Dear Experts,

I'm sometimes confused with books because different books say
different things. I have a 6" Cymbidium, 6" moth orchid, 5G camellia,
6" azalea and 1G gardenia. They all have lots of buds now. Since they
are all acid loving plants, I bought MicrocalGro acid plant food for
them. My plan is to feed them every other week after watering at
concentration of 1tsp/gallon.

But I was told that I should not feed orchid when it has buds. Have to
wait until the flowering finishes. I'm wondering if this is true and
if it is true to all the plants I mentioned above or only orchids.

Which is the most accurate book that I should follow? I'm in SF bay
area.

Thanks a lot,
Tiff

Frank wrote:

Dear Experts,



There are no 'experts'. A large portion of orchid growing is still
(fortunately) an art, more than a science. You get to be an expert
when you kill fewer plants than your neighbor. Even 'experts' don't
know all the answers, and any that say they do are probably not the ones
you want to listen to.

Which is the most accurate book that I should follow? I'm in SF bay
area.


No way to tell. I suggest that you experiment (play!) to determine
what works best for you. Regardless of what books say, what works for
you is the right way. Under some conditions one book may be right,
under other conditions the other might have a more accurate answer.
Chances are good that you will have to mix and match. That doesn't
answer your question... I'd suggest that you go to a local orchid
society meeting, and ask your questions there. That isn't meant to be
in any way snippy. The people who grow in the same conditions you do
(the Bay area has a lot of different climates) will be best able to give
you advice that works for you. Besides, you will come home with a
trunk full of free plants, most likely. I'm sure there are plenty of
people here on the newsgroup from your area as well, so perhaps you will
get some more informative responses than mine.

For what it is worth, I feed continuously at a low rate. Blooms or
no blooms. It works for me and the species I grow. It works largely
because I'm too lazy to stick to elaborate schedules.

Rob

--
Rob's Rules: http://www.msu.edu/~halgren
1) There is always room for one more orchid
2) There is always room for two more orchids
2a. See rule 1
3) When one has insufficient credit to purchase
more orchids, obtain more credit

Dear Tiff: My advice is only for your Phalaenopsis ("moth orchid"), because
I don't grow Cymbidiums and [as previously posted in other threads -- see
"Killing Orchids"] am no good at all with "dirt plants" like your camellia
and azalea.

But for your Phal: I see absolutely no reason not to fertilize while in bud
or flower, and many reasons why you should do so. The plant is putting out
a lot of energy, making all those buds, and it needs to be replenished.

I think [without benefit of any books or other authorities to cite for this
opinion], that the saying about not fertilizing orchids in bloom came about
mostly because most fertilizers contain dye, which can stain the flowers if
it hits them. Secondly, it may be less convenient to feed the plant while
it's in a display situation [e.g., indoors instead of out with all the other
orchids that need to be fed].

For some orchids [e.g., the dry-winter dens], withholding food can be
necessary to _induce_ flowering, but once the buds have formed, that's no
longer an issue.

That's my 2c. Good growing,
--
Kenni Judd
Juno Beach Orchids

http://www.jborchids.com
"Frank" wrote in message
om...
Dear Experts,

I'm sometimes confused with books because different books say
different things. I have a 6" Cymbidium, 6" moth orchid, 5G camellia,
6" azalea and 1G gardenia. They all have lots of buds now. Since they
are all acid loving plants, I bought MicrocalGro acid plant food for
them. My plan is to feed them every other week after watering at
concentration of 1tsp/gallon.

But I was told that I should not feed orchid when it has buds. Have to
wait until the flowering finishes. I'm wondering if this is true and
if it is true to all the plants I mentioned above or only orchids.

Which is the most accurate book that I should follow? I'm in SF bay
area.

Thanks a lot,
Tiff