Thinking of giving a try

[Ronda]

I'm thinking I might try s/h been reading all posts, still learning, whats ppm N ? Still alittle unsure on feeding.

[flhiker]

Parts per Million of nitrogen

[cb977]

Hi Ronda,

Go to Welcome to First Rays Orchids for all S/H information.
Ray has lots of free info listed for fertilizing and anything else we all need to kow.

[Ray]

The reason I have adjusted my "fertilizer speak" to ppm N - and highly recommend that you all do, too - is so that we are speaking of actual values, among others.

One typically hears of stuff like "half strength" recommendations, but that is meaningless. Half of what? Half-strength 20-20-20 is the same as full-strength 10-10-10! If you listen to the half-strength recommendation, you still have no control over your feeding.

Also, nitrogen is the primary building block in plant growth, and "so much" has to be provided to keep the plant healthy and make it grow and bloom. (For example, it is a well-established fact in the poinsettia industry that a plant needs 1/2 gram of nitrogen to go from cutting to blooming for Christmas. I doubt there's similar data for orchids, and it probably varies from plant to plant anyway.) Having an actual, known amount allows you to see where you are.

If you pick a complete, good quality fertilizer intended for orchids, the other important elements are present and in the right ratios with the nitrogen, that if you control your feeding regimen through nitrogen application, and everything else follows along nicely.

[Intruder]

Very good decision Ray, being a chemist I am with you. I don't like the theaspoon for one gallon and the half strenght we are reading usually. When you say the right ratio, I suppose this is the ratio as in the MSU?

[Ray]

Intruder,

I am not a plant nutrition expert, but have learned a lot from reading and speaking to some. Based upon that and my own observations, I feel both the Dyna-Gro "Grow" formula and the Greencare MSU formulas are very good. The D-G product may be a bit rich in phosphorus, but that's just a slight waste, not a detriment. I'm sure there are other brands that are as good.

FWIW, I am an engineer (Ceramic - aka high temperature chemical engineering), and have worked in the chemical industry for the last 26 years. The brother of a former coworker, last-name Peters, happens to own a fertilizer company in Allentown PA, so having an "in" with the folks up there helped me learn a lot. Bill Argo, the PhD who concocted the MSU formulation, has been even more helpful, and Dave Neal, president of Dyna-Gro, is always happy to discuss things with you.

[20jlr]

Is there anything wrong with mixing a big batch of fertalizer water and keeping it for a few weeks to water from that rather than mixing each time? I am using msu fert with well water.

[Ray]

Not at all, as long as you don't let the water evaporate. You may also find it necessary to stir it up before use, in case anything settled out.