MSU Fertilizer Formulated for Orchids ?
 

Edit: Please read the thread before posting a comment. This is a question about an eBay seller's claim to have a new MSU formulation that is not sold elsewhere - 17-9-18.

I've never heard of this (supposed) new MSU Orchid formulation. Is it legit?

"Orchid tap (well) water fertilizer 17-9-18 From formula derived by Michigan state University. use 1/2 tea/ gal This is a second version of the fertilizer. The first was developed for hydroponics and found worked well on orchid species. The second was developed for some hybrids with more than normal flower count as it limited flower count."

Analysis
N-P-K,17-9-18
Note,Or. Tap
Total Nitrogen,17%
Nitrate Nitrogen (NO3),12%
Ammoniacal N (NH3-N),6%
Phosphorus (P2O5),9%
Potassium (K20),18%
Calcium (Ca),4%
Magnesium,
Chelated Iron (Fe EDTA),0.230%
Manganese (Mn),0.110%
Zinc (Zn),0.050%
Copper,0.050%
Boron,0.020%
Molybdenum,0.020%
Total N + P + K,44.3%
Total N + P + K + etc.,48.8%
Label Dose (tsp), 1/2

Ratio to N (N:P and K )
N:N,1.00 (by definition)
P:N,0.52
K:N,1.04

-Keith

Gentle LOL.

Search Orchid Board for "MSU Fertilizer".

Do you really think I haven't done that?

If you google "MSU fertilizer 17-9-18", the only full match is an ebay seller claiming to have a new fertilizer specifically developed by MSU for use with orchids. The 19-4-23 (well water) and 13-3-15 (RO/rain) MSU formulations were not.

-Keith

with forum (inc. this one), i find it easier to google the thing i want plus the name of the forum. here are the first couple google hits.

Caution with MSU fertilizer!!!

MSU fertilizer PPM scale - Orchid Board - Most Complete Orchid Forum on the web !

but there was another one recently that, of course, i hijacked due to my incessant despisition of michigan state.

all that aside, im sure it makes plants grow like sparty (or at least as large as the average spartans ego... (very large, i assume your plants will get very large)

Try what you suggest with "MSU fertilizer 17-9-18". You'll get one actual hit and a bunch of misses.

-Keith

Then it's not MSU.

The difference between this and MSU is so minuscule you would probably need treatment groups of 10,000 plants each to even hope to show a difference.

Fertilizer is almost unimportant in growing orchids.

Yes, I've read your opinion about fertilizer in several posts on OB, but it isn't relevant to this thread.

How do you know it isn't a new MSU formulation?
-Keith

hahahah, ok, edit to remove all the other crap i wrote

but im still saying....GO BLUE! :evil:

please don’t hate me orchid board....

2nd edit to include something actually relevant to the topic. k-sci i went and looked and yes, the one hit and nothing else. but as a relative newby to all this msu fert stuff, i thought there were always 2 versions?? like yeah, the original i thought is intended for use with rainwater or ro, and that there was a version they formulated (i would suspect dollar signs were a part of the reason) for us home tap water growers and (again, my opinion) was made to cash in on the msu fertilizer trend.

this is all speculation on my part, but yeah, i had thought there were always 2 mixes. the stuff here is called rain mix cause i guess it’s the original that’s spose to be used with rainwater type mixes.

but now im fertilizing above my wheight class so im sure the real experts will have something to add

No problem. :D It is a bit frustrating trying to get ppl on topic, but it's all good.

From the replies so far, I'm thinking this eBay MSU fertilizer is bogus, or very new.

I wrote the seller to inform him that his nitrogen numbers didn't add up and he wrote back. But no reply yet to my questions about where it came from.

-Keith

There’s also a 12-6-13 version for RO.

1) they are NOT truly “MSU” fertilizers
2) they ARE knock-offs formulated for-, and sold by Wayne Roberts of Roberts Floral Supply - orchidmix.com

He has defined them as “second generation” versions, but he merely adjusted the original formulations to make them be unique. If I remember correctly, he also used a pink indicator dye instead of blue.

Anyone who believes they are “improvements” is fooling themselves. Different and fine to use? Sure. Improved? No.