Monday, August 22, 2011

My question is the directions that came with the plant say water every 20 days and fertilize every other month with 10-10-10 or 12-12-12.

A: Phalaenopsis or moth orchids tend to thrive on what seems neglect: Water every three weeks and fertilization every other month. The "10-10-10" or "12-12-12" refers to a balanced fertilizer with equal amounts of nitrogen, phosphate and potassium, the macro-nutrients that all plants need for growth and development.

In the wild, orchids depend on decomposing leaves for most of their nutrients. They don't need much.

For best results, use a water-soluble fertilizer specifically designed for orchids. According to experts, orchids planted in bark may need a higher amount of nitrogen (the first number in that three-digit formula) because the decaying bark will use up a lot of the available nitrogen, leaving little for the plant. That's why some orchid foods are 30-10-10, for example.

Before feeding, water the plant well and get its bark or other planting medium moist but not soggy. Discard any water and/or fertilizer that accumulates in the pot's saucer or decorative container; standing water can cause the orchid to rot.

URL: http://www.sacbee.com/2011/08/20/3842356/garden-detective-mystery-plant.html#ixzz1Vlslr8B6

Enjoy,
Steve
1888Orchids

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Thank you for providing clear information on this. you can also refer Water Soluble Fertilizer.

Unknown said...

Thank you for providing clear information on this. you can also refer Water Soluble Fertilizer.