When fertilizing orchids, a good rule of thumb to remember is “weakly, weekly” (use a weak fertilizing solution once a week) to simulate their natural feeding habits in the wild. Remember, unless they are terrestrials, orchids are usually fed by rain runoff with much diluted nutrients.
You must know which type of fertilizer to use on your orchids. There are fertilizers specially designed for growing orchids, a good one normally having a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium balance of 7-9-5. However, if you want your plant to flower, there are blossom boosting fertilizers with a formula of 3-12-6 used just before a plant starts forming buds. The combination of nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P), and potassium (K) is good for plants as nitrogen is good for growth, phosphorus elicits blossoms, and potassium fortifies roots. Fertilizers may come in granules, liquids, or spikes.
Here are some fertilizing tips for your orchids:
* It is better to fertilize every other week.
* Mix fertilizer with lukewarm, not cold, water.
* Do not over-fertilize. You’ll notice the plant tips turning black when you do this.
* Do not use fertilized water runoff on another plant as this could spread disease.
* Sick plants should not be fertilized.
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