Feeding an orchid

[zxcvbob]

I have a Phalaenopsis (?) that I bought 3 months ago at Home Depot on my desk near a window. I haven't killed it yet, and it's still blooming :-)

The humidity is low, and the water is hard. I take the plant out of its cachepot every Friday and douse the bark with warm tapwater. Then let it drip while I carry it back to the office, and put it back in its cache. That's all I've been giving it; hard water once a week.

It's starting to send up a new leaf (so I assume the flowers will be gone soon), so should I start fertilizing it? What do I use? I see conflicting information on the Internet about how much nitrogen (some say to use low N, some say high N because it has to compete with the decomposing bark)

Thanks, Bob

[K Barrett]

Sounds like you've been doing very well with your Phalaenopsis, Bob. You can use just about any plant fertilizer for the orchid. Just use it at half strength. On Friday water like you usually do, then about an hour later water again with the half strength fertilizer. Yes you'll have to change your habits a little, but that shouldn't be too troublesome. In fact its better if you have a bit more time between the watering and the feeding, so lets say you water it at lunch or when you first get in the office, then feed over lunchtime or before your leave the office for the weekend. The point is to have the plant's roots somewhat moist so they'll take up the fertilizer and not burn. You'll see conflicting information on the internet about this method too, but its really pretty standard advice.

Your Phal can flower for months, so don't give up on it. The spike may send out a side shoot and reflower, too. Pretty cool.

As for the hard water once you add fertilizer to the water the acidity changes so the plant can take up some of the Calcium thats now available from the hard water. It comes back into solution.

If the orchid bug bites you then worry about proper N levels. Proper N levels can depend of the medium you use. For your Phal's situation you don't have to go so crazy, LOL!

K Barrett

[zxcvbob]

Thanks, I was beginning to think this was a dead group.

This morning several of the blooms were wilted, one had fallen off, and the new leaf grew quite a bit over the weekend. So I probably need to start watering a little more often since the plant is growing. I'll mix up a jug of weak Miracle Gro tonight and start feeding it after I water it. (I'd use fish emulsion, but the smell might not go over too well at the office ;-)

-Bob