Expert Tips For When And How To Use Orchid Fertilizer

Like other plants, orchids need the right nutrients to thrive and grow; however, orchids need a special type of fertilizer as well as the right amount to thrive in your home. Because orchid fertilizer is different from other common houseplant fertilizers, it’s important to know what type, how often, and how to feed your orchid to maintain its health and beauty.

Here are a few tips to consider before fertilizing your orchid.

Use a commercial orchid fertilizer and check the label to make sure it displays three numbers such as 20-20-20. These three numbers are proportional values of the fundamental nutrients that orchids need to thrive and stay healthy which include: Nitrogen, Phosphorous, and Potassium. You can experiment with different values of the main ingredients; however, you should either contact your local nursery or contact one on the Internet to determine the best type of fertilizer for your precious orchid.

It’s crucial to understand how orchids get their nutrients in their natural habitat, and this understanding will help you to feed your orchid in your home environment. Orchids are perhaps the most versatile flower in the world where some species live in Arctic regions of the far North and other species live in tropical regions around the world. As a result, these exotic flowers are constantly searching for nutrients which often come in small but powerful quantities. Giving an orchid too much fertilizer is not characteristic of how it acquires its nutrition in its natural environment. Excessively feeding your orchid can burn its roots, and or retard its flowering.

In addition to the particular type and amount of fertilizer, you should also determine how to apply it. Orchids acquire its nutritional needs by absorbing nutrients in rain water. Rain water is saturated with nutrients from natural debris of rotting vegetation including leaves and the bark of trees where many species of orchids grow. The nutrient plentiful water finds its way to the roots of the orchid where it’s absorbed. As a result, you should never place fertilizer directly into the potting soil, rather mix the fertilizer with water and feed your orchid the water.

Fertilizing your orchid while it’s in its growth stage just before it blooms is the best time. Once in bloom, you don’t need to fertilize.

To be consistent every time, measure the amount of fertilizer you feed your orchid. Contact your local nursery to get information on what mix to use as well as how much to use.

Since orchids are so different from other plants, it stands to reason that its fertilizer should be different as well. Fertilizing your orchid is a crucial part of caring for orchids, and should be taken seriously. Make sure you use only orchid fertilizer in the right amount, and dispensed in the appropriate way.