The trouble is that the minerals used to make up most fertilizers are based
upon the expectation that existing dissolved minerals in the water supply
will buffer the solution, i.e., protect it from wild pH swings. Pure water
like your condensate, or RO, distilled, collected rainwater, etc., have no
such minerals to buffer the solution, so you either have to resort to a
water supply that does or find a fertilizer designed for unbuffered water.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"Alan" wrote in message
.. .
OK Ray- thank you for the recommendation!

"Ray" wrote in message
...
Personally, I think you're working on killing your plant, and the growing
medium is essentially irrelevant!

Putting a standard fertilizer like Miracle Gro in pure water, as you do,
results in a solution pH that is VERY acidic - way to acidic for orchids.
It seems likely that those "woody brown" roots are dead, or badly
damaged,
and at the very least, the plant is being starved and/or poisoned by the
odd
nutrient availability at that pH.

You'd be much better off using that fertilizer in ordinary tap water.

--

Ray Barkalow - First Rays Orchids - www.firstrays.com
Plants, Supplies, Artwork, Books and Lots of Free Info!


"Alan" wrote in message
. ..
About a month ago I posted about (what I believe to be) a Phaph that
was
left behind by some folks that moved. It was (and is still) scraggly
looking, one of the long leaves had a brown tip. I was advised to cut
the
brown off and apply the wound with cinnamon. Unfortunately the leaf is
now
history. I had repotted it in spaguhm (sic) moss, noting the roots were
a
dark brown. I give water when the moss feels dry to the touch. The
water
I
use is from a dehumidifier we have, and I taint it with 1/4 tsp of
miracle
grow per gallon. We live in the semi tropics (Okinawa) so I keep the
plant
outside in a screened area where there is no direct sunlight, lotsa
humidity
and no hairy caterpillars or snails to feast on it (they can decimate a
gardinia overnight).
Today I dug my finger down to take a look at the roots and they still
appear
to be the same as they were - a woody brown. So....
Is the moss a good medium for a Phaph? Any recommendations? I hate to
disturb it. Is it correct to say that a phaph is slow growing?

Another unrealized occurrence from this little rescue:
At the onset, my wife chided me about taking in a "sick" orchid. Being
the
social butterfly she is, I suppose she was relating my quest with the
paph
to her friends and now I have been awarded additional plants gratis.
Seems
orchids here are unpopular after they drop their flowers. One is a
little
tiny thing that a gal won in a raffle. It is very plain looking
supposedly
indiginous to this island, so heaven knows what all these are going to
look
like. I think secretly, my wife likes the idea (she teases but doesn't
complain). What did I get? I don't know, but Phals are very common in
shops
here. The discriptions I get are pretty much flower colors "She said it
was
bright purple" "The flowers were white"
60 days ago I had no orchids. Now I have 7. What is happening here?