Fish Emuslion

[Townsville]

I have recently started to use fish emulsion. I am using as per instructions on bottle - 1 capful per 3 litres of water every four weeks.

Do I need any other type of fertiliser?

Townsville

[kmarch]

I've never used fish emulsion. I don't think I have even picked up a bottle to look at. Does it give a nutrient breakdown like other fertilizers?

[Townsville]

It's organic and quite widely used here. Total N 9%, P 2% K 6%. I know it is widely used because some shadehouses smell rather strongly. As I am growing on the verandah I have had to find a deodorised version.

Looking at the high nitrogen I suspect it is better used when plants are growing. However, I am wondering when that actually is here. I currently have new growth on some Eps, Dens and Oncs (using these terms widely). Some Phals, Dens and Oncs in bloom. It is early winter here and quite cool by our standards (29C to 20C at night). I have been told that Phals here should only be repotted in September - but all others are up for grabs. It is possible that there is not a well defined fallow season - roses, for example, bloom all year though we can only plant new ones between April and August. More to learn! Townsville

[kmarch]

I don't fertilize my orchids as much as I used to. I grow mostly Paphs and use organic material in the mix so I don't feed them much.

However when my collection was more mixed (more Catts, etc.) and when I did fertilize much more, I generally fed a higher nitro fert when plants were in active growth and switched to bloom boost when the growth was nearing maturity. The exception was Phals which I fed high nitro after blooming finished, throughout spring/summer switching to bloom boost at the end of summer when it starts to cool off.

I think here in Australia, many Phals will be finishing their blooming cycle around September and after blooming is usually a good time to repot. I, as a general rule of thumb, repot after blooming.

[thomaii]

Townsville, hi, Im pretty new to Orchid keeping so I am still researching exact nutrient/mineral requirements and an EC for the various stages of their life. Each species is so specialized that I think I will need to have a different regiment for each specific ecosystem they hail from. What I really wanted to warn you about is that fish emulsion is extremely easy to burn plants with and it leaves salty residue in your soil if not flushed. If you use it, for it is a wonderful nutrient, go lite and allways let at least 10% of your solution run through.

All the best cheer

Months ago someone brought up the fact that fish emulsion burned her roots. I had a similar problem and immediately made the correlation. Fish emulsion is an animal product, and I think kind of harsh on orchid roots. I find that liquid seaweed, being a vegetable product, works much better, is gentle on the plants, and they absolutely love it and respond quickly to it.

However, your climate is a lot different than mine here in zone 6 in central New Jersey, so perhaps the fish emulsion will work better for you than it did for me. Just be aware if you find burned roots that it just may be the fish.

[Townsville]

Thanks to you all