Phrag..Preying Mantis won't bloom.

[luba]

I have a huge preying mantas and it has never bloomed. I treat it like the rest of my phrags but no luck.
Does anybody have any tricks up their sleeve??
I am starting to threaten it!

[gands]

When you say you are treating it like your other phrags, it will help to know what that treatment is? That said, ours likes allot of light, like for a Cattleya, and not much fert at all. We grow most of our phrags in clay aggregate setting in pans of water so they can wick it up, our Cattleya's hang over the top of them to give you an idea for lighting.

[luba]

It sits in a tray of water, I fertilize about once every 2 months and it gets bright light in my greenhouse under 50/50 shadecloth. I've had it for about 3 years now, it's healthy but never blooms.

[Ray]

What is the formula of the fertilizer you use, and at what concentration? What's your water source?

[luba]

I feed it schultz orchid food at 1/4 strength with 'superthrive' added at the proper proportions. My water is well water [ soft].
Ray, I see you have an orchid shop, if you have any ideas on what else I could feed my orchids, I sure would appreciate it.
Also, do you ship to Canada?
Thankyou
Luba

[Ray]

There's nothing wrong with the Schultz stuff, but as far as I'm concerned, you are absolutely starving your plant!

If it was mine, I would use 1/2 teaspoon per gallon at 3 out of 4 waterings, and discontinue the SuperThrive altogether. Unless you have no roots, it's adding little-to-nothing. (The feeding rate I'm recommending is what I use at every watering, by the way, and have done so for just under 5 years now.)

[luba]

I was feeding it 1/4 tsp per gallon every watering and cut back because the tips of the leaves were turning brown. I'll try your 1/2 tsp. and see what happens.
what do you feed your plants??
whats wrong with superthrive?
All my other orchids bloom regularly and are very healthy.

[Ray]

Leaf-tip browning can be from excess minerals in the water - and that means what's already in the water plus whatever you add - but can also be due to pH issues, insufficient watering, insufficient humidity, too much light, and probably some other things, as well.

Doing some "shooting in the dark" here:

You mentioned soft well-water. Where are you geographically? Most wells are reasonably rich in minerals.

If it truly is soft (low-mineral) water, using Schultz fertilizer with it could be resulting in a particularly acidic solution, as its buffering capacity would be low, allowing the minerals in the fertilizer to skew the pH easily.

Not all orchids are created equal, they are individuals, and phrags are known for being particularly sensitive to water (and nutrient solution) chemistry issues, and some phrags are more sensitive than others.

If all of your plants are potted in the same medium, in the same kinds of pots, receive the same light, water, and fertilizing regimen, I'd say you simply have a plant being a sensitive jerk!

I use RO water, GreenCare Orchid Special for RO Water (the original MSU formulation), and do so at 100-150 ppm N at literally every watering.

Nothing is wrong with SuperThrive, but it really isn't necessary (unlike fertilizer) unless you have root issues. It should generally not be used at more that one- or two drops per gallon on a regular basis.