Orchid feeding

 
удобрение орхидей

During active growth, orchids are fed with special fertilizers for orchids. If there are none, then you can use a complex mineral fertilizer for flowering indoor plants, while the dose is taken 2, or even 3 times less than recommended by the manufacturer. Feeding is carried out no more than once every 3 weeks. Although the issue of feeding among flower growers is quite controversial: some advise feeding more often, but at a lower dose, others - no more than once a month in the usual concentration of fertilizer. Therefore, it is at your discretion, but always according to the principle: "it is better to underfeed than overfeed."

Only well-established plants are fed during growth. Therefore, freshly transplanted plants, or weakened by disease or pests, are not fed. Do not feed with undiluted fertilizer on a dry substrate and on hot summer days when the soil dries out too quickly.

удобрение орхидей

Many orchids are fed throughout the year, except for the rest period, if any. But in different periods of orchid growth, the composition of the fertilizer should be different .

Nitrogen is needed for vegetative growth, phosphorus and potassium help lay flower buds and bloom the plant more magnificent and beautiful. Based on this, you can feed with different fertilizers - during the period of leaf growth with fertilizer containing more nitrogen (for example, "uniflor growth," "red crystal" in doses of 1/3-1/4 of the recommended), if a bulb is inflated or a flower arrow appears, you need to use fertilizer where there is more potassium and phosphorus (for example, "kemira-lux," "brown crystal" or "uniflor-bud ")

For phalaenopsis blooming at any time of the year, and almost constantly, you can use phosphorus-potassium fertilizers ("kemira-lux") all year round. For feeding at any time of the year, special fertilizers for orchids produced by various companies are intended, for example, "Pokon for orchids" or "Bona forte for orchids," "Giley orchid fertilizer," Greenworld orchid liquid fertilizer, etc.

The traditional way of fertilizing orchids is with watering. They are watered by immersion in water or watering the substrate from above. How often to add fertilizers to irrigation water depends on the dosage. Some orchideists practice adding fertilizer in a small dosage (1/4 of the recommended dose) to each watering. Others, alternating watering with ordinary water with a nutrient solution.

Donga: For phalaenopsis, I do this: I soak once with "kemira," the next watering - I just soak, and then pour two liters of still clean water on top. Next time - fertilizer again, etc.

Yamira: I feed my phalaenopsis in almost every watering, but I always spread fertilizers a little weaker than indicated in the instructions.

Anyanya: I choose the following concentration: I pour 2 pinches of kemira per 1 liter of water, and with this I water, alternating every other time - once with fertilizer, the next time filtered water, once with fertilizer, once filtered water, etc.

Kar: I use the most banal fertilizers when watering: with growth - fertilizers for senpoli, there is more nitrogen, for flowering - fertilizers for azaleas, there is more phosphorus. Orcs bloom, grow and do not rejoice. I also use liquid vitamins, which are sold in ampoules, and are bred to spray plants.

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Important

It is worth recalling that only healthy plants can be fed. You cannot feed freshly purchased orchids recently transplanted into an earthen mixture, and orchids affected by root decay.

Quite often you can see a situation when they strive to feed the orchid, because it does not grow well, it is all small and frail.

Fertilizers do not play a decisive role in nursing poorly growing, frail orchids. If the orchid looks too sluggish, pale and underdeveloped, it is worth revising the conditions for its maintenance, and first of all watering, air humidity, temperature and correctness of the selected substrate, and only last of all rely on fertilizers.

Many orchids can get by with very rare fertilizer watering, and even for a long time without fertilizer at all, and at the same time bloom. But an overdose of fertilizer or waterlogging can be disastrous.

The problem arises when they begin to use different types of fertilizers with different percentages of NPK, trying to find something better. In fact, we have already come up with optimal fertilizers for us, which are called "fertilizers for orchids." They tend to be for flowering plants.

Testing other feeding options is fraught with a mistake, because we often do not know what the orchid is preparing for us - a new growth of leaves or flower buds are already being laid.

If you do not have a special fertilizer for orchids, and do not know what to choose from other fertilizers, then choose one where nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium are approximately equal shares (these are usually fertilizers for flowering plants). If you doubt whether it is worth feeding the orchid, it is better not to feed.