S/H Watering/Fertilizing

[Zoren]

Good morning members. I am looking into S/H growing of orchids. I've read 'First Rays LLC' and have started re-potting some of my orchids. I have rinsed and soaked the LECA in a mixture of water/kelp/superthrive and fertilizer. The question I have, has to do with watering/fertilizing mixture. I made a (I'll call it a 'Feeding Mixture' lets label it FM) of water/kelp and fertilizer and use this in my watering schedule. As I have said before: Live in Florida--Grow in Sun room--Temperatures High during the day and night--AC on at night to 75 F--Good humidity --Facing SW--SSW afternoon sun and heat. It seem to me that I have to water one to two time per week. Should I use my FM at every watering or should I feed once/week and just use water if some of the orchids need a second watering. I use tap water: The TDS 144 ppm--EC 288 us/cm--PH 7.2, is this to high should I lower the PH? Any help on the subject of S/H orchid growing would be very helpful.Of what I've re-potted already I've noticed vast improvements, thank you...Zoren...

[Ray]

For watering twice a week, I would recommend about 35 ppm N - divide 3 by the %N of your fertilizer to get the amount to use in teaspoons/gallon - and apply it at every watering, flooding the pot each time. If you end up only watering once a week, I would use twice that amount of fertilizer. Measure your TDS after mixing a known amount of fertilizer, that will vary with fertilizer choice.

I would not add any stimulant (kelp, Superthrive, or KLN, and never use them together) to that more than once per month. Once the plant's systems have been excited by the auxins, it undergoes a series of deminishing "waves" of alternating cytokinin and auxin production, and that gets back to a normal level in about three weeks. Over-exciting the plant by too frequent stimulation can lead to deformed flowers and/or stunted growth.

[estación seca]

Realize it's fine to water plants in S/H daily. In my experience they are healthier the more often I water them.

[Zoren]

Thank you Ray and estacion seca for your input.
I went back over what Ray said about Preparing LECA Media and it seems I've done it wrong, again. Fortunately I've used up all the media I had, hopefully my putting Kelp, Superthrive and MSU into my soaking solution (I usually prepare a bucket of LECA and let it soak until I'm ready to use it) will not cause me any problems with the newly potted plants. I asked before about PH of my water, should I bring the PH down?
Ray I've asked this question before, but for some reason I just seem not understand how much MSU (or any other fertilizer) into the water to attain as you recommend 35 ppm N. I use tap water I don't know how much Nitrogen is in my water. So as an example: if my water has a TDS of 145 ppm before I put the MSU in and I put say 1/4 teaspoon/gallon as recommended and take another reading and the TDS meter now says 200 ppm doses that mean that I now have 45 ppm more Nitrogen as I had before. I'm positive that I'm looking at this Nitrogen feeding of my plants all wrong. Do I have to find out how much Nitrogen is in my tap water to attain the proper levels. I would really appreciate as much of an explanation as possible, thanking you in advance..Zoren.

[estación seca]

First, don't get worried. This isn't that complicated. Many people grow orchids very well in LECA without any equipment beyond a bucket and a set of measuring spoons, never knowing what is in their water.

What you have done with the LECA is fine. The idea is to first, wash out dust; second, soak to remove sodium salts from the clay. The other stuff you added won't cause trouble, but won't help, either. Add those to water used for the plants.

There should be no nitrogen in municipal tap water. All the nitrogen comes from your fertilizer. Nitrates in water are contaminants from livestock urine and feces. You can get your water report from your water utility, if you haven't already. It will tell you pH, TDS or hardness and the composition of minerals in your water.

If you use the fertilizer calculator on the First Rays Web site you will easily be able to dose your plants. It's under Free Information.

Your pH is fine for orchids.

Inexpensive "TDS" meters don't measure TDS. I strongly recommend you not use one for this purpose.

ECC meters likewise don't measure the concentration of anything in the water, just the number of charged particles.

Inexpensive TDS meters, and ECC meters, measure electrical conductivity, which is proportional to the number of charged particles in the water. If you don't know what ions are in the water, and in what proportions, you don't have any idea how to convert the conductivity to TDS. The TDS meter has been adjusted to somebody's idea of standard tap water. If your tap water is has different minerals, or in different amounts, you reading will be wrong.

Inexpensive "TDS" and ECC meters are essentially useless to gardeners, except to compare the concentrations of two solutions of the same solute dissolved in the same water. This is how commercial farms use them. If you know your TDS meter's reading when you have the proper concentration of your fertilizer in your water, you can use your TDS meter to achieve the same concentration of the same fertilizer the next time you mix it up.

There are a lot of videos available showing people mixing fertilizer with ECC and TDS machines. They are just trying to impress people by using meters the viewers don't understand. Nobody needs more than a water report, a bucket and a set of measuring spoons.

[Zoren]

Thank you estacion seca your explanation put me more at ease. I'm going to see if I can get a full report from my water company to tell me what's in the water and what the TDS and PH level it is at. The reason I've been asking all these questions about water is, it seems to me that the people that have either rain water, reverse osmosis or use distilled or purified water produce better plants than I have been able to grow. Another question that comes to mind (only because I have a lot of liquid kelp, seaweed, Ca & Mag) can I use any of this in S/H orchid growing. I also have a lot of Jerry Meola's organic liquids are they useful for S/H growing. In the S/H growing system would 6-9 month continuous feeding fertilizer be good (like 13-13-13- or 8-8-8). As you can see I've tried many different fertilizers and water to grow and re-grow orchids. To be honest I've spent a lot of money on orchids and lost them and I've been trying to grow orchids for alot more years that I'm willing to admit to, but for some reason I keep trying. For some reason I feel that the S/H system will be the right and only choice of having this passion come to fruition.
In an earlier post I mentioned buying a Phalaenopsis Cornu Cevi in spike (7 spikes) well one has bloomed (see attachment). I re-potted this plant a few days after buying it (re-pot to S/H), I've read that this species is supposed to be fragrant, I smell no fragrance. Thank you again..Zoren

[estación seca]

...I've been trying to grow orchids for alot more years that I'm willing to admit to, but for some reason I keep trying....

Can you hear everybody on Orchid Board screaming in laughter, rolling on the floor? We are all like that.

Fertilizer is the least important aspect of orchid growing. They will stay alive and even grow without you supplying any at all. There are bacteria and cyanobacteria in the environment that provide enough nitrogen for them to stay alive.

What causes people trouble varies with their climate, how observant they are, how disciplined they are and whether they can learn. I think most trouble is from not providing enough air and moisture to the roots, not providing good ambient temperatures, not providing proper humidity (not too high, not too low) and not providing enough air circulation.

Back to S/H... the easiest thing for you would be to plan on fertilizing at every watering. That way you don't need to keep track of when you last watered. Decide how often per week you want to water your orchids. Make sure the reservoirs don't run dry.

Then use the First Rays fertilizer calculator to calculate fertilizer dose. If you water every day, use 5-10 parts per million nitrogen. If you water every 2 days, use 10-15 parts per million. And so on.

Phal cornu-cervi should grow great in Florida.

[Zoren]

Thank you again, estacion seca. The one thing in my favor is (only as of late since S/H), humidity, air flow (3 fans) and finally an AC) and a good schedule. I'm finally confident this is going to work. I was supposed to send a picture of my Cornu Cervi, I will be sending it now ( "I forgot to send it the first time because of (can I say) my mixing my first gin martini. So here is the picture...Zoren

[estación seca]

You don't need to say gin martini. That's the only kind there is. With another spirit it's something else.

[Zoren]

estacion seca, you are a man 'After my Own Heart' (as the saying goes). You are correct the only true Martini (capitol out of respect) is a made with gin (the other martini's made with other spirits are substitutes (except "for me may be only" the addition of Absinthe, mood changer). I'm a collector of the best gins I can find at this time I have a few favorites: Hendrdricks, Ford, Plymouth, Botanist 22, Monkey 47 and a few others that I look into. Would like to hear from you...I wish there was a Martini glass I could attach.....Zoren....