Fertilize Phal while in bloom?
Hello - just purchased a new Phal from Lowe's. Looks pretty healthy and is in bloom right now. Quick question: do I fertilize it while in bloom? I believe you do not fertilize after blooming so as to give it a rest. So it seems if that is the case, then you should fertilize while in bloom or it will be a while until next feeding. Hope all that makes sense. Thanks for any thoughts.
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I can't be certain so take what I have to say with a grain of salt but I feed my phals with a weakly fertilized water with every watering (in or out of bloom). I use hydroton (semi hydroponics) to grow mine, though-- unlike moss, hydroton won't hoard fertilizer salts etc as well.
What kind of medium is it planted in? |
Thanks for answer. Right now it's in sphagnum but I plan on repotting to bark after it's finished. I understand that sphag is not the best medium and I did move another phal last year from sphag to bark and it now has a spike with 6 buds.
What do you consider the "best" all-around fertilizer for orchids? |
I feed while in bloom, but use a 200 ppm mix (which is rather weak) for most of my orchids orchids
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Repotting doesn't necessarily mean you'll lose the blooms. I've repotted plants at all stages of growth with no ill-effect. I use Grow-More fertilizer for Phals (urea free). I believe its a 20-20-20, though I now that I think on it, I don't think thats right... but its a fairly balanced fertilizer nonetheless. Its the container that is a weird light blue-to-green color (as opposed to other ferts for other orchids that come in containers that are pink or yellow etc). Anyway, I use it at quarter strength and use it with every watering. |
Phals grow continuously. They don't rest like some of the other orchids do. They can also be in bloom for many months. I always figured since they are always growing I don't want to withold fertilizer for four to six months while they're in bloom. I fertilize once a week at about 1/4 strength. I also make sure to flush the pot once a month to flush out excess salts. From what I've read it probably wouldn't be a good idea to use a very high nitrogen fertilizer while the plants are blooming. High nitrogen can force some orchids to grow more leaves and less flowers. Good luck.
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I do the whole "weakly weekly" routine with balanced fertilizers and don't change the routine to account for in bud, in bloom or recently out of bloom.
That said, I never use KLN or Superthrive if the phal is in spike, bud or bloom. - J |
Thank you all for your great answers - they really clarify a lot for me. To take the discussion one step further, if I purchase an all purpose such as Grow-More for the phals, can it also be used on catts or dendrobiums? Also, not sure what KLN is - thanks again.
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You can use the same fertilizer on all your orchids. KLN is a rooting compound. It encourages new root growth. Some people use it when they divide or repot orchids.
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