I am so glad that you found me. I appreciate your positive comments! Happy propagating!!

Thanks so much for your positive comments. Yeah - people are really fixed in their ways - the orchid specialist at my local meeting last night recommended the MSU formulation - I do not bother asking "why" anymore.... And my deflasking survival rate had gotten really high with really nice growth. I have convinced some people to use my approaches and some are slowly coming over. You just cannot argue or question the results that I show over and over again. But, some people actually think that the orchid seedlings that I show in my videos are not the age that I say. There are a lot of faked videos out there, even orchid videos.

Thanks for your comment - I am happy that you enjoyed my video!

OK - thanks - tried looking up the contents of your fertilizer but it was not easy to find. If you are using this for orchids, you should check to see if it contains the minor elements that the "plus" orchid fertilizers contain. For plants in soil, this is not as important as it is for orchids, since soil can supply some of these minor elements.

Miracle Grow makes a few different types - even some specifically made for orchids.

I think that I am going to have to make a follow up video.... If you look beyond the NPK in fertilizers (the micros), and look at time-release and organics, it gets fun. It's in process - still have to do some more work.

Thanks for watching and for your comments. I have also used seaweed fertilizer, based on recommendations from orchid growing colleagues and my daughter. When you look at the fertilizer components in seaweed extract, it shows only potassium. But, due to the smell and color of the solubilized seaweed fertilizer, there must be more to it! So, I contacted the manufacturer to find out what else is in their product. I think that I need to put together a follow-up video (is it OK for me to acknowledge you? - first name only) on other fertilizer addenda, and natural and organic fertilizers. I am still learning about catasetums.....

@@plantpropagator You are more than welcome to use my name. The product I use is NPK Raw Kelp that I get on Amazon. It can be a tad expensive depending on the time of year you buy it as the price fluctuates, but a little goes a long way. It comes in powder form and I add 1/4 tsp per gallon with my fertilizer. This product doesn't stink like others do. Catasetums are extremely easy to grow here. They're my favorites. ☺️

Thanks for watching and for your comment. I cannot imagine what is in the tea that would affect root growth. If it works for you, keep on using it but it may only be providing some very low levels of some elements. Since you are the fishyplantman, there are plant hormones in the kelp and seaweed fertilizers that will positively affect root induction and growth. Yeah - that blue coloration in the fertilizer can stain - food grade but still.....

I am glad that you enjoyed it!

I have added this to my list of future videos - I do need to review this - it has been a while since I have looked closely a the different carbon fixation pathways. I did a quick literature search and found a good relatively recent review of the different machinery present in different orchids. You and I will both learn in this exercise.....

@@plantpropagator I’m excited!!

Thank you for your positive comment!

Thanks for the comment - I do not recommend using a sea water additive - there are too many unknowns and I believe that NaCl is the main salt, which will not do you much good. I am planning a follow up video on orchid fertilizers. Since posting this video, I have received a lot.of comments and have learned much more about fertilizers. I used to be opposed to organic fertilizers and seaweed extracts but the scientific literature shows that they are useful. And, I found that many of the fertilizers do not contain magnesium, which may be needed, depending on the medium. I will try to get a new fertilizer video posted soon.

I am glad that you subscribed - welcome! I have another "Ask a Scientist" orchid video that I will post later this week.

I should have commented on time-release fertilizers - I strongly support using time-release fertilizers when they are used correctly. I have a story about a PhD student in my lab who was growing sunflowers in the greenhouses. They looked great when they were young but the leaves became dark green, then yellow before flowering. They flowered but the flowers did not look good and the seeds showed very low viability. He did this twice! I finally went to the greenhouse to check his plants and found that the pots were loaded with Osmocote. He was adding a teaspoon of Osmocote to the pot every week, which explained what he was seeing! Although I recommend one or the other, you can use both water soluble and time release fertilizer as long as you do not overdo it. I add time release fertilizer to my orchid seedlings in the greenhouses, where they are misted daily and not fertilized through the automated watering system. I occasionally add a small amount of time release fertilizer, when I am not around to apply the water soluble fertilizer.

Sorry - I have never tried the 3-2-1 program.I hope that you do not mind but I contacted Peter's to get some information on the benefits of that formulation. It seems that you know about the dissolving before adding the next salt. Please let me know how it works for you.

I first heard of Jack’s fertilizer from watching another KZfaqr, Rick l orchids, I learned a lot about fertilizer from his channel. The 3 2 1 formula was not made with orchids in mind, but I’ve seen other channels that use that on their orchids. I’ve also thought about buying an orchid specific fertilizer called K lite and was wondering what you thought about it? According to the person who sells it orchids can take in too much potassium and it can be harmful. Just wanted to get a second opinion from someone who doesn’t sell that product.

@@EpiphyticAddict I contacted Jacks with your question about the 3-2-1 program and I received a response that I partly expected. They said that it was not developed for orchids and suggested that I take a look at one of their videos on orchid fertilizersSo, I cannot recommend the 3-2-1 program but thinks that it won't hurt to try it, if you want. For the potassium lite fertilizer, I have not heard that this is beneficial for growing orchids and I cannot imagine why orchids would take up too much potassium, over any other comparable elements or cations. Potassium toxicity in plants can be seed if your old leaf tips and edges turn yellow or brown (burn). They also told me that the blue color in their water soluble fertilizer was from added blue dye.

Thanks for watching and for your comments. Wow - we have a lot in common! I am from the Cleveland area too and think that Norman Fang is great. If you are using his fertilizer (1/4 strength is good) and having success, keep on doing that. Norman is very knowledgable in orchid fertilizers and growth. He and my advisor received their PhDs in the same lab at UC-Riverside so we are related - he is my academic uncle. My interview with him can be found here: kzfaq.info/get/bejne/qMibhMpo1qjXlJ8.html My daughter and I are both members of the Greater Akron Orchid Society and I may attend the meeting in September, when I visit. You might consider bringing some of your orchids outside in the summer - most of them will love the rain and humidity and you may see a surge in growth. They like being in the shade - they cannot handle direct sun and you may need to watch for burning. It may be good to try a few outside in the shade, if you have not done that before. Once again, thanks for watching and for your positive comments.

@@plantpropagator I definitely do put some of them outside for the summer. I don’t have any shelter for them yet during the rain and sun, so I’m dragging them in and out but usually when it’s going to rain. A lot. And thank you. I’m glad I’m using a good fertilizer. I love Mr fang. I followed his live stream during Covid. He doesn’t seem to have them as much, sadly. Thank you so much for responding. I know you’re busy. I really appreciate it.

@@plantpropagator also. If you can help me with one of my orchids I would appreciate it! I have the Thecopus Maingayi x Self and the only video I can find on it is in Russian. When I try to change the closed captioning to English only a black dot appears on the screen, no words at all! So basically I can’t find anything about it at all! So far all I’ve found is that it likes moist medium. But I would really like to know as much as possible about it so I don’t fail it! If you can possibly help me out at all that would be great! If not, I understand. Thx.

@@GingerSnap7 I do not know this orchid at all - there are way too many different types of orchids and there is no way that I can learn them all - I am still learning how to grow Cattleyas. If you have not seen this video, I hope that it is useful to you. kzfaq.info/get/bejne/obOZhq6L1K6bZas.html

@@plantpropagator yeah that’s the only video I’ve watched and understood. I did comment and ask her about more information about the orchid. 👍👍 I’m in the same situation with my little mexipedia. But I finally found someone who knew all about it! ❤️❤️ I don’t know how I end up with the uncommon orchids..😂😂😂 lucky I guess. Great taste as well 😂😂😂

Thanks for your comment. I am sorry but I do not have much experience with this. Usually, if the leaves are yellowing and the orchid is otherwise in good shape, it maybe nutrient deficiency. But, so many nutrient deficiencies cause leaf yellowing that I do not know where to begin. Good luck with solving this and keep me informed...

I probably should consider modifying the nutrients depending on the weather but I do not. The conditions here are warm throughout the year. I do irrigate less during rainy season but that is about it.

Thanks for watching my video. I have not grown olives and pomegranates before. Chemical fertilizer will usually give your plants better growth but it is not required in most cases. Compost will provide some additional nutrients but maybe not quite as much as chemical fertilizer. If you are adding compost to the soil, that will also build better soil structure, which is also very helpful. I am not sure where you are located but, in the US, many of the fertilizers are now labelled as organic and this may be the best of both worlds. Often, the organic fertilizers contain beneficial microbes, which can also be good for your plants. It may be interesting to use compost and maybe add some organic granular fertilizer too. Sorry that I cannot help more. Good luck and thanks again for watching.

First of all, I am not a medical doctor. But, I do know the chemicals in the fertilizer and they are not bad, at the diluted levels that you use to fertilize the plants -- in fact, they are in the plants at close to the level that they are applied. I would ask an MD what to do - not me.