to make more blooms if the plants leaves and root structure are not capable of supporting the extra needs of the flowers. if you are growing in bark they need less fert. as compared to moss. if you are using sh then i would stick with what you are using. if you are using ro or rainwater then you need to look into using a fert. that supplies the needed nutrints that the water does not carry as mag. and calcium. msu carries to types of fert. one for ro or rainwater and one for tap water. they are excellent fertilizers for your orchids or other plants as well. my peace lillys have been blooming nonstop since they started recieving this. not trying to sound mean but just dont fall into all the hype over bloom boosters you do not need it to get your orchids to bloom

[Helen]

Well said Dennis... I've just been thru learning about all the fertilizers and Ray has helped me out a lot! Laddyslipper, check out Ray's site for sure! And, good luck!

[Lagoon]

I do feel that the so called - bloom bosters are hype. Good culture and Good lighting is what I feel is needed to see flowers in your orchids.
I have paphs and phrags which are somewhat sensitive to calciums so I try to keep the middle number lower.
I also have med hard water, I prefer the first and last numbers to get more of a balance.
I vote for more light to see flowers, JMHO

[Shadow]

If I know when the plant is going to bloom I start giving it phosphorous fertilizer in about one month before the spike start growing.

[ladyslipper]

Originally Posted by Shadow

If I know when the plant is going to bloom I start giving it phosphorous fertilizer in about one month before the spike start growing.

Hi Shadow, boy this internet thing is so COOL, I am always impressed at the fact that we can talk to each other when we are thousands of miles apart (best thing is no long distance charges!!!!!!!!) Regarding knowing when your plant is goint to bloom, thats kind of a "funny"thing because I have a Phal Venosa that may or may not be beginning another bloom session. One side of the plant has 2 growths that look like "buttons". I keep checking the progress to see if the "buttons" are getting any bigger or if they have started to point up (so a spike) or down (could be a new root). So far its slow going but I keep hoping. I am not the best a fertilizer. What does phoshorous contribute to the plant?

regards m

[Shadow]

As far as I know it can increase the number of flowers on a spike and intensity of colour. But you should start to fertilize before the spike appears. I heard that when the spike is 5 cm long it is already "programmed" for number of flowers. So, you should start well before you even notice it. Most plants bloom at the particular period of a year, so it is quite easy to guess the future blooming date.

[Ross]

Originally Posted by dennis

msu carries to types of fert. one for ro or rainwater and one for tap water. they are excellent fertilizers for your orchids or other plants as well. my peace lillys have been blooming nonstop since they started recieving this. not trying to sound mean but just dont fall into all the hype over bloom boosters you do not need it to get your orchids to bloom

I fully agree! I tend to stay away from the threads that discuss which fertilizers when and weakly weekly, etc. I follow the advice on Rays site because it is correct and makes lots of sense. Orchids need a more-or-less constant supply of weak nutrients similar to what they would experience in nature. No one goes around in the wilds spraying high nitrogen stuff during grow season (weekly, mind you) then switches to some other mix (whatever that would be) when they are ready to bloom. Yet these guys bloom and grow faithfully - maybe better than most of us grow them. See anything to trigger thought here?

[Ironwood]

Well said Ross, I totally agree.

[Helen]

Makes good sense to me Ross. I also agree with Ray's opinion.