Amy, wonderful show.......very happy to see you using Calmag......Calcium is so important, and the extra magnesium you added is spot on.........your collection will be even more beautiful this year...everyone thinks the Calcium Carbonate in our tap is OK, ....like in south Florida, .....but, Calcium carbonate is not water soluble, unless chelated, or exposed to very acidic conditions.....so it has to be added.....Google Dr Wang and his orchid research..........incredible nutritional information that will give growers some very critical keys to growing.........spring is coming!
Hi Rick! Thanks so much for your always encouraging and kind comments! I appreciate that. I decided I just had to try the CalMag, and I've definitely seen great results. My Phal Sandy Beach (the one I showed in the video) double spiked after 3 months of the CalMag. And it just came out of bloom 2 months ago. !!!! (I do give her lots of attention, but this is the first time that's ever happened to me in 15 years of growing. That's impressive. ha!) Thanks for all your videos and for giving me the heads-up on this product, and I will Google the orchid research you mentioned. Have a wonderful day there in Bama and happy growing! :)
Thank you Amy!!! You and Rick have really made this whole orchid thing a lot easier for a newb like myself. I gave my little collection their first shot of CalMag yesterday, and I am already seeing a difference! They are standing taller and the leaves are stiffer.:) I hope I can share a picture with you both when my favorite Cat blooms. It's an LC Fuchs Mandarin Gold Digger, (I am very lucky to live only 10 minutes away from a famed nursery and the orchid growers at RF Orchids.:D ) She's young yet, so it may be a while before I see blooms, but I am well on my way with all the great info provided by you and Rick. Hopefully she'll bloom next year, and I very much hope I'll be able to share pics of my success with my teachers. :) Thank you!!!
Hi Stella! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! It sounds like your orchids are thriving under your care! :) I was thinking if I lived 10 minutes from a famed nursery, I would need a greenhouse. Or two. lol! Have a great day and happy growing! Amy
Amy, thank you for taking all this time to prepare a great video worth a million words. I learn from pictures (videos) and many other visual means. Hands on and showing me how to mix, how long you've been doing it. Thank you for doing this my friend 👍🌼🌾❤
Thanks so much for letting me know this helps you, Jack! I really appreciate your input...it reminds me to show as many visual aids and details as I can. That's how I learn, as well...once I see it, I've got it. :) Have a great day and happy growing, my friend! :)
Hi Amy, thank you so much for this update😊 I know Ricky L is a great exponent of Cal Mag but I haven’t been able to find it in the U.K. Finally I have managed to track down a U.K. equivalent ( I hope) I’ve literally only just started this week and it’s called Magne-Cal+ which contains Nitrogen 2.9%, Magnesium Oxide 2.5%(1.5% Mg) Calcium oxide 5%(3.6% ca) and Iron 0.4%. I’m currently planning on using Super Thrive fertiliser with it, and a bloom. I’ve watched Ricky Ls pre Christmas video (22nd Dec or thereabouts) on mixing Cal Mag, a bloom fertiliser, and a grow fertiliser and showing how he uses his TDS meter in the mixing. At last from that video I understand the TDS, which probably means I’m a bit thick/slow! I understood about the ph but didn’t fully understand how the TDS worked. Now I understand, it’s so simple once you understand, and I can fully appreciate your video! Thank you so much 😊😊
Ive been searching high and low about this, since calcium is the only thing I need to supplement and you answered all of my questions. Thanks for the great video!!
Amy, thank you so much for sharing...this CaMg is the same one I've been using, but I think an increase in their dose may be in order...and I appreciate your observations...I have a den phal which came to me with the shortest cane and its two leaves yellowing....I was scared to mix epsom salts with the Calmagic, but I will definitely implement this starting next watering! Your phals are all looking lovely!
Hi Cara! Thanks so much for letting me know this video helped you, I appreciate your input! I'll definitely be doing update videos on the CalMag. Have a great day and happy growing, my friend! Amy
Thank you so much!! Much easier to understand with step by step. Bless you!!! Great information and love how you showed the deficiency!! Just joined orchid anonymous need all the help I can get!! I up to 54 plants and I started a little over a month ago. Thank you.
Samantha Barrett awww, the grips of addiction dig deep. Poor thing. Just kidding...I absolutely refuse to admit I have a 'problem' unless someone finds my corpse under an avalanche of plants someday🤐
Hi Samantha! I'm so glad this video helped you, thanks so much for letting me know! Welcome to Orchid Whisperers Anonymous! haha! (You're in good company! lol!) Have a great day and happy growing!
Wonderful, amazing. I have an orchid with yellowish roots and dryish leaf tips. I bought it recently and put it in water for 3 to 4 days now, now I see your videos and think I wanna try it too. There are still some spots with media on the roots, although it washed it well. I don't want them to rotten. So, when you dry them Mondays and Thursdays, do you fertilize them the same day for 15 minutes before taking them out for drying or you fertilize them the day before? And do you fertilize them every week?
Hi! I have a playlist on my channel about water culture...I suggest you watch my latest videos on the playlist, because I learned a lot about growing in water culture with experience. I use it more as a temporary method than a permanent method, because the humidity in my area (East TN) varies from season to season. Just a thought, if the media doesn't come off the roots easily, it will cause mold and bacteria to set up. You might want to try on another orchid that is a better candidate if the media doesn't come off. Happy growing and thanks for watching! :)
Oh many thanks on your very informative details on Calmag. I just ordered this on line and now have all the information I need. Again many many thanks. You are a legend! xx
Thanks for sharing this information. My 'chids show a noticeable magnesium deficiency and calcium to a lesser extent. The same cal-mag product just got added to my routine but now I'm going to add epson salts! I used epson salts in the past without really understanding the impact and importance of magnesium or target ppm. I'm excited to see my collection thrive.
Hi Reese and thanks so much for watching! :) I believe you're going to see a big difference with your orchids using calcium and magnesium...I am very pleased with the results. Keep me posted on your collection and have a great day!
Hi Amy...your orchids looks awesome and healthier...CAL-MAG is amazing for orchids...thnx to Rick ...I’ve been using CalMag since January and something really amazing are happening to my orchids....the leaves firmness are amazing...,that’s the first thing that I’ve noticed....I’m so happy now about using it ...the results are fantastic...I hesitant at first but I realized that in the wild the orchids are getting all the nutrients they needed... but when we brought them in indoor it looses all that nutrients....and yes I mixes calmag with fertilizer that I also started using a f=different kind fertilizer this time....so far the results are fantastic....thank you for sharing such wonderful video...the bloom are gorgeous....
Hi, my friend! :) Thanks so much for your sweet comment and sharing your story with me about CalMag. I'm really happy with the results I'm seeing. :) What kind of fertilizer are you using now? I'm using Better Gro with the CalMag. I know MSU has calcium and magnesium in it, I'm thinking about giving it a try. That would save me a step. It's always great hearing from you and I appreciate so much your encouragement and friendship! :) Happy growing!
Hi Amy I just love your RU-vid channel. You are very informative and I learn so much when I watch your channel. I've started using the Better Grow fertilizer and I've seen a big differences in my orchids. I will attempt the Calmeg. Thank you so much and many blessings to you.
Hi - Thank you very much for your video! I'm new to fertilizing. I bought the Better-Gro fertilizer and now I see that I need to add Calmag and Epsom Salt to my fertilizer. My question is this...do I add the Better-Gro, the CalMag and the Epsom Salt (each their correct proportion) to the same gallon of water? and if so, if I don't use the entire gallon at watering time, can I save the rest of it for the next time I water? or do I mix up a new batch each time I water?
MG Wern Yes, you can add everything together, in the correct proportion like you said. I mix my fertilizer fresh everytime...my rose bushes or house plants get whatever is left over. :) Happy growing!
Very informative video. I have 2 questions. Is it okay to store the unused portion in the gallon jug to use next time, or is it not a good idea to store fertilizer once premixed.? Another question-- how long do you let the water culture orchids sit in this mixture, or do you leave it in this mixture till your next water change. You mention it is a very weak mixture, so I was unsure if you can leave them sit in it all week long, or would that burn roots? Thanks
Hi Rose and thanks so much for watching! Those are very good questions! :) I don't pre-mix my fertilizers, I use them fresh. I only mix up enough for that watering day. (The TDS meter makes this much easier.) I allow my water culture orchids to set in the fertilizer for about 15 to 20 minutes, then I drain it and give them a dry day. I don't let them sit in the fertilizer all week long, I've not tried that anyway. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Orchid Whisperer Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. Just one more question. Were you using the CaMg on it's own, or did you mix it in with your regular fertilizer? Thanks again.
With every one more video I see from you I learn so much . I always love orchid but I never knew how to look after them which makes me sad as I have a good hand for plants. So, I took the challenge and hopefully I will do good , if not I will take it as a lesson to learn. Your orchids looks so happy and healthy. How someone can not follow your advice?Thank you for all your wonderful advices!
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, Silvana! I'm sure you'll learn how to grow orchids...and you're doing the right thing by watching and learning. I've done that from the start of my orchid growing journey 16 years ago, and I'm still learning about them! :) If you have questions, feel free to ask me, and I wish you lots of orchid growing success! Have a great day! Amy
Cal Mag can be bought on the internet through Amazon I think. I found a place that had it on sale maybe at $9 a bottle if you bought two but then it was $9 shipping so I thought why not pay that third $9 towards a third bottle of Cal Mag instead of using it for shipping so I bought three bottles for about $30 so it's going to last for a long time. My orchids are doing so much better since I added it
Hi and thanks so much for watching! If the orchid has no roots, it has no way to absorb nutrients, so I'd place it in some moss and get some roots growing first. Happy growing!
Amy, i saw Rick using Garden Lime, he swears by it. Can you use it in water cultured orchids and how you use it? Is it instead of Better grow? Where do you buy your Better grow?
Hi Linda! I'll be doing a video soon about how I use garden lime in water culture orchids. I use it with the Better Gro orchid fertilizer. I have a video about Better Gro and the supplements I use and where I find them....here's the link: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-Agp6FuttW60.html Happy growing! Amy
Hi Sam and thanks so much for watching! I think you will be pleased with the results if you supplement with CalMag. I don't add CalMag to my fertilizer, I use it at this low dose every time I water. The new growths are strong and the leaves are a beautiful green...I'm really impressed with the improvements I've seen. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Thanks so much for your comment and I will definitely do updates on this video. I appreciate you letting me know this topic interested you. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Sure :) yes, i really like how specific your instructions are, the amount you use, how often, etc. I've been thinking about adding cal-mag to my feeding for awhile and now you've just convinced me with your simple instruction. You made it sound like I could do it ;D Thank you.
There must be good calcium levels in the water in Alaska. I started using magnesium in between fertilizing and fertalize kimda heavy...a full teaspon per gallon. But my orchid has been in bloom since January with two flower spikes and may 1st I discovered a secondary spike on one flower spike and a third spike broke thru the base!
Hi Stephanie! Wow, that's amazing! I would keep using what you're using...those results speak for themselves! :) Great job! Have a great day and happy growing!
Hello i hope you re doing great still watching videos are learn more and more. I didn t realize that growing orchids is so much stuff it takes so energy to lear take notes... thank you for sharing your experiment. I have a question. I have my cal mag and espom salt. After doing the preparation if i understand i have to let the orchids in this preparation for 20 minutes and after just let it dry.. right? And did you try just to use a spray bottle ? Thank you. Sophie.
Hi Amy i have a question. Using fertilizers/ calcium and espon salt in bark and in moss. How is the best way? For F Calcim and epson salt : Watering from the top few minutes and let like that. Watering from the top and give a "rince" for espon salt for example. Put water the sink and let the pot 30 min? Knowing that i alternate F, epson and Cal. Waiting to read you and thanks again so much Amy.
Hi Sophie! I don't water before I fertilize or supplement with CalMag. I use very low doses, so the roots don't burn. I don't let my orchids set in water or in a solution for 30 minutes. I water or fertilize them, and let it drain straight through, whether they are in bark or moss. If they are in bark and they're very dry, I might let them set in water for 5 minutes, then I drain thoroughly. Have a great day and happy growing!
I didn't know that the water in Florida doesn't contain calcium and Virginia does...how did you figure that out? Amazing! Fortunately, the MSU fertilizer that I use does contain calcium so I haven't noticed any deficiencies that would need supplementation. Don't you sometimes feel like a scientist in a lab? Always analyzing and studying our orchid problems and then formulating and testing possible solutions! :)
Hi Caroline! I've used Better Gro fertilizer for so long...I might change over to MSU. I wanted to do the experiment and just see what happens. I was surprised by the results! :) I thrive on doing these experiments, they're so much fun! lol! Have a great day, my friend! Spring is just a few weeks away! :))
Poor Buddy! He has survived so many of your experiments and lived to tell about them. Buddy, the orchid, not the dog, LOL! I have a feeling winter is going to try and make a return again. When spring officially arrives, are we going to start counting down the days until summer? ;-)
LOL!!! Oh my, I needed that laugh today, Caroline! hahaha! I think BOTH Buddys are pretty pampered...especially the one that's snoring on the couch right now on this cold, snow flurrying day! :) I can't wait till Buddy Orchid blooms...he's just about ready to! yay! Yes, we'll start counting down days till summer! Spring sounds really good to me right now! :)
Yay! Buddy orchid is going to bloom!! You'll have to film a shot of Buddy dog (laying, sitting, sleeping, etc.) beside Buddy orchid when he is in full bloom. Wouldn't that be cute? :) Spring? What's that? I was walking Tank and Shiloh this morning in the middle of a nice snow shower! Of course, it stopped and the sun came out as soon as I got back home, LOL!
I can't wait till Buddy Orchid blooms...Buddy is like Legato, a favorite! :) I'll be sure lil Buddy is in the video. (You can tell how much I like this orchid since I named him after my Buddy!! :) Not very spring-y today, we cut our regular walk down to a minimum today...brrr. But "calendar spring" is 12 days away! :)
Orchid Whisperer l noticed something weird....on EVERY one of my phals, the leaf tips are not exactly symmetrical....they have just the TINIEST bit of difference right where the middle rib of the leaf ends....Is this a normal thing??? Just the first time I noticed it....not too worried, cause I don't see any damage to any of them, just looks like the very tips of each leaf took a sudden turn either left or right of center.....Weird....By the way, my oddball with the long neck and flower spike has bloomed..a pinkish purple...some flowers only have 4 petals with no lip on them, while the others are perfectly normal....also weird.... Thanks again
Hi and thanks so much for your sweet comment! If you have root burn, you do need to be careful about fertilizing at this time. Start slowly when you see some new root growth. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
@@jachu1433 just a question for me do you flush your orchids or you using the wet and dry method without any bark or anything. It's easy to over fertilize if they're just in water. That happened to me to the only Orchid I could get to grow in water it's now in back and bark
Thanks so much, I was just asking the question whether magnesium and calcium could be supplemented during bloom! I've got one lovely that has beautiful blooms but the leaves are really showing signs of deficiency. I didn't want to sacrifice the blooms but I did want to make sure the overall plant was healthy! Thank you so much!
Hi Mary! I am using CalMag and magnesium while my orchids are blooming, and they all look great! I use them at the same rate I mentioned in this video. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day! :)
I'm new to all this and never heard that you shouldn't fertilize when blooming I've heard fertilized with the middle number higher. Now I just read an article but it was about roses that the middle number has nothing to do with helping the rose bush Bloom so not sure if that's applicable to orchids. But I feed a fertilizer that I change the first number on every time I water and soap my orchids what's your planted in bark and clay pots. Sometimes nitrogen is higher sometimes the middle numbers higher sometimes the last numbers higher. I always add Cal Mag in a week or strengthen on the bottle I always had a bit of Epsom salts and most important of all I think is the seaweed Emulsion fertilizer not fish Emulsion but seaweed because it has a lot of hormones in that help the plant figure out about Roots growth Leaf growth and Bloom growth. I have one orchids right now A phalaenopsis it's been blooming for a year
Hi Linda! Yes, I give my orchids dry days when they're in spike and budding. Just keep an eye on the roots, and if they start looking dry, you can adjust to a 3 day wet, 1 day dry cycle. It's just what works in your environment. Happy growing! Amy
I alternate them, but you can use them together. Just check your TDS and make sure it's in the right range. I'm fertilizing this time of the year at about 150 ppm. Happy growing! :)
+Orchid Whisperer. Hi, love your videos. Please I need help... I have a large purple Phalaenopsis that was gifted to me last month and since it's suffered split leaves and one limp leaf, bud blast, bloom drop and root rot. At this time I cut back the spikes and the rotted roots, its in fresh orchid bark and I've watered it with lukewarm tap water. Now it's gotten these beige dent-like spots under the leaves. I SO don't want to lose my orchid but I don't know what else to do, any advice will be so appreciated thank you in advance.😩😩😩
Hi Aida! Spring is coming, and new roots grow best in the spring. This orchid is in new bark, so you can start low dose fertilizing when you see new roots forming. You can go to the American Orchid Society's website, aos.org and look under the "Diseases" section to see if you find the same dent-like spots that are on the leaves. I hope your orchid turns around soon. Have a great day and happy growing!
Orchid Whisperer. OMYGOD thank you so much for your advice, I SO appreciate it!! I placed her under a grow light inside my greenhouse separate from my other plants because my apartment stays cold most if the time. You have a blessed week and thank you again, watching your other videos and your orchids are GORGEOUS, hope to get as good as you one day.💖😁
Ahh ok, I've just started adding Epsom salt, and Iron Chelate... can't find calmag where I am maybe I'll look to see if there's a calcium chelate i can add also
I got calmag on the internet on Amazon shipping was free if I spend a certain amount of money so I think it was I ended up buying three bottles of it for the cost of two bottles with shipping
Hi Derpi! Florida is a great place to grow orchids! And if you don't have any issues with deficiencies, just continue using your tap water. This was an experiment for me to see which one works better for me. I really like the results I'm getting with CalMag. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day! :)
In FL its the humidity that they like, like in rainforest climate. Here in Dallas we have very hard water + calcium in water a bonus for orchids but not the humidity. Learned so much from her vid’s and AOS.org as well. 😊👌🌷
Just buy Epsom salts you can buy it at the dollar store the supermarket the drugstore. By the unscented I got a bargain this summer on Epsom salts because it was in the gardening section at Dollar General.
Hi Orchid Whisperer, thanks for your helpful videos, I’ve bought magnesium sulphate and cal mag, ready for my next watering day, you show how much cal mag you add to 1 GAL of water but are those crystals of mag sulpha the amount for a gallon? Thanks for your help
Hi Dinah and thanks so much for watching! Yes, this is the right amount of Epsom salts to add to a gallon. You want to add just about 20 ppm to the CalMag because it has magnesium, as well. (It doesn't have enough for orchids, though.) Have a great day and happy growing!
amy .. just wondering if you can enlighten me on why leaves start to go to mush... ie/ the cell walls break down and fall apart....i am not sure what is causing it... is it too much humidity around the plant??? no one seems to know at this point when asked on these sites.....' do you think it is related to Cal /Mag cell wall breaking down???
Hi Chris! This sounds like crown rot to me. That's what usually causes leaves to turn mushy. You can look it up on aos.org, the American Orchid Society's website. Have a great day and happy growing!
no crown rot....just the leaf or part there of...at this stage... not sure what is doing it and does not happen all the time... but do use that web site as well... thanks amy for replying...
Chris Bickley hi there. Not sure if this is what happened to your orchid, but I thought I'd mention in case it helps. This happened to me and in my case it was some cold damage that didn't show up immediately. I moved the orchid to a warmer place, but got a mushy leaf anyways. The plant did not die though. Hope this helps.
can someone help? I use rain mix which does have magnesium and calcium already in it, but my root tips keep burning, would it be OK to add calmag on top of my fertiliser without causing any problems?
I don't use them separately, they absorb really well together. But you can try and see if you get the results you want...it will probably work just fine. Happy growing!
Very interesting video! Good info! You should work on a compilation video showing different nutritional issues & how to treat them. Such as those yellow tips & split leaves. It's crazy to me that I have grown orchids for so many years, but still constantly learn new things! Especially having moved & being in such a different environment. Lots of adapting.
Hi Chays and thanks so much for your comment and ideas! I know exactly what you mean, I've grown orchids for 15 years and it's always a learning experience! (I think we all like the challenge! :) Anytime you move your orchids, there's a lot of adapting. Just moving most of my collection to the orchid grow room was a huge change. I hope the move goes really well for you! Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Thank you, thank you. I am applying fertilizer tomorrow. Any thoughts about oldest leaf turning yellow? Is this the orchid drawing nutrients to new growth because it is starved of nutrients? Always been told orchids just do this every once in a while. Should I now consider yellowing leaves a sign to increase some nutrient?
I've been considering these questions lately, that's why I did this experiment. I believe that when the orchid is blooming, it's drawing on nitrogen, calcium and magnesium reserves, and that's why mine look kind of "droopy" when they come out of bloom. I'm going to continue using the CalMag and see what happens, and I might increase the dosage slightly when they're spiking. That's when my leaves usually turn yellow. I thought I was going to lose the leaf that I showed in the video, now it's turning around. I want to see if I keep more leaves with the CalMag, it could be a game-changer. I do see a difference, they all look healthier to me. I'll update this video...maybe monthly...and share my findings. This is really interesting to me. Thanks for your questions, I really appreciate your input. Have a great day and happy growing!
Orchid Whisperer , thank you very much for the video. I believe a lot has to do with genetics. Some of my phals have 10-11 leaves and some only 4. What do you think?
Hi Tanya! Thanks for your thoughts on this. I do believe genetics plays a role in how many leaves a phal has. Some of mine tend to grow more leaves, some of them grow more roots. Interesting, they're all different. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Thanks for letting me know, Martin! I'm going to use it on my tomato plants this summer...can't wait for a bumper-crop of homegrown tomatoes. :) My orchids are definitely thriving on CalMag. (I'm happy!) Have a great day and happy growing!
I use grow more urea free 20-10-20 2 time's a month at quarter strength and grow more bloom 6-30-30 2 times a month and on the 5th watering I flush with vitagrow H at 1ml per per gallon water and one a month I wash out egg shells and bake them till crunchy then grind them in a coffee grinder until powder and shake it on the top then when you water it goes in
Hi Teresa! Thanks so much for your sweet comment! :) You'll be happy with the results you get...my orchids are definitely healthier. Have a great day and keep me posted! :)
Hi Denise! Yes, born and raised and always lived in East TN!!! Southern girl through and through! :) Have a great day and thanks for the greeting! :)) Amy
HI MISS AMY!! THANKS FOR YOUR RESPONSE...MY RO SYSTEM IS BY CITY WATER REVERSE OSMOSIS :www.citywaterfilter.com/. IT HAS THE ALKALINE MINERAL FILTER . I LET IT SIT OVERNIGHT TO GET IT TO pH OF 6.0
