Hi Rick,
Thanks for your reply. I only started with orchids a couple of years ago, but have set my sights very high on producing the best foliage, attaining multiple growth plants with excellent flowers so I can enter the shows and try and be one step ahead of the competition. So I am trying to gain as much knowledge as I can without having to incur major losses or lose time achieving this aim. AS stated previously, I feel confident with my mix now which is very free draining and really cannot overwater. I am finalizing my feed with the MSU, also as stated above but after reading your comments have a few questions;
1. Can I add say 1/8 of a tspn of epsom salts to my feed/mix without unbalancing the MSU, then use this to foliar feed as well at the same time.
2. As you reduce the feeding/watering in winter, do you still foliar feed at the same time?
3. What would you expect in the way of growth/results, what have you experienced with your results?
4. Do you ensure that by night time there is no water in the leaf axels. You mentioned Dragons Blood, but during watering, do you add or treat the plants with anything to prevent any problems. I use cinnamon. whenever I remove old leaves etc.
5. I have found a product from Florida which has been imported in to the UK, called Humate LS which is in the form of a liquied and granular which enables conditions for the plant to take up more of the feed, even though it is not a feed itself. Any ideas on this woudl also ge great.
Curiosity, when some of my plants, which are Paphs spike with multiple flowers, some are blasting which is leaving only one flower. Is it best to reduce watering/feeding or increase at this time.
I would very grateful for your comments.
Regards
Gary
I would state from the start that these are my experiences and ideas which are evolving since I started working with orchids in 2001 (not that long either). At this point I've learned there are lots of ways to skin this cat. If you are looking for a program to grow huge plants and garner lots of awards, I'd look to Ed M (who I have also borrowed lots of ideas...but not the use of MSU fertilizer from). I think Ed uses Jack's or a derivation similar to that. But I've seen fantastic, awardable results from many others who do things differently, or don't even think they know what they are doing. I would also consider the humidity/temp/light/potting mix environmental conditions more critical (in that order) than fertilizer regime. My biggest breakthrough in orchid growing was increasing air humidity levels to a minimum of 70%. The fertilizer and potting mix changes have been more for fine tuning around the edges, and working the finicky species more effectively.
With all that as a preface I will try to answer your questions.
1) The amount of MgSO4 (up to 1/2 tsp per gal with 1/2 tsp/gal of MSU) does not seem to be causing any problems since I started this in April (??). In fact most plants have responded very well in terms of leaf color, and growth rate. Much better than the same time last year, not using additional mag sulfate.
The debate on pholiar vs pot only effects is debatable. Magnesium is highly translocatable through plant tissues unlike calcium. Given the extra years I've spent with supplementing calcium and phosphate (primarily through potting mix ammendments). The shift in leaf color was shockingly fast (noticable in days after a pholiar spraying). In some bulbophylum, cattleya, and epindendrums in my collection only a limited amount of water would have trickled to the roots on the first application, but the I think the response was way to fast for the plants to have moved stuff up from the roots.
2) Don't know yet. It depends what things look like when I get there.
3) I try not to have expectations, but I just appreciate the improvements as they come.
4) I generally don't water past early afternoon, but I have a fogger on a humidistat that will run at any time when it gets too dry. So there are times when plants may be damp at night. In the past using misters (instead of the fogger) plants would be deffinitely wet at night, and did not see significant rot in those plants. Propholaxis has been to keep summer temps down, and boost air flow/circulation. This past years addition of bone meal (winter/spring) and spring/summer Epsom salt usage has produced plants that have much tougher/greener leaves than before, and I think that has increased immunity to disease and pests.
5) I often use a small amount of peat or sphagnum moss in my mixes, which tend to have higher leachate rates of humic acid than bark/CHC substrates, I have read lots of articles concerning humic acid chemistry, and biological effects, so it might help, but I have no direct experience with the product you mentioned from Florida.
6) Multifloral species are primarily found in association with limestone habitats (which I have debated demonstrates a special need for phosphorus at a stable near neutral pH, rather than a calcium need). Limestone can often have a lot of magnesium in it too. These plants are usually large and fast growing for me. They like the warmer temps, and high (80%) humidity. It takes a fair amount of energy for a multi to produce a big spike. I generally use a fair amount of oyster shell and bone meal in the mixes with these guys. This years use of Epsom salts has produced even faster healthier growth since they completed flowering this spring. So I am already encouraged to see what happens next year.
Good luck, Rick
