brown leaf tips on phrags

[Big B]

Thanks for all the helpful info. I knew britas were only doing half the job. The way I saw it is that's half more than nothing. Of course after this thread the way I see it now is I probably want to look into getting a RO set up. Are home RO systems common among hobby growers? Anything to look for in pricing out a system? Again, thanks for all the helpful info.

[slipperfreak]

Home RO set-ups are very common among serious hobbyists. I don't have one *yet* because I spend too much money on plants. You can get one that hooks up nto your tap (under the kitchen counter) at RONA or the HD for around $150-250 I think. I buy big jugs of RO water at Safeway currently. As I only use them on my collection of around 20 Phrags (and like I said, not every watering on the Phrags) and my CPs they last me about 2 weeks and cost $10 a pop. I actually use one of those water dispensers, which I bought because it has a fridge attached so I can keep dormant plants in it, but you don't need such a thing - you can just punch a hole in the seal of the bottle and cover it when you aren't pouring it.

[Ross]

RO units are very common. I have two of them (one is totally for orchids).

[Big B]

Thanks again for all the info. It is much appreciated.
*scurries off to Rona*

[Big B]

I forgot to answer what I am feeding. I am feeding plant prod 25-10-10 for green growth and schultz 19-31-17 for flowering. I'm going to hazard the guess that there are better fertilizers available?

[slipperfreak]

Originally Posted by Big B

I forgot to answer what I am feeding. I am feeding plant prod 25-10-10 for green growth and schultz 19-31-17 for flowering. I'm going to hazard the guess that there are better fertilizers available?

Everyone has their own fertilizer preferences. Personally I have used the 19-31-17 and continue to use it from time to time, especially on Phals and Catts. For Phrags (and Paphs) I prefer to use something like a 10-15-10, and I rarely use higher-N formulas. Dyna-Gro is a really great brand of fertilizer for orchids. You can buy it at orchid shows, orchid nurseries, and hydroponics shops.

If you are using 19-31-17 on your Phrags, 1/4 tsp./4 L once per week should be fine as long as you flush the pots out after 2 days. If you continue to see leaf browning, lower it to 1/8 tsp every week, but I have never had problems with it.

[cirillonb]

it is worthwhile to flush with water once a month. I use distilled (at ever growing expense) but flush with tap.
all my phrags are in a saucer of water. The brown/black tips are no longer a problem.
As an aside, when someone states (1/4 teaspoon of fertilizer in a gallon of water) that means nothing to me unless I know what fertilizer they are using. In my cabinet I have powdered fertilizers that would work at that mixture but liquid ones that require considerably more (I bought someone else's water.)
Nick

[Big B]

Thanks for all the helpful info. I am definitely going to be on the search for higher quality fertilizers once I have my water issues sorted out.

This may be the dumbest question in the world, but what exactly is meant by a "flush"?

[slipperfreak]

Originally Posted by Big B

This may be the dumbest question in the world, but what exactly is meant by a "flush"?

My definition of flushing is using plain water (preferably RO or distilled) to leach out any mineral buildup from fertilizers and hard water in you potting mix. It's basically just a heavy watering; i.e. you are putting several times the volume of the pot in water through the mix, so that it is draining out of the holes vigorously.

[shadytrake]

This is great information as I am having a brown leaf tip also with a couple of mine. I think our water here is really good but I'm going to pull out the water report to compare it to your information. I hardly fertilize much at all because of the issue. Time to do some more reading.