I have a single orchid. There will come a time shortly when I should
consider a feed. I see that Baby Bio and others, do a special orchid
fertiliser, but for a single plant would the basic Baby Bio suffice, if
I change the dilution perhaps?

--
Jim S

On Tue, 31 May 2022 15:31:49 +0100, Jim S <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote:

>
>I have a single orchid. There will come a time shortly when I should
>consider a feed. I see that Baby Bio and others, do a special orchid
>fertiliser, but for a single plant would the basic Baby Bio suffice, if
>I change the dilution perhaps?

I would use it just according to the instructions on the bottle - add
5 - 10 drops of Baby Bio orchid fertiliser to a pint of water, and
water your orchid with the solution.

How do you water it? I'm no expert in that, but AIUI orchids are best
grown in very coarse free-draining compost such as composted bark
chippings. Water the plant weekly by immersing the pot, and let it
stand for say five minutes, then take it out and let it drain. Don't
let it stand in water after draining, don't water from above, and
don't let the crown get wet.

Plenty of tips on the internet, for example
https://tinyurl.com/2enl957f

--
Chris

Gardening in West Cornwall, very mild, sheltered
from the West, but open to the North and East.

In article <ckbc9htevf3423ti5p0olj9t8tltm1f5ud@4ax.com>, me@privacy.net
says...
>
> On Tue, 31 May 2022 15:31:49 +0100, Jim S <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote:
>
> >
> >I have a single orchid. There will come a time shortly when I should
> >consider a feed. I see that Baby Bio and others, do a special orchid
> >fertiliser, but for a single plant would the basic Baby Bio suffice, if
> >I change the dilution perhaps?
>
> I would use it just according to the instructions on the bottle - add
> 5 - 10 drops of Baby Bio orchid fertiliser to a pint of water, and
> water your orchid with the solution.
>
> How do you water it? I'm no expert in that, but AIUI orchids are best
> grown in very coarse free-draining compost such as composted bark
> chippings. Water the plant weekly by immersing the pot, and let it
> stand for say five minutes, then take it out and let it drain. Don't
> let it stand in water after draining, don't water from above, and
> don't let the crown get wet.
>
> Plenty of tips on the internet, for example
> https://tinyurl.com/2enl957f

Thanks. I've had one before and the supplier this time (Kolibri) have a
good site.
It is just my basic meanness that suspects them and Bio of wanting to
sell two bottles rather than one, and me not wanting to have another
garden product doing nothing on the shelf for most of the time. :)

--
Jim S

On 31/05/2022 17:25, Jim S wrote:
> In article <ckbc9htevf3423ti5p0olj9t8tltm1f5ud@4ax.com>, me@privacy.net
> says...
>>
>> On Tue, 31 May 2022 15:31:49 +0100, Jim S <jim@jimXscott.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>>
>>> I have a single orchid. There will come a time shortly when I should
>>> consider a feed. I see that Baby Bio and others, do a special orchid
>>> fertiliser, but for a single plant would the basic Baby Bio suffice, if
>>> I change the dilution perhaps?
>>
>> I would use it just according to the instructions on the bottle - add
>> 5 - 10 drops of Baby Bio orchid fertiliser to a pint of water, and
>> water your orchid with the solution.
>>
>> How do you water it? I'm no expert in that, but AIUI orchids are best
>> grown in very coarse free-draining compost such as composted bark
>> chippings. Water the plant weekly by immersing the pot, and let it
>> stand for say five minutes, then take it out and let it drain. Don't
>> let it stand in water after draining, don't water from above, and
>> don't let the crown get wet.
>>
>> Plenty of tips on the internet, for example
>> https://tinyurl.com/2enl957f
>
> Thanks. I've had one before and the supplier this time (Kolibri) have a
> good site.
> It is just my basic meanness that suspects them and Bio of wanting to
> sell two bottles rather than one, and me not wanting to have another
> garden product doing nothing on the shelf for most of the time. :)

I wonder if the Baby Bio stuff is intended more for those special
orchids rather than the bog-standard phalaenopsis sold in most
supermarkets. Many years ago I was given a small jar of a specialist
orchid fertilizer (a previous version of this one:
<https://www.akerne-orchids.com/en/rain-mix/500-286-rain-mix.html#>).
According to the leaflet it was:
NPK 13-3-15 with 11 CaO and 3 MgO, with trace elements Fe, Mn, Zn, Cu,
B, and Mo. The rate stated for use was 0.5g to 1 litre of rain or RO water.

I used it for a few years on my half-dozen phalaenopsis until I didn't
notice that the lid of the jar had cracked and the powder mix had turned
to liquid as it was so hygroscopic! I've since changed to dilute
Phostrogen once every couple of weeks, but quite honestly, I've no idea
if it makes any difference to the orchids flowering or not. I repot them
only once every 6 years or so - if I remember. I report them in standard
ericaceous compost "diluted with an equal volume of peat and quite a few
1 - 2 cm lumps of old Oasis. That may assist with drainage while holding
some water. It doesn't appear to harm the orchids at all, as they
regularly flower every year for many weeks, and sometimes months. I
water them on the top, and I've only ever lost one orchid through crown rot.

--

Jeff