| I do not like time release fertilizers for general use. A few of the heavy feeders may benefit from an extra dose using it, but it is too easy to give orchids too much fetilizer using time release. Osmocote has a very uneven release, and you would need a TDS meter to make sure the amount being released is correct, and to find out when it has been depleted. Nutricote has a better reputation for a more even release, but I would still want to measure the runoff to see what is happening with the rate of release. With a liquid fertilizer, you always know what your plant is getting. There is no magic to time-release, it is just one of those short cuts to save labor, but one that can back-fire. If you want to save labor in a greenhouse, get a siphon (like Siphonex), and apply fertilizer that way.
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Cynthia
Prescott Orchid Society  |