Superthrive and Fertilizing Repotted Orchids

[alanbar]

I have just re-potted several orchids. Can or should "Superthrive" be applied now or wait? I am also reading different suggestions about when it would be the right time to begin fertilizing them. Thanks, alanbar.

[Paphluvr]

I suppose that depends on what you're growing. I'm primarily a Paph. grower and include nutrients in my mix. Therefore it's not necessary to immediately start a fertilizing regimen. However, if you're growing in straight bark you may want to start again sooner rather than later. I've tried Superthrive and am not sold on the benefit of it, but I'm sure there are others on this forum that swear by it.

[Ray]

Assuming you have a nice, fresh bottle of SuperThrive that has been stored properly, it will be effective at stimulating root branching and growth, so now, at the time of repotting, is the ideal time to apply it.

If the product is old or was ever allowed to be warm or in the sun, the synthetic hormones have degraded, and your experience will be like that of paphluvr. That is true of any synthetic formulation. If you want the best stimulant available, get some KelpMax, which is a natural product that contains stabilizers that keep it active for several years.

[alanbar]

Thanks for the advice!

---------- Post added at 09:54 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:54 PM ----------

Thanks!

[MrHappyRotter]

Years ago, I worked at a greenhouse and we did some testing with Superthrive on a variety of non-orchids. What we found was that it's very helpful after repotting and during times of stress. We never did any experiments on orchids specifically, but used it as a soak after getting new plants in or repotting plants, and it always seemed to help. I still use it to this day, but in a limited fashion. I think it's worth it, but I don't necessarily use it on a regular basis.

[alanbar]

Thanks!