Orchid Whisperer Do the pens need to be calibrated? I bought Blue Planet Nutrients Liquid Seaweed Growth Stimulator. I will also be purchasing the garden lime as well. I worry about using the better grow because of the ammoniacal nitrogen in that product. Thank you!
Hi Barb! I'm so glad this video helped you! I appreciate you letting me know. Thanks always for your sweet comments, my friend! :) Have a wonderful day!
YEAAY BUDDY!! GORGEOUS....I HAVE YOUR COUSIN HERE BUT HE'S JUST GETTING NEW ROOTS...HE DIDN'T LIKE FWC EITHER...HE'S NOW IN SPAG. THANKS MISS AMY FOR THE DEMO ON PH AND TDS METERS...JUST GOT MINE....I WAS SO PERPLEXED.....THANKS!!
So glad this video helped you, Jane! Thanks so much for your sweet comment, and I'm so happy to hear that your orchid is growing well in sphagnum moss. :) Have a great day and happy growing!
I recently discovered a hardcore orchidist in Chicago. She's got over 500 orchids, heavy on the catts but about anything and everything, sphag/bark/fwc/swc and mounted. Crazy. Even crazier yet... water and sun is all the plants get. No fert, no ph up/down/left at Albuquerque. Water and sun. Maybe it's the Lake Michigan water because all I use is water from my fish tanks (which starts from the tap) and sun/led's. Tap water runs about 8.0 too and about the best I've drank around the world. (20 years Navy). I see aquarium channels doing all the mad chemist stuff too, especially playing with the ph. I never have and fish are always spawning. 🙄 Just making it soooo hard and complicated but good job. 👍🏻
Seems like to pH pen isn’t calibrated correctly that’s why it’s taking a long time to get a reading. My pH pen gives me an accurate reading within 15 secs and do not sway back and forth.
Can I use tap water on water culture plants? Should I use Epsom Salt and Cal Mag in container all the time? Is this considered a fertilizer or supplement? If fertilizer should I use plain water one week then Epsom Salt and Cal Mag the next?
Hello! I followed using distilled water,then 10 drops cal-mag and 1 tsp of Bettergrow(from another video you made about using cal-mag,bettergrow and seaweed.)...shot my TDS to over 400!!! Now do not know if I can use on orchids. Please advise.
You can cut back on the Better gro amount if you like to fertilize at a lower rate. I use this higher amount 2 times a month on my Phalenopsis orchids. It works well for me. But fertilize at the rate you're comfortable with. Happy growing!
I am finally going to get tds and ph meters. Looking at the glass on the video (3/26/18), I noticed a packet inside the glass, which I think is a powder for the ph test. Do I need to get this packet in order to do the test?
You don't use this packet. It's for laboratories to calibrate their pH pens to a specific setting, and it doesn't apply for any other use. Have a great day!
Amy, I been watching your video for a while. I been observed your orchids in moss or water culture do not have algae problems. I am using rain water for my orchids when I mixed with fertilizer or calmag, I used filter water to wash container and rinse orchids roots. Will you kindly let me know how you keep your mediums away from algae? especially algae from moss? thanks.
I have the same ph and tds monitors that you have and they really come in handy. But a question came to mind and itnis what would be considered a very high tds for general purposes? Using the same formula you do I am getting approximately the same readings. However I have upped the Better Grow to 1/2 teaspoon occasionally. Just curious as to what tds would be pushing the limit so to speak? Thanks again as always. If I were an orchid I know whose house I would live at!
Hi James! That's a really good question you asked. Here are my thoughts: I don't see anything wrong with using 1/2 teaspoon of the Better Gro occasionally...and the key word is "occasionally". From time to time, if you see an orchid needs extra, then I'd give it extra. That's called good growing. Also, I recommend you use the CalMag along with that occasional larger dose, and garden lime for good measure. I don't use the Better Gro apart from the calcium and magnesium sources. I believe that's what causes black root tips and root problems in general. And BTW...my crowd here really is spoiled...I guess everyone has figured that out...haha! Have a wonderful day and happy growing! Amy
Thank you so much. I sure do use CalMag and Seaweed Extract - the same ones you have. I also use 1/4 teaspoon of Thrive. But that doesn’t change the TDS. Sure I only use the 1/2 teaspoon no more than once a month if that and before I have made sure I have “rinsed” the media with plain water the week before. So far so good. My Maxillaria began growing last April and hasn’t stopped since. I can’t believe how much it’s grown. I have so much Epsom Salts that I use a pinch of it also. Happy growing Amy and enjoy all of your plants. We sure do. James.
Hi James! It sounds like you're doing great with your orchids...congratulations on your Maxillaria! :) You KNOW they're happy when they just keep growing! Thanks so much for your very kind and gracious comments James...it's always so nice hearing from you! Happy growing! Amy
I love your videos!!! Your voice is so sweet, and it reminds me of spending summers in the south as a kid! I have learned so much from you about my orchids, and so far they’re doing great. My question is about fertilizing my orchids, in that I only have four, and mixing a gallon of fertilizer for 4 orchids seems wasteful. How can I adjust the amounts for so few plants?
baking soda, yikes, just add some calcium, either calmag or hydrated lime. plants dont need additional sodium. anyhow, if it's working for you, i'm not going to insist :) question regards calcium availability, if i may. why do the standard charts show calcium available over a wide range that starts about 6ph? doesnt seem to make sense as calcium would stay in solution longer, the more acid is present?
@@Chris-op7yt thanks for your comment. I haven't used this fertilizer in quite a few years. I made it easy on myself, and I use MSU. With my r/o water, I don't need to adjust pH. MSU contains plenty of calcium and magnesium, so that's covered, too. Happy 😇 growing!
@@OrchidWhisperer : thank you, i'll look it up. learning a bit of chemistry is ok but it gets too deep and expensive and takes too much time. take care
@@Chris-op7yt WalMart carries TEZULA, which is the same as MSU. It's much cheaper. Easier and cheaper is a good thing. Lol. Start out low, like half the recommended amount. I'm thinking about doing some short videos about fertilizing, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to ask. 😇
@@OrchidWhisperer : i checked the label and it does have some calcium and magnesium, but these are actually required in amounts that are orders of magnitude bigger amounts than NPK, when it comes to soil-less growing. i know it's not easy to do this from a chemistry perspective and complicated from biological perspective. going to have a look at how they feed hydroponics, to have everything optimal. in natural conditions there's rain bringing regular small doses of dissolved calcium etc. and roots can take however much they need of each nutrient. in culture things are quite different.
Hello! I use tap water with 110ppm and 8ph for my orchids in semy-hydro (plus fertilizer and ph down). Question is: If I use chelated nutrients (that are absorbed regardless of the water ph) with the tap water at 8ph (without the ph down), the nutrients I add will be absorbed almost entirely, regardless of the too alcaline ph, while the ones in the tap water (that i can not control) will remain in the reservoir and be flushed, right? As I have to use tap water with high uncontrolled TDS, i'm thinking about negating that by leaving the ph of the water high. What are your thought on that? Thanks for the highly informative videos, btw!
Hi and thanks so much for watching! I used to use tap water, then I changed to reverse osmosis water with my orchids. The difference has been amazing. It resolves so many of the pH and ppm problems. I don't have to use a pH corrector, and it lowered my TDS from 225 to 12! The better the water quality, the better results you're going to get. Have a great day and happy growing!
I've been following your program for about year and half , it's such a wonderful insight you have given. I have problem on my cattleyas the leaves have a dried spot on , is there Amy remedy. Please advice thank you GB
Hi Mary and thanks so much for your sweet comment! Brown spots are pretty common on Cattleyas. I use copper fungicide on mine regularly, it does help. I have a video from Nov 3 about how I care for my Cattleya and I also show the spray I use for the brown spot. Have a great day and happy growing!
Oh no, I don’t think we can be friends anymore, Miss Amy! I have a Hello Kitty Orchid Notebook, will she and Snoopy get along? Haha! I thank you for all of your help, my Vandas thank you, I finally found two big enough vases to put them both into water culture and the new leaves that have been slowly creeping out have popped all the way out in less than a month! And I love the tip re: the granulated fertilizer, it’s just like how I make my sweet tea sufficiently sweet! Blessings from the Big Easy!
Hi Kari! haha! I do think that Snoopy and Hello Kitty will get along...let's hope so anyway! LOL! That's great, that we have cartoon-inspired notebooks! (Great minds think alike! :) I'm SO happy to heat that your Vandas are doing well...that makes my day! Thanks so much for sharing...happy growing and many Blessings! :) Amy
Where did you find the pH and TDS pens???Also, do you have any ideas on what to use for thrips......I think they have moved in with the African violets....and possibly trying to migrate to the orchids.....HELP....... Thanks Joe
Joe Terry Hi Joe! Both meters are by Health Metric, I bought them on Amazon. Use a soap or oil spray for the thrips. Have a great day and happy growing!
I would try 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid dissolved in a quart bottle of water. I don't know how bad your infestation is, but you'll have the dishwashing liquid on hand and you can use it immediately. If you have an insecticidal soap that is safe for indoor use, try that first. You'll have to spray them every day for a while, just be sure to dry the crowns and leaf axles after you spray.
Hi and thanks so much for watching! I discuss this topic in a recent video, here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/et5P-BkLhrM/v-deo.html Have a great day and happy growing!
Hi Lesuan! Orchids grow well with the best quality water you can give them. I use reverse osmosis water when I'm watering and when I fertilize. You can use a Brita filter or something similar...I have mine installed under my sink for drinking use and for watering my orchids. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Hi! Yes, I mix the fertilizer and the supplements together for my WC orchids. I don't have to be quite so specific about my pH now because my calcium source is CalMag, and it's absorbed into the low 7 range. But I still check the pH from time to time and I check the ppm's everytime. Happy growing!
Thank you so much for letting me know that this video helped you, Lorena! :) Your comment made my day! Happy growing and I hope you have a wonderful week as well. :)
Amy, so if I add this solution with 1/4 tsp of Better Grow to a water of my plants, isn't means plant not getting this needed strenghts, but rather will be diluted by water in a vase? Some of my plants have huge root system and it has more then 12 oz of water and if i add 2-4.oz of Better grow solution, my plant doesn't get enough of fertilizer. Am I wrong maybe? Please advice. And how long you keep this fertilizer in a vase? Is it 20 min or 24 hrs? In some videos you advice 20 min, in anothers 24 hrs...Sorry, I get all these different numbers, ad ices and afraid not to make a mistake. 😀 Wish to just get one instraction. Lol I love, love, love your voice, your videos, your knowledge, just a bit confused with all different info. Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Linda! I have been doing videos now for almost 4 years (I've grown orchids for over 16 years) and I've studied and learned so much about fertilizing since then. I've updated and improved my fertilizing regimen quite a bit, and I share what I've learned on my channel as I see the results I want with my orchids. There was very little information about fertilizing in water culture when I first started with the method. So what I recommend you do is to watch my most recent videos about fertilizing in water culture, and I do seasonal updates often. I released an update video on fertilizing just last week, here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/et5P-BkLhrM/v-deo.html&lc=UgwSH2jIoG9BB6q99Ct4AaABAg I cover all the questions you have in this video. Happy growing and have a great day!
Hi Lissette! I did 2 videos in March 2018 that I show how much calcium and magnesium (Epsom salts) I use. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day! :)
Hi Michelle! I have a video about how I'm fertilizing my Phals this summer that shows exactly what I use and recommend...here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/yRaGOwZ6e5g/v-deo.html I don't use the Bloom Booster anymore (15-30-15) and I'm getting better results with what I'm using now. Have a great day and happy growing! Amy
Perfect timing! I love the tip about dissolving the fertilizer in a cup of warm water. And to think that making jello inspired you! :) Buddy is absolutely beautiful! (not you, Buddy, honey, the orchid! Although, you are beautiful, as well!). Is the bloom different this time? It has a very unique pattern! I love it! :)
Thanks for the compliments on Buddy and Buddy! ;) Buddy orchid's bloom do deepen in color for about a week. It's interesting to watch them change. The pattern is unique, I agree. It has a lot of species phal in it. (If I ever saw species phals for sale, I would be arranging orchid tables for sure. haha!)
My dream job would be working in an orchid nursery. I wouldn't have any money leftover at the end of the week to buy food because every $$ would go toward buying orchids!! Here is Buddy in all his glory ---> imgur.com/a/qGv8h
Wow, that's a beautiful screen capture, Caro! Thank you so much, my friend! You caught the color patterns beautifully. :) Btw, I'm thinking about going to the Nashville Orchid Show next year. Really. I want some species phals, I'll find room for them.....somewhere. lol! In other words, I don't need to buy any new orchids until the orchid show next year, 2019. hahahahaha
Orchid Whisperer You are welcome. It really is a very beautiful bloom.😊 That would be awesome if you could go to the Orchid show in Nashville. If you go, travel light because you will need the entire backseat to hold all of the orchids that you will end up purchasing. 🌸
Very good video! Really like how you present everything! Ps: I sent you a private message about a huge collaboration video between the biggest youtubers out there! Hope you'll join in!
great reference video. I have the same pens! ♥
Thanks so much for your sweet comment, my friend! :) I really like using these pens, I feel like an orchid scientist! lol!
Orchid Whisperer
Do the pens need to be calibrated? I bought Blue Planet Nutrients Liquid Seaweed Growth Stimulator. I will also be purchasing the garden lime as well. I worry about using the better grow because of the ammoniacal nitrogen in that product.
Thank you!
.....your such a wonderful teacher Amy.....great explanations, and important points...
Thank you so much, Rick! You're always such an encouragement, my friend. That means a lot to me. Happy growing there in Bama. Blessings from TN. :)
Just the video I needed, thank you 😍
You’re welcome 😊
This tutorial was so helpful for me! It has cleared up my confusion on using these pens! Thank you for sharing! 😊
Hi Barb! I'm so glad this video helped you! I appreciate you letting me know. Thanks always for your sweet comments, my friend! :) Have a wonderful day!
Excellent!
Thank you!
Beautiful....must be blooming tine...I have three same orchids that are in full bloom but now almost over tho...I’ll include in my next video...
Hello, my friend! We had a really late fall, so my orchids are blooming later than they usually do. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Whoa!! Great tip about dissolving the fertilizer first!
Hi Paige! Yes, it helps a lot! Happy growing!
This was a terrific video! Thanks a lot!!!!
Thanks so much, Terry! I appreciate your feedback, my friend! Have a great day! :)
Hello Amy, wonderful videos. I use rain water for my orchids and CalMag and all those goodies, but boy! I was wrong on the amount. Thank you. Norma
Thank you for sharing. I have a question. I have roots that are dead at the crown but further down they are healthy and green. What is that?
YEAAY BUDDY!! GORGEOUS....I HAVE YOUR COUSIN HERE BUT HE'S JUST GETTING NEW ROOTS...HE DIDN'T LIKE FWC EITHER...HE'S NOW IN SPAG. THANKS MISS AMY FOR THE DEMO ON PH AND TDS METERS...JUST GOT MINE....I WAS SO PERPLEXED.....THANKS!!
So glad this video helped you, Jane! Thanks so much for your sweet comment, and I'm so happy to hear that your orchid is growing well in sphagnum moss. :) Have a great day and happy growing!
I recently discovered a hardcore orchidist in Chicago. She's got over 500 orchids, heavy on the catts but about anything and everything, sphag/bark/fwc/swc and mounted. Crazy. Even crazier yet... water and sun is all the plants get. No fert, no ph up/down/left at Albuquerque. Water and sun. Maybe it's the Lake Michigan water because all I use is water from my fish tanks (which starts from the tap) and sun/led's. Tap water runs about 8.0 too and about the best I've drank around the world. (20 years Navy). I see aquarium channels doing all the mad chemist stuff too, especially playing with the ph. I never have and fish are always spawning. 🙄
Just making it soooo hard and complicated but good job. 👍🏻
Seems like to pH pen isn’t calibrated correctly that’s why it’s taking a long time to get a reading. My pH pen gives me an accurate reading within 15 secs and do not sway back and forth.
Have you ever used distilled water for your orchids
No, I use reverse osmosis water. 😇
Can I use tap water on water culture plants? Should I use Epsom Salt and Cal Mag in container all the time? Is this considered a fertilizer or supplement? If fertilizer should I use plain water one week then Epsom Salt and Cal Mag the next?
Hello! I followed using distilled water,then 10 drops cal-mag and 1 tsp of Bettergrow(from another video you made about using cal-mag,bettergrow and seaweed.)...shot my TDS to over 400!!! Now do not know if I can use on orchids. Please advise.
You can cut back on the Better gro amount if you like to fertilize at a lower rate. I use this higher amount 2 times a month on my Phalenopsis orchids. It works well for me. But fertilize at the rate you're comfortable with. Happy growing!
I am finally going to get tds and ph meters. Looking at the glass on the video (3/26/18), I noticed a packet inside the glass, which I think is a powder for the ph test. Do I need to get this packet in order to do the test?
You don't use this packet. It's for laboratories to calibrate their pH pens to a specific setting, and it doesn't apply for any other use. Have a great day!
@@OrchidWhisperer Thank you so much! BTW, I appreciate your replies when I have a question. Not everybody replies with answers! Love ya
Soaking vanda in seaweed extract is turning roots brown
Amy, I been watching your video for a while. I been observed your orchids in moss or water culture do not have algae problems. I am using rain water for my orchids when I mixed with fertilizer or calmag, I used filter water to wash container and rinse orchids roots. Will you kindly let me know how you keep your mediums away from algae? especially algae from moss? thanks.
I have the same ph and tds monitors that you have and they really come in handy. But a question came to mind and itnis what would be considered a very high tds for general purposes? Using the same formula you do I am getting approximately the same readings. However I have upped the Better Grow to 1/2 teaspoon occasionally. Just curious as to what tds would be pushing the limit so to speak? Thanks again as always. If I were an orchid I know whose house I would live at!
Hi James! That's a really good question you asked. Here are my thoughts: I don't see anything wrong with using 1/2 teaspoon of the Better Gro occasionally...and the key word is "occasionally". From time to time, if you see an orchid needs extra, then I'd give it extra. That's called good growing. Also, I recommend you use the CalMag along with that occasional larger dose, and garden lime for good measure. I don't use the Better Gro apart from the calcium and magnesium sources. I believe that's what causes black root tips and root problems in general.
And BTW...my crowd here really is spoiled...I guess everyone has figured that out...haha! Have a wonderful day and happy growing! Amy
Thank you so much. I sure do use CalMag and Seaweed Extract - the same ones you have. I also use 1/4 teaspoon of Thrive. But that doesn’t change the TDS. Sure I only use the 1/2 teaspoon no more than once a month if that and before I have made sure I have “rinsed” the media with plain water the week before. So far so good. My Maxillaria began growing last April and hasn’t stopped since. I can’t believe how much it’s grown. I have so much Epsom Salts that I use a pinch of it also. Happy growing Amy and enjoy all of your plants. We sure do. James.
Hi James! It sounds like you're doing great with your orchids...congratulations on your Maxillaria! :) You KNOW they're happy when they just keep growing! Thanks so much for your very kind and gracious comments James...it's always so nice hearing from you! Happy growing! Amy
I love your videos!!! Your voice is so sweet, and it reminds me of spending summers in the south as a kid! I have learned so much from you about my orchids, and so far they’re doing great. My question is about fertilizing my orchids, in that I only have four, and mixing a gallon of fertilizer for 4 orchids seems wasteful. How can I adjust the amounts for so few plants?
Nicole H if I may just like a recipe divide by 2 to half the recipe, I do that I went and found me and 1/8 tsp measure and voila.
That's exactly what I do too, Lorena! I have my 1/8 teaspoon in my bag of mix ready to mix up a half gallon. :)
Thank you so much for your sweet comment, Nicole! :) I'm so happy to hear that your orchids are doing well! Have a great day and happy growing!
Orchid Whisperer Great minds think a like, have a blessed day!
baking soda, yikes, just add some calcium, either calmag or hydrated lime. plants dont need additional sodium. anyhow, if it's working for you, i'm not going to insist :)
question regards calcium availability, if i may. why do the standard charts show calcium available over a wide range that starts about 6ph? doesnt seem to make sense as calcium would stay in solution longer, the more acid is present?
@@Chris-op7yt thanks for your comment. I haven't used this fertilizer in quite a few years. I made it easy on myself, and I use MSU. With my r/o water, I don't need to adjust pH. MSU contains plenty of calcium and magnesium, so that's covered, too. Happy 😇 growing!
@@OrchidWhisperer : thank you, i'll look it up. learning a bit of chemistry is ok but it gets too deep and expensive and takes too much time. take care
@@Chris-op7yt WalMart carries TEZULA, which is the same as MSU. It's much cheaper. Easier and cheaper is a good thing. Lol. Start out low, like half the recommended amount. I'm thinking about doing some short videos about fertilizing, so stay tuned. In the meantime, if you have questions, feel free to ask. 😇
@@OrchidWhisperer : i checked the label and it does have some calcium and magnesium, but these are actually required in amounts that are orders of magnitude bigger amounts than NPK, when it comes to soil-less growing. i know it's not easy to do this from a chemistry perspective and complicated from biological perspective. going to have a look at how they feed hydroponics, to have everything optimal.
in natural conditions there's rain bringing regular small doses of dissolved calcium etc. and roots can take however much they need of each nutrient. in culture things are quite different.
Do the roots need to be rinsed each time I put water in container?
Hello!
I use tap water with 110ppm and 8ph for my orchids in semy-hydro (plus fertilizer and ph down).
Question is: If I use chelated nutrients (that are absorbed regardless of the water ph) with the tap water at 8ph (without the ph down), the nutrients I add will be absorbed almost entirely, regardless of the too alcaline ph, while the ones in the tap water (that i can not control) will remain in the reservoir and be flushed, right?
As I have to use tap water with high uncontrolled TDS, i'm thinking about negating that by leaving the ph of the water high.
What are your thought on that?
Thanks for the highly informative videos, btw!
Hi and thanks so much for watching! I used to use tap water, then I changed to reverse osmosis water with my orchids. The difference has been amazing. It resolves so many of the pH and ppm problems. I don't have to use a pH corrector, and it lowered my TDS from 225 to 12! The better the water quality, the better results you're going to get. Have a great day and happy growing!
I've been following your program for about year and half , it's such a wonderful insight you have given.
I have problem on my cattleyas the leaves have a dried spot on , is there Amy remedy. Please advice thank you GB
Hi Mary and thanks so much for your sweet comment! Brown spots are pretty common on Cattleyas. I use copper fungicide on mine regularly, it does help. I have a video from Nov 3 about how I care for my Cattleya and I also show the spray I use for the brown spot. Have a great day and happy growing!
Orchid Whisperer thanks so much for your advice
Oh no, I don’t think we can be friends anymore, Miss Amy! I have a Hello Kitty Orchid Notebook, will she and Snoopy get along? Haha! I thank you for all of your help, my Vandas thank you, I finally found two big enough vases to put them both into water culture and the new leaves that have been slowly creeping out have popped all the way out in less than a month! And I love the tip re: the granulated fertilizer, it’s just like how I make my sweet tea sufficiently sweet! Blessings from the Big Easy!
Hi Kari! haha! I do think that Snoopy and Hello Kitty will get along...let's hope so anyway! LOL! That's great, that we have cartoon-inspired notebooks! (Great minds think alike! :) I'm SO happy to heat that your Vandas are doing well...that makes my day! Thanks so much for sharing...happy growing and many Blessings! :) Amy
How often do you fertilize with the 1/4 tsp. of orchid plus 20-14-13, verses the cal/mag solution?
How often do you use the Fertilizer?
Where did you find the pH and TDS pens???Also, do you have any ideas on what to use for thrips......I think they have moved in with the African violets....and possibly trying to migrate to the orchids.....HELP....... Thanks
Joe
Joe Terry Hi Joe! Both meters are by Health Metric, I bought them on Amazon. Use a soap or oil spray for the thrips. Have a great day and happy growing!
Orchid Whisperer Thanks,. Any brand you would recommend??
I would try 1 teaspoon of dishwashing liquid dissolved in a quart bottle of water. I don't know how bad your infestation is, but you'll have the dishwashing liquid on hand and you can use it immediately. If you have an insecticidal soap that is safe for indoor use, try that first. You'll have to spray them every day for a while, just be sure to dry the crowns and leaf axles after you spray.
How many days once should I fertilizer my orchids?
Hi and thanks so much for watching! I discuss this topic in a recent video, here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/et5P-BkLhrM/v-deo.html
Have a great day and happy growing!
hi can you tell me what kind of water you use when not fertilizer? RO water plus anything ? during regular water. thank
Hi Lesuan! Orchids grow well with the best quality water you can give them. I use reverse osmosis water when I'm watering and when I fertilize. You can use a Brita filter or something similar...I have mine installed under my sink for drinking use and for watering my orchids. Have a great day and happy growing! :)
Do you mix all the fertilizers together and use that for your water culture orchids? If so do you focus more on the ph or ppm?
Hi! Yes, I mix the fertilizer and the supplements together for my WC orchids. I don't have to be quite so specific about my pH now because my calcium source is CalMag, and it's absorbed into the low 7 range. But I still check the pH from time to time and I check the ppm's everytime. Happy growing!
Water ph decrease or increase after you have added fertilizer?
The pH will decrease after I add the fertilizer.
Well thank you so very much, I think I had about 3 aha! Moments 😂 have a wonderful, lovely week.
Thank you so much for letting me know that this video helped you, Lorena! :) Your comment made my day! Happy growing and I hope you have a wonderful week as well. :)
Tds and ph leval of water used on orchid ?
Amy, so if I add this solution with 1/4 tsp of Better Grow to a water of my plants, isn't means plant not getting this needed strenghts, but rather will be diluted by water in a vase? Some of my plants have huge root system and it has more then 12 oz of water and if i add 2-4.oz of Better grow solution, my plant doesn't get enough of fertilizer. Am I wrong maybe? Please advice.
And how long you keep this fertilizer in a vase? Is it 20 min or 24 hrs? In some videos you advice 20 min, in anothers 24 hrs...Sorry, I get all these different numbers, ad ices and afraid not to make a mistake. 😀
Wish to just get one instraction. Lol I love, love, love your voice, your videos, your knowledge, just a bit confused with all different info.
Thank you in advance!!!
Hi Linda! I have been doing videos now for almost 4 years (I've grown orchids for over 16 years) and I've studied and learned so much about fertilizing since then. I've updated and improved my fertilizing regimen quite a bit, and I share what I've learned on my channel as I see the results I want with my orchids. There was very little information about fertilizing in water culture when I first started with the method. So what I recommend you do is to watch my most recent videos about fertilizing in water culture, and I do seasonal updates often. I released an update video on fertilizing just last week, here's a link: ua-cam.com/video/et5P-BkLhrM/v-deo.html&lc=UgwSH2jIoG9BB6q99Ct4AaABAg
I cover all the questions you have in this video. Happy growing and have a great day!
Hi, when you add epsom salt do you water you orchids first and what is the amount?
Hi Lissette! I did 2 videos in March 2018 that I show how much calcium and magnesium (Epsom salts) I use. Thanks so much for watching and have a great day! :)
That was helpful! Thank you!!
Hello
Have a question regarding fertilizing, I have fertilizer that has 15-30-15 and a pinch of Epson salt.
Would this be okay
Hi Michelle! I have a video about how I'm fertilizing my Phals this summer that shows exactly what I use and recommend...here's the link: ua-cam.com/video/yRaGOwZ6e5g/v-deo.html
I don't use the Bloom Booster anymore (15-30-15) and I'm getting better results with what I'm using now.
Have a great day and happy growing! Amy
Thanks as always!
Thanks for watching, Shirley! :)
Perfect timing! I love the tip about dissolving the fertilizer in a cup of warm water. And to think that making jello inspired you! :) Buddy is absolutely beautiful! (not you, Buddy, honey, the orchid! Although, you are beautiful, as well!). Is the bloom different this time? It has a very unique pattern! I love it! :)
Thanks for the compliments on Buddy and Buddy! ;) Buddy orchid's bloom do deepen in color for about a week. It's interesting to watch them change. The pattern is unique, I agree. It has a lot of species phal in it. (If I ever saw species phals for sale, I would be arranging orchid tables for sure. haha!)
My dream job would be working in an orchid nursery. I wouldn't have any money leftover at the end of the week to buy food because every $$ would go toward buying orchids!! Here is Buddy in all his glory ---> imgur.com/a/qGv8h
Wow, that's a beautiful screen capture, Caro! Thank you so much, my friend! You caught the color patterns beautifully. :) Btw, I'm thinking about going to the Nashville Orchid Show next year. Really. I want some species phals, I'll find room for them.....somewhere. lol! In other words, I don't need to buy any new orchids until the orchid show next year, 2019. hahahahaha
Orchid Whisperer You are welcome. It really is a very beautiful bloom.😊 That would be awesome if you could go to the Orchid show in Nashville. If you go, travel light because you will need the entire backseat to hold all of the orchids that you will end up purchasing. 🌸
Yes, no luggage, just orchids. haha! I might need to extend my orchid room, too...(oh my, what am I saying? lol!)
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Very good video! Really like how you present everything!
Ps: I sent you a private message about a huge collaboration video between the biggest youtubers out there! Hope you'll join in!
baking soda fried all my root system