Fertilizing Orchids
Orchid Fertilizers are available in various forms namely
organic and inorganic/chemical. Many people put too much of faith on
fertilizers but in natural habitat, orchids receive very low doses of organic
fertilizers in form of bird droppings and other mild nutrients carried by rain
water.
If orchids are in poor heath, chemical fertilizers can do
more damage than benefit. Especially if the roots are damaged, roots cannot
absorb fertilizers and chemical fertilizer would start to accumulate on the
potting media and this build up of fertilizer can dehydrate the roots and
damage the remaining good roots.
Many people think orchid fertilizers as food for orchids but
in reality orchids produce their food on their own through photosynthesis. The
fertilizer we provide merely aids in providing minerals that facilitate photosynthesis.
Providing overdose of fertilizers does not help the orchids
to grow better and overdose is mostly wasted as over flowing water or could
harm the orchids if they are not healthy. Following a lower dosage and frequent
application (“weakly weekly”) is a much better strategy than applying an
overdose.
Never exceed the dosage that this recommended by the
fertilizer manufacturer and ¼ or ½ strength the recommended strength is always
advisable than a full dosage.
Organic fertilizers
o
Seaweed Extract (Liquid or Powder Form)
o
Fish Emulsion
o
Worm/Compost Tea
o
Humic Acid
o
Cow Urine
Inorganic/Chemical Fertilizers
Chemical Fertilizers are available in various formulations
but broadly available in 3 forms
·
Granule
·
Slow Release
·
Water Soluble
Water-soluble fertilizers are more widely used due to their
ease of use and are recommended.
Always use inorganic fertilizers that are meant for orchids
as they have the necessary trace elements that are required for orchids
Practice that I follow for
fertilizing my orchids
·
I adopt the “weakly weekly” strategy for
fertilizing orchids.
·
I alternate 2-3 different varieties of
fertilizers. They are seaweed extract, inorganic fertilizer & Humic acid.
·
I water the orchids thoroughly and fertilize the
orchids after they are watered.
·
I fertilize the orchids when they are actively
growing and reduce their dosage (or cut down) fertilizing when they are dormant
·
I don’t fertilize them with chemical fertilizer
when they are sick or in poor condition. I use seaweed extract to rejuvenate
sick orchids and they seem to like it.
·
I don’t fertilize Phalaenopsis when they are in
bloom.
·
Flush the potting medium once a month to clear
them of any fertilizer deposits on the potting media or pot.
·
Clay pots being porous they tend to accumulate
more salt on them than the plastic pots and mostly I use plastic pots.
