Info on S/H fertilization

[hypostatic]

Ah ok. I was also wondering if orchids had a preference for their nitrogen source; if they preferred NO3, NO2, or NH3

Edit:
I'm not really familiar with calcium ammonium nitrate, so I did a search, and it seems that it's just a blend of 20%-30% calcium carbonate and 70%-80% ammonium nitrate (Calcium ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Would using those two instead of CAM be OK (since they all dissociate in aqueous solution anyway)?

[DavidCampen]

Originally Posted by hypostatic

Ah ok. I was also wondering if orchids had a preference for their nitrogen source; if they preferred NO3, NO2, or NH3

You can find lots of different opinions wrt orchid's preference for nitrate vs ammonia nitrogen but they can do well on all nitrate nitrogen.

I'm not really familiar with calcium ammonium nitrate, so I did a search, and it seems that it's just a blend of 20%-30% calcium carbonate and 70%-80% ammonium nitrate (Calcium ammonium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia). Would using those two instead of CAM be OK (since they all dissociate in aqueous solution anyway)?

I should probably correct that Wikipedia entry.

No, for all these chemicals, you need what is called "greenhouse grade" or "water soluble grade". The Calcium Ammonium Nitrate that is a mixture of calcium carbonate and ammonium nitrate would not be water soluble.

Here is the type of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate that is needed for water soluble fertilizers:
http://www.yara.us/images/TDS_Calcin...m362-56353.pdf
Agriculture Safety datasheet | Yara
Note that this YaraLiva brand of Calcium Ammonium Nitrate is sold under their trade name "Calcinit, greenhouse grade" and they identify it as "Soluble Grade Calcium Nitrate" but it is actually calcium ammonium nitrate. Somtimes it is also referred to as "CAN".

Additional abbreviations. What I refer to as potassium dihydrogen phosphate would be called Mono Potassium Phosphate or MKP in the fertilizer trade and ammonium dihydrogen phosphate is called Mono Ammonium Phospahte or MAP.

Here is a greenhouse grade magnesium nitrate sold under the brand name "Magnisal":
Haifa-Group - A leading supplier of specialty fertilizers - Magnisal

You can buy most everything in 1 pound lots here:
https://customhydronutrients.com/zen...aankpigdlgj150
though I find their shipping charges to be a bit high.

here is the correct Wikipedia entry for calcium ammonium nitrate, see the "Applications, Use in Fertilizer" section.
Calcium nitrate - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia