Excellent video, Amy! I love videos like this because if you want a healthy orchid that produces beautiful blooms, you have to feed it the right nutrients. And this video is great for beginners and experienced growers alike because you show them exactly what you need to use and how much to achieve the wonderful results that you have been sharing with us. You should definitely add a permanent link to this video on your channel homepage! Blessings from Caro :)
Thanks so much for the awesome feedback, Caro! I will add the link to my channel homepage...that's a great idea! :) I appreciate you, my friend! Blessings from A & B, who got really tired after his walk today LOL!
Thank you so much for all this information. I wrote it down and will order the items. I only have 1 Orchid, but it is blooming all the time. I was thinking of doing it in a water culture. Right now it is in wood bark. There are lots of roots, but I noticed some may need to be trimmed. I can't wait to start this. My orchid has been in the same pot and bark for about 2 or 3 years, and I figure it needs a change..
Hi Sherry! I recommend you repot this orchid into a really good quality bark...it's really not a good candidate for water culture since it's been in bark medium for so long. Bark has become its "home". I have a repotting video playlist that will help you, here's the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-qRGNljvePSI.html Happy growing!
Hello Amy..Long time no see. Yeah I;m still raising orchids. Still have lots of them. Just less video of them now. I still use that Calmag and that Orchid Plus. The orchids seems to like it alot.
Hi Aaron! Thanks so much for your awesome comment...congratulations! :)) I appreciate you letting me know you've had great success! Roots on steroids...that's great! :) haha Happy growing!
Another great Orchid Master is Rick at Rick's orchids on RU-vid he has Parkinson's and hasn't posted in a year but these are just about the exact thing that Rick uses because he's the one that turned me into using the organic lime which has calcium in it and every time you water that pelletized lime releases a little bit of calcium to the plant roots just as if they were up there in that tree getting calcium from nature. He has excellent videos also and the way he explains nutrients and how they work and he draws a picture of how calcium goes through the plan how potassium goes through the plant so if you want to understand even a little bit more go to his channel on RU-vid I love these two people and I hope she comes back soon and posts also
The other thing Rick says to add is Epsom salts because it's magnesium sulfate and it helps make the calcium and magnesium equal I think he says also that calcium and nitrogen should also be equal and he uses a parts per million meter to get those things equal. And always always always add the calmag first
@@broaddeb glad to hear you found Rick hopefully you'll like CarolynChannel remember it's named after her and her husband and it's Jacqueline with an O. I'd like to hear your comments on my channel someday
Amazing I use every single product you have there. Yes I'm a new beginner so I can't say that all these products are working but so far it looks like my orchids are very happy. 😃..
Hi Latisha! I'm so happy to hear that you're a beginner and your orchids are thriving! Congratulations! :) Thanks so much for sharing and have a great day!
It's so much fun to be a beginner with orchids because there's so many great people on RU-vid. I learned a lot from Rick Rick's orchids on RU-vid and also from a lady named Carolyn whose husband's name Jack and they name their station as a combo of both our names and it's spelled j a c o l y n s orchids so it's Jacqueline spelled a different way. They both have their unique ways of explaining things Rick's is very detailed but very very easily understood I watched his videos over and over again to try to make sure I know everything about calcium magnesium potassium and all the other things that orchids and all plants need and how they are used in orchids. At Carolyn suggestion I started my own RU-vid channel so I could show her my successes and failures it's branched out into all my house plants and my potted plants out on the patio. It's just my name Kathleen Murphy and just put the word orchids or houseplants into the RU-vid search engine and you'll find me. I'm so sad the Orchid Whisperer is not posting lately she must be very ill I hope she's in better house soon or things in her life that are preventing her from posting are going better in her life. Rick told us what his problem was he has Parkinson's and it has been very honest about it and I pray for him just about every day
Hello Amy, thanks for this instructive video, watering and fertilization are so important. I note that my seaweed extract (kelpmax) supplier recommends using it only once a month to avoid orchid malformations like one of us orchid growers have experienced. Have you had any malformation problems when using seaweed extract at every watering ?
Hello Andre, I haven't had any problems with orchid malformation at all with the Growmore seaweed extract. I've used it for 3 years, almost every time I water and fertilize, and no problems at all. I do use this smaller amount each time, but I use it very regularly, so my monthly amount is what they recommend, or maybe a little bit less. I prefer to increase the frequency of how often I use it at a lesser amount than use a higher concentration once or twice a month. It's worked really well for me...I'm very impressed with the results I've seen. Happy growing!
I was amazed when Rick told me that the lime had calcium in it I believe 27% that is released slowly to the orchids just like mother nature does everytime it rains.... it also helps neutralize the pH because bark and sphagnum Moss tends to get acidic as of Ages
Hi I'm new to your channel.I have one question In your videos you'd mention about epsom salt. What kind of epsom salt you use? Can I use the regular epsom salt or their is epsom salt for the plants also? Thanks and have good day!
Yea in the beginning I mixed the Better Grow according to its directions, which you would think it’s made for orchids so the mix must be right, WRONG! I was burning my phals up! My TDS meter said it was over 400 ppm when mixed! That maybe good for some types of orchids, NOT ALL TYPES! TDS meters are a must have! Lol 😆
Hi Maxine! I aim for a ppm of about 15-20 with the garden lime for my water culture orchids. I just downloaded a video today about using garden lime with Phals growing in water culture. Happy growing! :)
Can I mix up a batch of fertilizer + feed mix and use it as needed or do I need to use the whole gallon each time I mix up a batch? Does the mixed batch expire? I have 2 Phals so that would equal 1/2 a gallon per Phal each time.
Hi Amy, I just ordered the kelp seaweed same brand as yours and the same garden line you have. I already have the cal-mag and I use a fertilizer from repotme.com. Can you please tell me how much of the garden lime to use on each of my phalaenopsis orchids. Also do I have to water the garden lime in or can I put it on anytime after I water them. Thank you in Advance. Hugs from Roxanne in Michigan
Hi Roxanne! I sprinkle about 1/4/ to 1/3 teaspoon of the garden lime around my Phals. You can use it anytime. Have a great day and happy growing! :) Amy
@@OrchidWhisperer Thank you so very much for your reply Amy. I Love your channel. I look forward to your video's. Your a True Blessing. God Bless you and your Family💞💞💞
Hi Jack! I use between 100-400 ppm of the Better Gro fertilizer, depending on the species of orchid, if it's in active growth, if it has special needs, and the season. I do seasonal fertilizing videos on all the orchids I grow, and my winter fertilizing videos will be coming up soon! :) Have a great day and happy growing! Amy
Why use the garden lime and the calmag? Is it to make the ratio of calcium to magnesium a bit higher? I have been feeding plenty of calcium and have some secondary spikes growing. It is exciting as I don't know what the blooms are like as they were rescues.
Hi Maxine! The reason I use both garden lime and CalMag is to make sure they get enough calcium and magnesium...then they don't re-absorb their spikes and leaves anymore. Congratulations on your secondary spikes! Happy growing! Amy
Hi Matthew and thanks so much for watching! I determine how much they get of each product by the active growth I see in the plant, its individual needs, and the season. I have a playlist about how I fertilize throughout the year and how I use the supplements, here's the link: ru-vid.com/group/PLa27IDqybK0GlaFTywB7_kb9lt55kodEw I determine the order I use them in as per manufacturer guidelines. Happy growing!
Hello from Montreal, Canada. Would you have a recommandation of concentration (ppm) for orchids grown in leca and self-watering pots? (I'm trying this on some orchids) Since the nutriments are always available in those pots, what would you recommand? Thank you!
Hi Emilie and thanks so much for watching! I don't grow with this method, so I don't want to give you information that is incorrect. I wish you lots of growing success! Have a great day!
Hi, I have used your orchid fertilizer recipes and had great success but I was wondering if you are successful in getting multiple spikes on your phalenopsis orchids? Mine only seem to Spike one flower spike.
Hi and thanks so much for sharing your success story! :) That's great news! Sometimes it takes time to see multiple spikes on your Phals. I have several, but I've been using these fertilizer recipes for over a year now. But even when I get 1 spike on my Phals, I'm really happy! :) Have a great day!
Hello I am wondering if you have any other alternatives for the Better Gro fertilizer you use. I live in Canada and I don't think my local stores carry it. I have looked on amazon and there are not many sellers selling it at all.
@@OrchidWhisperer Unfortunately Home Depot in Canada does not carry the product however, the U.S. branch does. I may be able to see if they could ship the product from the u.s to Canada. Is there any other alternatives at all? If not I may have be able to have it shipped but it will take time. Do you know if orchid fertilizer from plant prod that is a 25-10-10 would be alright to use? If so any ideas as to how much to specifically use?
Hi Jobita! I don't add epsom salt with this recipe....there's plenty of magnesium in it. You don't want to go overboard with magnesium because it can lock out calcium absorption.
Good Morning. I noticed in this video that you didn’t use the Epson salt. Have you discontinued the salt in the regular watering schedule? Also, I had been concerned about the complete dissolving of the ingredients I use in my fertilization. As you suggested I put some warm water in a cup and add the ingredients. Now are you ready for this……… I use my milk frother to mix and dissolve. Amazon has the frothers for less than ten dollars. Happy Day.
Hi Kathi! The reason I'm not using the Epsom salts is there is plenty of magnesium in the Epsoma garden lime I use. So unless it's a newly transplanted orchid, I don't use the Epsom salts. (I'll use the Epsom salts for a few weeks until the garden lime has time to start dissolving into the media.) That's a great idea to use a milk frother to dissolve your fertilizer. I think I might just get one! :) Thanks so much for sharing that, and happy growing! :) Amy
What about dolomite lime//// I know Rick like this. Garden lime has only calcium, I think dolomite has both yes yours,Ricks has both so make Espma has both thanks, Cooling Escondido, have to bring all Fred Clarke's Catasedums every night Escondido John
Hi Helene! I'm not using Epsom salts as much, because I'm using the garden lime that has magnesium. There's really no need to use both. Have a great day and happy growing!
