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Doritaenopsis
Little Gem
Stripes
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* Basic orchid
food provide
nitrogen,
phosphorus and
potassium This
N-P-K
formulation
corresponds to
the fertilizer
ratio shown on
the package,
such as
30-10-10 or
10-20-10.
Fertilizers
high in N
(first no) are
formulated for
growth, while
those high
in P
(middle
no.) encourage
blooming.
* Many grower
switch from a
regular growth
formula to a
'blossom
booster' or
flowering
formula in the
fall. We find
it easier to
simply use both
types
throughout the
year and let
the orchids
take what they
need.
* Many
orchid foods
are high in
urea nitrogen,
which takes
time to break
down, and
basically is
washed out of
the mix before
it is of any
use to the
plant. Use a
premium
non-urea based
orchid plant
foods which
provide
nitrogen in a
form
immediately
usable by the
plant.
*Many growers
use a high
non-urea
fertilizer with
bark
mixes--this
increases
bacterial
activity which
then
provides nitrogen
in usable
form to
the orchid. The
bark however,
also starts to
break down and
decompose as a
result of
bacterial
activity.
* Be sure to
include a
premium orchid
food which also
has added
micronutrients(plants
need these in
very small
amounts to stay
healthy). This
is less of a
worry if you
use tap water.
If you are
using purified
RO water which
has no
nutrients, you
will definitely
need a complete
orchid food
formulated for
RO.
* see
our
Amazon store
page for
a selection of
recommended
fertilizer.
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Orchids do not need as much
fertilizer as other house
plants or
garden plants. If you overfeed
your plants, you will burn the
roots and leaves, and cause
fertilizer salts to build up in
the growing mix. Your orchids
will not grow faster, or flower
more, but instead will decline
and even die. There are some
basic orchid feeding rules we
will discuss next.
1.
Fertilize your orchids at about
half the recommended strength
if using a standard house plant
food. If in doubt, always feed
less.
2. Try and use an
orchid fertilizer specially
formulated for orchids and
simply follow the
directions.
3. Orchids need more
feeding in the spring and
summer months when they are
actively growing, and far less
during the cooler winter.
4. Not all orchids need the
same amount of food. Some
orchids are heaver feeders (e.g
cymbidiums) than others(e.g.
paphiopedilums).
5. Many orchids require
pure water and low salts(such
as phrgmipediums and most
species), which means less
fertilizer and/or purer
water.
5.Unless you are using reverse
osmosis or pure well water,
which tends to be low in
dissolved salts, it's a good
idea to flush your plants
thoroughly with water at least
once a month to get rid of
excess salts.
HOW OFTEN
SHOULD I FEED MY ORCHID
PLANTS?
There are a
couple of different schools of
thought regarding fertilizer
frequency. Choose what
works best for you:
-Fertilize your plants
two to three times a month
during the growing season and
about once a month during
winter at the recommended
fertilizer strength for
orchids. This allows the pots
to be flushed of excess salts
during regular
waterings.
-Many
growers, myself included, like
to fertilize 'weakly weekly.'
This means you fertilize you
orchids every week but at about
quarter-strength. The advantage
of this is that plants receive
a consistent amount of food at
all times. You can adjust the
amount of fertilizer you
provide depending on the
season.
WHAT
FERTILIZER SHOULD I
USE?
See the
column to the left. There
are ongoing debates as to
what types of fertilizers
are best for orchids and
new research comes out
all the time. One finding
that seems to be emerging
is that orchids many need
even less food than we
think.
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This non-urea
low-strength
organic orchid
fertilizer
can be applied
frequently to
your orchids
without any
chance of
overfeeding.
I
t comes
in a
spray
bottle
so can also be
applied as a
foliar feed to
the underside
of
leaves,
and
roots.
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Many
growers do fine with
ordinary house plant
fertilizers, while others
rely on premium specially
formulated orchid
fertilizers on a complex
feeding schedule.
Remember that the purer
your water, the more
salts(or food) you
can add--its the
overall salt/dissolved
solids in the fertilizer
solution you apply that
matters.
Unless you have
specialized collection of
orchid species with particular
needs, or are growing
orchids commercially, its
easiest to simply rotate a few
different brands at every
feeding to take the worry out
about what your plants are
getting. At the
least, rotate in i) a
growth and ii) blossom booster
formulation, and be sure at
least one of your fertilizers
has additional micronutrients.
That's it--your orchids show
grow and bloom
fine.
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