When is the best time to fertilize orchids? Master two rules and learn it easily

Orchid fertilization is, besides watering, the most headache-inducing thing for orchid growers. Whether you water correctly affects whether the orchid can survive; whether you fertilize correctly affects whether it blooms and whether it can produce strong shoots the following year. Recently many orchid growers left messages online for Haoshe Farmer, asking about orchid fertilization matters. Today Haoshe Farmer will chat about this with everyone.

First of all, an orchid is a plant, and flowering and fruiting every year consumes a large amount of nutrients, so fertilization is very necessary. For orchid fertilization, Haoshe Farmer has always stressed that organic fertilizer should be the main type, just as we said in earlier videos: oil residue, cake fertilizer, livestock manure fertilizer, leaf mold, etc. Of course, the premise is that they must be fully decomposed; organic fertilizer has comprehensive components and is safe.

Of course, urban orchid growers may find it inconvenient to get these organic fertilizers, so chemical fertilizers can be used instead. Generally, for convenience, people just buy finished orchid fertilizer. Commonly used ones include monopotassium phosphate, urea, NPK compound fertilizer, etc. Our topic today is not what fertilizer to apply, but when fertilizing gives the best effect. The same fertilizer, if applied at the wrong time, will have a very different effect.

Combining the growth patterns of crops, Haoshe Farmer has summarized a method for judging the timing of orchid fertilization. Anyone with agricultural experience or knowledge knows that for plants that flower and fruit, the time in their life when they need the most nutrients is flowering and fruiting. During this period, nutrient consumption is very large. If fertilizer does not keep up, then besides flowers not reaching quality and fruit not being plump, it is also very likely to damage the plant's vitality.

Haoshe Farmer divides orchid fertilization into two most important stages. One is after flowering in spring (generally when we grow orchids we remove the fruit). At this time, after the consumption of the flowering period, applying a little fertilizer to supplement the orchid's nutrient deficiency can quickly restore orchid plant growth and promote the sprouting of new shoots. Only in this way can the orchid's new seedlings grow stronger and more numerous. This is equivalent to postpartum nourishment for animals.

Another important fertilization time is autumn (late August to early October). This period is the stage when flower buds begin to stir. After going through a hot summer, the orchid has absorbed a lot of nutrients but also consumed a lot, so it can roughly only achieve a balance between income and expenditure. The energy needed for flower bud germination still has to be supplemented artificially. This is equivalent to pre-pregnancy nourishment for animals. Only a good body can produce stronger offspring.

Therefore, Haoshe Farmer reminds orchid growers to seize the autumn opportunity and apply some fertilizer to orchids, so that they can bloom better flowers and send out more shoots the following year.