Identifying Nutrient Deficiency in My Orchids 

Rick L is the master....follow his guidance always.

Ughhhhhh I miss Rick L.'s videos. He is the man. The master. An orchid wizard. The mac daddy of orchid growers. You get my point lol. Wish he could come back to us

Thanks Michael 😊 Now I know what my orchids need 🪴🌸♥️ much appreciated and a great video.

I'm definitely subscribing. I collect/grow orchids as well in SF welcome to San Francisco. I use a 3 stage reverse osmosis water and then add cal/mag/iron and then fertalizer to the quantity each orchid needs. Yes we have good drinking tap water but it still has to be treated. Even with water from the filter I supplement it with trace mineral drops. I NEVER use tap water on Epiphytic orchids. Terrestrial orchids can handle all of that. Epiphytes like clean water and condensation/clouds/humidity. Hetch hetchy resevoir where san francisco gets its water is filled mostly with rain water unless it snows and the ice melts on the mountains to make rivers leading to the resevoir and that water is treated with chloramine (It is a combination of chlorine and ammonia) then sent to our taps. Other chemicals are added like fluoride that affect the PH. Things to be removed by a filter... I hope this helps you mineralize for those beautiful orchids. You may also have to repot them in fresh new media... as the chemicals mentioned can build up and have corrosive properties.

Hi Michael, I am currently using cal-mag as well for all of my orchids. Some in semi hydro, some in full water culture & some in a spagnum moss bark mix. I mix my fertilizer in a gallon size jug adding roughly 12 to 16 drops of the cal mag with a dropper. I also add just a pinch of Epsom salt to it every other watering. I've been doing this for roughly 6 months, but my orchids love it & are thriving.

Can I ask if all of these plants are growing under the same grow light, on the same shelf? I ask because an excess of blue light (either an imbalance of blue to red or the intensity of blue based on distance to the source) can cause the same symptoms. I notice on several the leaves are more normal lower on the plant and the damage is more noticeable as you get higher (look at Green Hornet). This, along with the flower spike, make me lean toward this being an effect of light, rather than just a nutrient deficiency. Supplementing with calmag won't hurt but it may not correct the issue. (magnesium deficiencies will typically correct in about two months)

Love this, you’re so factual and I really like your approach. Often you see the perfect version but you’re really honest about how you’re discovering things and trying to remedy them. Interested to see how this fairs in the U.K. with our water quality! Thank you! Fully subscribed member to your channel, I have 3 beautiful orchids I’ve had for years, one is looking a bit sad, and then 2 new varieties so want to make sure I set them up well. I’ll be watching more of you!

My loving, wonderful, precious mother..... Was in charge of watering my plants and animals as i haven't been home for awhile. Well, she who has never been able to grow anything, decided most of my orchids needed more sun so she moved them into my Florida room and now they are all sun burned, within 2 weeks! She sends me a picture of one of my babies asking "is this normal?" I can always buy new orchids!! 🤣🤙👍🏻🌱

Michael- thanks for always telling it straight! I really appreciate your honesty. Thanks and keep making videos!

Hi Michael, this is my first time writing. I was losing my plants as well, it didn't matter what I did. You see I have well water, and the high mineral content in the water was actually killing my plants. So in the summer I use rain water and in the winter I buy natural spring water and now my plants are thriving. Buy the way, I really enjoy your chanel.

Hi Michael. Very interesting observation. I cannot get over the fabulous roots on your orchids. Are they all in hydroponics?

Hi Michael, I am so glad to see this video, I have few of those problems but it is so important to **see** what exactly happens when you have deficiencies like those and learn the remedy to correct them. You are doing a great service to us by sharing your experience. Thanks Michael.

My cattleya looks the same and I didn't know what was wrong. Thanks for the video, really helpful.

Hi Michael I like your channel a lot I don’t think your orchids are malnourished. In fact I believe that you are not using the fertilizing properly (probably using using too much or fertilizing your plants very often; also catleyas are very hearty plants. I don’t think they like to be in hydroponics) I’ll explain how I came to this conclusion now: The blackening on your orchids look like a hypersensitive response of the plant to some sort of pathogen. It could be a fungi, algae or bacteria or even a virus. Also I notice that there is green algae growing inside of the base. That could indicate high levels of phosphorus and other nutrients, probably coming from the fertilizer. This is not necessarily bad. Many life forms can coexist without causing harm to one another. However, perhaps there is some sort of infection or lesions in the root system of your orchid that has caused the pathogen to travel upward the plant and that has caused the activation of this defense mechanism. I’m no expert in orchids (you know more than I do) but what I would do is : -desinfect the root system of the orchid -find a way to sterilize the medium -and put the orchids apart from each other Look up “plant defense responses hypersensitive response” in google and then come to your own conclusion Hope this helps

Michael, thank God I re-found you! I’m having the same issues, so I’ll be doing the same! Good luck friend!

A regular use of Espoma Lime is great calcium as well as Rick does. I follow his advice on my orchids to a T! Good luck

I've been using MSU with distilled water. My water is so hard - around >300. So far I haven't noticed any deficiency. Good luck!

My husband and I learned everything we know about fertilizer from Rick. I'm sad that he doesn't post any more. We even use lava rock and rain water like he did. We also use that same cal mag

And the ammoniacal nitrogen the orchids cannot use. I'd recommend an ammonia free fertilizer.

I live in San Francisco as well, I’ve been using rain water for my orchids.

You have to let water drain well each time you water orchids.

had so much trouble with orchids until i just put them in my shower hung them from a shower curtain beam in the middle above and they do great. plenty of filtered morning light.

Isn't it totally normal for Ca & Mg to be this low(er)? And isn't calcium in tap water in the form of calciumcarbonate, that is not biologically active for plants?

Good information thanks!

did you ever try first rays k-lite fertilizer?

I thought browning leaf tips on oncidium types (not for cattleya), meant too much fertilizer? Feed is very confusing to me!

Buy distelled water no tap water