best fertilizer for paph.

[wonderlen3000]

What is the best fertilizer for the paph?? I been feeding my paph. 25-10-10 and bloom booster mix. I heard paph do well with fertilizer that have high calcium content.

 

[smartie2000]

I use Better-gro for a growth ferilizer that is urea free. It also contains some trace minerals.
Urea is useless for orchids in the short run. It takes some micro-organisms to break it down into smaller nitrogen compounds that can be absorbed and less of these micro organisms exist in bark (but I suppose more would exist in the finer media we use for paphs and phrags)

I also water with epsom salts sometimes for the magnesium. And I just started adding some ground garden limestone on top of my media. Hopefully I'll see some greener leaves

Most paphs do well with calcium content. The maudiae types don't need as much though since they don't grow on lime stone and a few others.
Here's a link that shows all the species on limestone:
http://ladyslipper.com/calsub.htm

 

[Eric Muehlbauer]

I use MSU fertilizer (formula is named after Michigan State University (?), although the basic formula has been around for awhile. Don't bother with "bloom booster" fertilizers....the extra phosphorus is unnecessary and usually leads to a more acidic solution. Best bet is to simply reduce or eliminate the fertilizer in the fall to help stimulate buds....Take care, Eric

 

[Bob Wellenstein]

The best fertilizer for your Paph is going to depend on your water quality (dissolved minerals and pH), what Paphs you are growing, and how much light they receive. If you don't want to learn about all that stuff, then find someone selling what they will refer to as the "MSU formula" and use that at about 1/2 teaspoon per gallon two waterings, plain water one, and 1/2 teaspoon Epsom salts on the 4th watering, then repeat cycle. Water copiously each of these times, several pot volumes of water should pass through the pot.

 

[Marco]

Bob - just curious what the epsom salts watering does?

 

[Heather]

Marco - do a search for Magnesium. Bob's been commenting on it fairly frequently over the last few weeks. (Epsom Salts = Magnesium sulfate).

I've started to really try to make this and oyster shell top dressings a more common priority.

 

[Marco]

ah ok thanks heather

 

[SlipperFan]

I use MSU fertilizer (formula is named after Michigan State University (?), although the basic formula has been around for awhile. Don't bother with "bloom booster" fertilizers....the extra phosphorus is unnecessary and usually leads to a more acidic solution. Best bet is to simply reduce or eliminate the fertilizer in the fall to help stimulate buds....Take care, Eric

The fertilizer was developed at Michigan State University (which was originally founded as an agricultural college.) Here are some links that will explain it further:
www.iosoc.com/Newsletters/IOS2003-12.pdf -- go to p.4
http://www.bbg.org/gar2/topics/plants/handbooks/growingorchids/growingrequirements_fertilizing.html -- near the photo of the Miltoniopsis
http://www.atlantaorchidsociety.org/newsletters/2004_05AtOSNewsletterWeb.pdf -- first page
Hope this helps to set the record straight.

 

[NYEric]

Great, time to revise the watering procedure.

 

[wonderlen3000]

Thank you all. I mostly grow species and parvi hybrids + a few sanderianum hybrids. I have species range from brachy to charlesworthii group and barbata. The water is pretty hard with lime and currently i am using 1/4 of the recommended ratio. Some member from my society tell me to use fertilizer that have high content (like hydroponic fertilizer) because the leaf are turing yellow and lacking some kind of trace element...can't remember what thou...