Live Sphagnum moss for mature orchids?

[MRWPsyD]

I'm interested to hear what people's experience with live sphagnum moss in mature orchids has been. I have been reading about some benefits, but I assume there is a reason this is not more common. My concerns are primarily that fertilizer may kill it or that it would need to be more wet than the orchid wants. I have a Zygonisia Murasakikomachi X Zygo. Debbie de Mello 'Honolulu Baby' that I'm considering it for, as seller pointed out it's Aganisia heritage prefers to be consistently moist. Any thoughts or suggestions are welcome!

[Ray]

Live sphagnum is an excellent medium as it keeps itself open and airy.

Your hesitation about fertilizer is a accurate, as the moss doesn't take too well to fertilizer levels we use on plants. If you can water frequently with pure water containing very low nutritional content, give it a try.

[MRWPsyD]

Originally Posted by Ray

Live sphagnum is an excellent medium as it keeps itself open and airy.

Your hesitation about fertilizer is a accurate, as the moss doesn't take too well to fertilizer levels we use on plants. If you can water frequently with pure water containing very low nutritional content, give it a try.

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear, as I like watering more than I should. Fortunately I have good air movement. Do you think RO water and 1/8th strength MSU fertilizer would be safe for the moss? Tomas from the Tarzane Group recommended it, but he was giving a talk on minis.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by MRWPsyD

Thank you so much! This is exactly what I was hoping to hear, as I like watering more than I should. Fortunately I have good air movement. Do you think RO water and 1/8th strength MSU fertilizer would be safe for the moss? Tomas from the Tarzane Group recommended it, but he was giving a talk on minis.

I have no idea what "1/8th strength" means, as the "recommended" concentration is dependent upon feeding frequency.

[MRWPsyD]

Originally Posted by Ray

I have no idea what "1/8th strength" means, as the "recommended" concentration is dependent upon feeding frequency.

They recommend 1tsp per gallon when fertilizing once every four times, but I've been using it 1/4tsp per gallon three out of four times I water. I am happy to dilute it further if necessary. Not sure if the screenshot is of any use, but I know you know your stuff.

[estación seca]

Here's where the confusion is obvious, and it's why Ray, when talking about fertilizer, says people need to be specific about how much they are using. Don't use terms like "1/8 strength" unless the meaning is unambiguously defined.

The original MSU blend use rate was described as 1/2 US teaspoon per gallon. That would be what people should mean when they say "full strength."

A US teaspoon holds 5ml. But the formulation is a powder. It is common in the US to measure small amounts of solid ingredients, like spices, yeast or salt, with such measuring spoons. But in many other countries a kitchen scale may be used to measure out grams of the same things, or grams of fertilizer powder.

A US gallon is 3.78 liters of water. So if somebody says they are using MSU at 1/8 strength, do they mean 1/8 teaspoon per gallon, or do they mean 1/8 of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, which is 1/16 of a teaspoon? Nobody makes kitchen measuring spoons that small. Or do they mean they prepare full-strength MSU formula at 1/2 teaspoon of powder per gallon of water, then take a portion of that and dilute the portion with 15 portions of plain water? That could be done, too.

Ray has fertilizer calculators on his Web site, in the Free Information section. He has argued it's least ambiguous to describe fertilizer dilutions in terms of parts per million of nitrogen. The calculators do this for you. I encourage people to use them.

I've never been able to keep sphagnum alive with even the tiniest amounts of fertilizer applied.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by MRWPsyD

They recommend 1tsp per gallon when fertilizing once every four times, but I've been using it 1/4tsp per gallon three out of four times I water. I am happy to dilute it further if necessary. Not sure if the screenshot is of any use, but I know you know your stuff.

I think it's a good idea to think of milligrams of nitrogen as being analagous to us counting calories.

We don't really have a good handle on how many milligrams the plant takes up, but we can at least control how many milligrams-per-volume we apply, know that most of it is wasted. That's the basis of my "100 ppm N applied weekly".

[MRWPsyD]

Originally Posted by estación seca

A US teaspoon holds 5ml. But the formulation is a powder.
...
if somebody says they are using MSU at 1/8 strength, do they mean 1/8 teaspoon per gallon, or do they mean 1/8 of 1/2 teaspoon per gallon, which is 1/16 of a teaspoon?
...
Ray has fertilizer calculators on his Web site, in the Free Information section. He has argued it's least ambiguous to describe fertilizer dilutions in terms of parts per million of nitrogen. The calculators do this for you. I encourage people to use them.

I've never been able to keep sphagnum alive with even the tiniest amounts of fertilizer applied.

This is a very good point, and even worse, mine is in pellet form. I meant 1/8th teaspoon per gallon but I'm putting roughly half a teaspoon in a 4 gallon container. I really should get a scale.

That's a good resource, thank you both! Still reading through it but I like the specificity, especially the ranges for mounts, pots, and semi hydroponics.

---------- Post added at 05:00 PM ---------- Previous post was at 04:40 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Ray

I think it's a good idea to think of milligrams of nitrogen as being analagous to us counting calories.

We don't really have a good handle on how many milligrams the plant takes up, but we can at least control how many milligrams-per-volume we apply, know that most of it is wasted. That's the basis of my "100 ppm N applied weekly".

Agreed, I read some of your Plant Nutrition articles and this method makes a lot more sense. It's caused me to imagine a future where someone refers to their fertilizing plan and I don't need to know the exact product to have a decent idea of the concentration haha. I'm trying to work out how much to feed based on your advice with size, potting medium/mount, etc. in mind.

Also, I think I will try Kelpak.