Orchid Food 19-31-17 is this good or bad?
 

hello there!
First time poster here and i just picked up some orchid food from the local grocery store its SCHULTZ orchid food 19-31-17.
I fed my plants (both Phalaenopsis) this morning before finding this forum and now I'm worried that its the wrong food and that i fed them at the wrong time of the day or when they should be dormant or <insert some orchid terminology here>
...well clearly i am out of my league and would like to start with just the basic information but there doesnt seem to be anything basic about my new and growing (pun intended) interest in Orchids.:roll:
So did i just unknowingly poison my plants with this 19-31-17 since the little searching i have done seemed to produce fertilizers with much lower ratios?

just to clarify i fed them according to the directions on the container: For feeding less often, once or twice a month use up to 1.5g=1 scoop per 2.5L of water.

ok i'm really worried now and am praying quietly over my orchids...
hope i get some replies soon.

I'm not an expert but I am positive you haven't poisoned your plants ;)


perhaps some more experienced growers will chime in

but don't stress about it!:D it all will be fine!

schultz is good orchid food, and you should follow the directions on the container. the AOS recommends using a balanced fertilizer, but a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus content (like shultz) will help it bloom longer.

for more information, check the culture sheet.

Hi Myst and welcom to Orchid Board! :biggrin: Don't worry, we're all learning, though some of us (like me :D ) more than others.

First, you haven't killed your chids. Certainly not with just one application of fertilizer.

Second, that ratio sounds like a bloom booster food (extra phosphorous, the middle number, to encourage more and better blooms). You may want to find a more balanced fertilizer for the growing season and then switch to the bloom booster around blooming season, whenever that is for your particular orchids. What kind of orchids do you have, what medium do they grow in, and what conditions (light, temp, etc.) are they growing in? These can also affect the choice of fertilizer, although a generic orchid fertilizer works perfectly well.

And finally, it is generally considered better for orchids to apply fertilizer every watering or every other watering (depending on specific orchid, season, growing conditions, things like that) at a more dilute dosage than recommended. I assume from the wording "For feeding less often" that there are directions for feeding more often at a lower concentration, which would be better for the chids than the less often applications.

Well, that's my :twocents: I'm sure the more experienced growers on OB have valuable info to add...or correct.

Again, welcome to OB and :goodluck:

I started out giving this to my orchids for a few months before I found this board. It might have been 6 months. They all lived and stayed in bloom for months. I still have the jar of fertilizer, but am using MSU type for rainwater. Luckily my orchids have survived worse things!!! Orchids are pretty resilient, and tolerant of many things. It seems there are few wrong ways to do it, and whatever you do can work. :goodluck:

I use this same orchid food on my spiking orchids. I feed them when they are about to bloom and continue feeding them with this same fertilizer till the blooms start to drop. My recommendation would be to use slightly less food than what is called for but I'm paranoid. Make sure that you rinse her once in a while to get excess fert off. When shes not flowering try to change to a different food that will stimulate and promote root and plant growth. I personally use 20-10-20 in the growing season and mine grow like monsters and none at all in the rest season

Myst, I would recommend 1/2 teaspoon/gal at 3 out of 4 waterings with that formula - the 4th being plain water to thoroughly flush the medium. The formula contains excess phosphorus, but it will do the plants no harm.

There really is no such thing as a booster of growth for particular plant parts - except for excess nitrogen, which will lead to gorgeous, bright green foliage and a distinct lack of flowers.

i have been using schulz for years without any problems.. i use it very lightly. 2 measuring cups to 5 gals.

Hi Myst! Good to have you here. Looks like you got some good answers, so all I have is a WELCOME! :)