Is the Phalaenopsis Santa Rosa a waxy-flowered orchid? Fertilizing methods and fertilizer selection

In recent years, Phalaenopsis has become the star of Lunar New Year flowers. The reason is actually quite simple: its blooming period can last at least 4 months, whereas flowers like roses and cherry blossoms bloom for at most about 1 month even at their peak, and its color varieties are extremely rich even if you choose blindly.

As plant lovers, we recommend this Phalaenopsis for you - Santa Rosa. In terms of appearance, when Santa Rosa is fully open, its petals are diamond-shaped, and the petal color resembles red papaya; the transitional shades of the lines are a juice color blending into orange, while the flower shape is pointed, and the lip has a rich purple-orange. The longer the flower blooms, the more intense its lip color becomes. In terms of size, each flower is 3-6 cm, and the leaves have obvious markings, with the leaf base color slightly leaning toward silver. Overall, it is not without reason that it once became an internet-famous variety; the retro flower color really makes people gaze in fascination.

After all the small flowers of Santa Rosa are fully open, it actually looks somewhat like a hydrangea. Overall, it blooms only once a year, but the flowering period can last 4 months. So, when caring for Phalaenopsis, how should fertilizer be chosen?

First, when choosing fertilizer, you should learn to look at its ratio. For example, for a general-purpose phosphorus-potassium fertilizer, the nutrient content ratio is the same, which means it has the characteristic of more balanced nutrition. Among them, if you choose a fertilizer with a higher phosphorus element ratio, it promotes flowering; if you choose one with a higher nitrogen ratio, it mainly grows leaves, and after use the effect is that the leaves become thicker. If you choose a fertilizer with a higher potassium ratio, it means its main function is to strengthen roots and stems.

In addition, there is another very special fertilizer, such as ferrous sulfate, which is used to adjust soil acidity. In daily life, tap water is slightly alkaline. If plants are watered with slightly alkaline tap water for a long time, the soil may show a whitish state, which is not conducive to growth.
Finally, when growing Phalaenopsis, it is recommended to fertilize it appropriately and choose some special orchid plant fertilizer, which is made from a combination of multiple phosphorus fertilizers or potassium fertilizers. Fertilize about once every 10 days.