Which of your two plants do you think is getting it's optimal amount of
fertilizer?

The comparison between nutrients in rainwater and in the ground was used
more to point out the evolved differences in root structures of terrestrial
vs. orchids, it doesn't mean that orchid roots are less efficient. They
take up the nutrients they need if they are available.

This point is behind the idea that "orchids don't need a lot of fertilizer,'
and we've all heard that one:

"Well, there's no fertilizer in rain water and that all orchids get, they
live in trees, for heaven's sake."
And I say, "Well there are nutrients in rain water, if it washes over a
living forest canopy. It not like orchid roots can suck fertilizer out of
thin air, it needs to be added to their water" :-)

While I do no know the comparative concentrations between rainforest
rainwater and my fertilizer solution, Orchids in my greenhouse seem to be
able to take a much larger concentration of nutrients in their water than I
suspect rainwater would offer, and I see a much more growth as a result of
this feeding. However if I push this too far I am more likely to see a
negative response, such as leaf tip burning. Your pepper plant is the same,
you could add more fertilizer and it might grow even bigger as a result, but
side by side, I bet the orchid would show problems before the pepper.

You question brought an analogy to mind: if you make the same amount of
food available to a house cat as would a healthy brown bear, and the house
cat eats it all, (if it could), would the cat just get fat and develop
health problems or would it grow to the size of the brown bear? If you
reverse it, and the bear could survive on the house cat's food amount, would
it to grow to it's full size and vigor?



"jtill" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a pepper plant among my orchids, it grows about, let me guess,
say 20 times as much mass an an Oncidium nearby. Would this indicate
the relative availability of nutrients to epiphytic roots Vs terrestial
ones? I feed them the same nutrient solution. Lazy.
Joe T
Houston

Note; This poster put similiar blurbs on six other rec.xxx.xxx forums.
I checked. Is this a new type Flamer?