Feedings

[Dihcro]

What kind of fertilizer should I use for feeding the orchid? Will it help the orchid a lot by feeding it? How often should I feed it? Thanks.

[Hummer344]

Boy have you opened a can of worms. LOL. Everyone will have a different opinion. A friend of mine says this about pruning roses: If you get 5 rosarians around a rose, you will get 6 differnt answers. Just apply that to your question. For me, I fertilize whenever I remember it but usually from Apr through Oct. I use Growmore products. the growth formula until Jul then a balanced formula through to Oct. During the winter I might fertilize once. There you have MHO. Of course the area you live in and your growing conditions will have a lot to do with watering and fertilizing.
Good Luck

[maria1971]

Like Hummer said this is the 64 thousand dollar question. You will get different answers from different people.

I use the following combination, which, after about 3 yeas of fertilizing, has given me the most dramatic results (ratios are per gallon):

1/2 tsp. MSU 19-4-23
1 tsp. epsom salts
1 tsp. Maxicrop soluble seaweed powder
1/4 tsp. citric acid
3cc of vodka.

All my plants are going crazy, new eyes, new roots, new growths


Good luck!!

[kmarch]

I seldom if ever fertilize my orchids.

[mayres]

Ditto to previous comments - everyone has their own ideas on this one.
The easiest way to start is to purchase a small container of "orchid fertilizer" at any one of your local garden centers, big box stores, plant departments of large multidepartment stores, etc. and use at recommended on the label. Perhaps the easiest method is to water weakly weekly. Make up the fertilizer at 1/3 to 1/4 the recommended dilution and then use every time you water. With time you will, through reading and trial & error on your own plants, come up with what you think is the best solution FOR YOU. Like fertilizing all living plants - they will utilize more when they are actively growing than when they are semi-dormant, so if you see them putting out new leaves and/or bloom spikes - this is when they especially will want some fertilizer. Every few months be sure and run loads of plain water through the media to flush any excess mineral deposits through the media.

[Dihcro]

Thanks for all the responses. I think I might just buy some orchid fertilizer at a local gardening shop since that sounds the easiest.

[orchids4me]

Originally Posted by maria1971

Like Hummer said this is the 64 thousand dollar question. You will get different answers from different people.

I use the following combination, which, after about 3 yeas of fertilizing, has given me the most dramatic results (ratios are per gallon):

1/2 tsp. MSU 19-4-23
1 tsp. epsom salts
1 tsp. Maxicrop soluble seaweed powder
1/4 tsp. citric acid
3cc of vodka.

All my plants are going crazy, new eyes, new roots, new growths


Good luck!!

Vodka? Interesting does that help with passing it through I can't think if the right word permeable spelling? To do with the osmosis of passing through cells membranes.... Did that make any sense? Its my question about how vodka works I guess ..... Interesting though
Emmaye

[Hummer344]

Vodka!!!! Can you actually hear your orchids singing? Happy plants those are!!! Give me ti martwonies and I will bloom for you. LMAO

[Dihcro]

People dose vodka in their saltwater aquariums. It helps the corals!

[berniep]

G'day Dihcro

I use a few different ferts. Depending on the plant and time of year. I never eat the same thing over and over so like to give my plants variety also.

Cheers
Bernie

[delphiguy]

I dont have a regular feeding routine for my chids, but when I do remember to feed them
I use fish/seaweed/guano extract at 1 cap per gallon. Sometime I put a drop or 2 of
rooting hormone and a pinch of epsom salt.

[zaeem]

Dihcro,
great question!


answers Many! use standard quick grow weakly,and NPK solution half tea spoon in a litter of water see it grow actually spray the foliage and roots.You should be able to spread the mix on several plants depending on sizes.Dens take more than others.
Zaeem

[maria1971]

Vodka (liquor) presumably helps with the absorption of the fertilizer.

All kidding aside, I've never seen better root and overall growth than what I'm seeing now. I've been using Maxicrop and MSU for a while, but the addition of vodka has made a visible difference.

[11Orchid126]

Vodka is alcohol, alcohol is pure sugar which the plant can utilize instantly.

[The newcomer]

^^^ HAHA, are you serious?

[rcb]

Sorry to disagree, but ethanol (alcohol) is absolutely not pure sugar, not any type of sugar (sucrose, fructose or glucose). In fact, unflavored Vodka should contain no sugars at all.

[krpot]

This is an awesome thread so many ideas and experiments to try. Just found out recently that npk is sooooooooo not the whole orchid equation.