The Orchid Garden

Water Before Fertilizer?

Question:

Okay, there you are with  two views.  I do not fertilize with every watering (I don’t have a GH or sophisticated watering system).  It would be onerous, and too few, if you get my meaning.  I guess, if things are going reasonably well, which they are, I should not tinker with the system! DK

Response:

Yes, Ray, but you have RO water or something other than tap water, right? Not all of us do.  :-(  (Hard water here in the Dolomites–wonders me when it doesn’t spill out in chunks…) — Reka http://www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html "I hate flowers – I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move."        –Georgia O’Keeffe | I fertilize every time I water, and have never burned roots.

Response:

Hi Diana, You can do either with no problems as long as the conductivity of your fertilizing water is correct for your plants. You need to measure before you put it into the pot then see what drains out. Based on that you can either take the water with fertilizer every time approach  or only feed when your water flushes through with a low conductivity level. Your question is an interesting one…if you think about it deeply it can depend on how much time you have available to water once or twice? Commercially large nurseries do not have the time, water, or economics to water twice so thats how they go. Do they grow good plants by fertilizing onto dry compost? In my book your husband has it correct. Best regards Alan L Winthrop www.tissuequickplantlabs.com

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, all…. When I first started growing orchids I took a class at a local nursery. Their philosophy is that the plants should be watered prior to fertilization, based on the wet/dry sponge theory (a damp sponge absorbs liquid more readily than a dry one).  With the exception of my Vandaceous plants, that’s what I’ve always done. But, I’ve heard conflicting ideas on the subject, including from my husband. Some say the roots will be too saturated to make good use of the fertilizer if the plant is watered first. What do you guys say? Diana

Response:

Reka, I don’t see why the purity of my initial water has anything to do with whether or not to fertilize every time.  I used to do the same before getting an RO system, and with the differences in water quality in all of the places I’ve lived, I’m sure it would have showed. The key, in my mind, is weak fertilizer all the time. I figure that in nature, most plants – especially epiphytes – get almost no food, but what’s there is there all the time.  Yeah, one could argue that it’s only available when it rains, but fog, mists, rain and just plain high humidity do a lot to keep nutrients available. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Yes, Ray, but you have RO water or something other than tap water, right? Not all of us do.  :-(  (Hard water here in the Dolomites–wonders me when it doesn’t spill out in chunks…) — Reka http://www.rolbox.it/hukari/index.html "I hate flowers – I paint them because they’re cheaper than models and they don’t move."        –Georgia O’Keeffe | I fertilize every time I water, and have never burned roots.

Response:

Personally, I think people spend way too much time worrying about fertilzer. I use a very, very weak dilution so I can use it anytime I feel like it, without watering first, so as not to burn the roots or cause excessive salt buildup (on clay pots in particular.) -dan

Hi, all…. When I first started growing orchids I took a class at a local nursery. Their philosophy is that the plants should be watered prior to fertilization[snip] But, I’ve heard conflicting ideas on the subject, including from my husband. Some say the roots will be too saturated to make good use of the fertilizer if the plant is watered first.

[snip]

Response:

The best advice, which I have followed since I first read it, was given by Jack Fowlie in the Orchid Digest, many years ago. Basically, orchids with velamen, the epiphytic orchids, should not be watered before fertilizing…yes, the velamen gets saturated, and the fertilizer does not get absorbed. However orchids without velamen, such as paphs and phrags, should be in a moist medium before ferilizing. Usually, these plants are already damp most of the time….but if in doubt, I water first. Take care, Eric Muehlbauer

Response:

A stance I’ve heard recently is that the absorption and saturation by the velemen is almost instantaneous, and then goes no further.  If that’s true, watering first essentially prevents the capture of nutrients. I fertilize every time I water, and have never burned roots. — Ray Barkalow < First Rays Orchids http://www.firstrays.com Secure Online Ordering & Lots of Free Info!

– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi, all…. When I first started growing orchids I took a class at a local nursery. Their philosophy is that the plants should be watered prior to fertilization, based on the wet/dry sponge theory (a damp sponge absorbs liquid more readily than a dry one).  With the exception of my Vandaceous plants, that’s what I’ve always done. But, I’ve heard conflicting ideas on the subject, including from my husband. Some say the roots will be too saturated to make good use of the fertilizer if the plant is watered first. What do you guys say? Diana

Response:

Hi, all…. When I first started growing orchids I took a class at a local nursery. Their philosophy is that the plants should be watered prior to fertilization, based on the wet/dry sponge theory (a damp sponge absorbs liquid more readily than a dry one).  With the exception of my Vandaceous plants, that’s what I’ve always done. But, I’ve heard conflicting ideas on the subject, including from my husband. Some say the roots will be too saturated to make good use of the fertilizer if the plant is watered first. What do you guys say? Diana

Response:

Filed under: Growing Orchids

Related Posts