Micro orchids reddish/purplish tinting, yellowing, decline; otherwise flowering..!

[Roberta]

Shadeflower, how do you know that I don't grow seedlings? Fact is, I have plenty that started out that way - and then grew up. You just keep on doing what works for you, but don't make assumptions about other people. There is more than one approach that can lead to orchid growing success. We grow under different conditions. And you don't know what plants I have, or their histories so don't pretend that you do.

Also note that this thread was not about seedlings, but rather micro orchids - all seedlings are small plants, but not all small plants are seedlings. (The nutritional needs of an adult Chihuahua are different than those of a 3-week-old St. Bernard puppy even if in the moment they are the same size)

[thefish1337]

Originally Posted by Shadeflower

I know for a fact that I have killed orchids not feeding them correctly.

I also recently pointed out that MSU is the worst feed I have tried on my orchids so far.

ask 8 people and they will have only tried one fertilizer and have no idea what signs to look for to give an indication one is better than another.

Did the best growers do hours and hours of research and observe their plants to get good results?

Can you grow orchids doing no reseach? Of course, that is the beauty of them.

What about seedlings? Success rate will seedlings will drop considerably using MSU and I will stick by that statement!

The fish, do you use kelpmax , inocucor, seaweed extract, and quantum total yet you say what you feed is not important.

So why bother if it doesn't matter?

This argument is defunct really because Roberta you will never grow seedlings and never change your mind.

I know how important the right nutrition is for seeedlings in articular, the older they get the less important and more tolerant they become.

seedlings on the other hand can either have a 100% success rate or less than 50% .

The good nurseries know this.

Ok so maybe not too critical to an orchid hobbyist but it is stil lrelevant, a hobbyist will not achieve more than 50% with MSU.

So maybe it doesn't matter but it does if you want to achieve 100% with seedlings.

I can see why some people don't care and losing a few plants a year to infections is an acceptable loss.

I know the right people will value my comment for what I am saying. Who wants to lose 50% of their seedlings if it can be avoided.

But at the same time it is easy to not think about it and also be able to get good results without thinking about it. Still that is like saying a child can be fed on mcdonalds every day for the rest of its life and be completely healthy by the time it reaches 18. It would be practically impossible. Mcdonalds is very unhealthy.

I'd advise people to think otherwise to watch supersize me.

Millions would disagree and say mcdonalds is great. Same point as the orchid nutrition. Maybe feeding whatever works great. Not disputing it but the orchids will not be as healthy after 10 years and seedlings won't even make it a lot of times.

Ah yes, another rambling incoherent post from Shadeflower. Many other people in this thread have provided constructive and helpful insight to OP's problem and there seems to be consensus about the solutions.

PS I thought you were going to take a break from this forum? You made a dramatic post about it a couple weeks ago but unfortunately you haven't kept your word.

[Dimples]

I don’t want to derail the thread, but azomite and other naturally sourced soil amendments don’t necessarily contain large amounts of heavy metals simply because they weren’t created in a lab.

Natural deposits of any mineral can have inclusions of non-target substances, and that can include heavy metals. Deposits with higher heavy metal inclusions are unlikely to make it to market for many reasons (legal, regulatory, PR, etc.). Sodium chloride mines dig salt out of the ground and humans eat it every day. Pink Himalayan salt is pink because of the other 15-70+ trace minerals mixed in.

If in doubt, ask the company for a copy of the lab analysis. Most will gladly send you one if it isn’t already posted on their website. If they refuse, pick a different product.

Re: Azomite for orchids
It is going to wash out of the media quickly and takes years to break down. Good for in-ground growing, not so useful for epiphytes. Terrestrial orchids in a denser mix could theoretically benefit depending on repotting frequency.