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Will this fertilizer kill my plants?

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Nepfreak

Nepfreak

Nepenthesian
I know, kind of a stupid question, but does anyone see any reason why this fertilizer
http://echters.stores.yahoo.net/jaclorsp8oz.html
would be bad for my plants?
Just making sure I'm not feeding them herbicide :rolleyes:
The instructions say to use 1/4 of a teaspoon every day or 1/2 every couple of weeks. I was thinking 1/4 teaspoon every couple of weeks. Does this sound ok?
Thanks,
Ben
 
Yes, general rule of thumb is too not fertilize carnivours plants since they absorb their required nutrients (fertilzers) through bugs

Fertilizers will burn the roots of the plants and kill them
 
Nepfreak said:
I know, kind of a stupid question, but does anyone see any reason why this fertilizer
http://echters.stores.yahoo.net/jaclorsp8oz.html
would be bad for my plants?
Just making sure I'm not feeding them herbicide :rolleyes:
The instructions say to use 1/4 of a teaspoon every day or 1/2 every couple of weeks. I was thinking 1/4 teaspoon every couple of weeks. Does this sound ok?
Thanks,
Ben
Click to expand...

I routinely use 1/4 strength 30:10:10 Grow-More Premium Orchid Food as a foliar misting every two weeks on my Nepenthes, Cephalotus, Heliamphora, and some others during their active growing season, and they all seem to benefit from it -- more pitchers, larger leaves, and generally greater vigour. The fertilizer -- nothing is ever cheap when dealing with orchids -- may be a bit spendy at the outset but I've had that same troublesome pink container since 2005 and it should last until the end of the Mayan calendar in 2012 when any questions about fertilising Nepenthes will be rendered moot (heh, heh, heh) . . .
 
I use 1/3 teaspoon dilution once a week.

I've just been told it doesn't help too much. I've recently found that slow release fertilizer pellets work much better. ;)
 
Jefforever said:
I use 1/3 teaspoon dilution once a week.

I've just been told it doesn't help too much. I've recently found that slow release fertilizer pellets work much better. ;)
Click to expand...

I've had consistently good results with the combination I've been using. I know that some growers swear by Osmocote and other time-release brands but I have found them, over time, to be harmful to the live sphagnum I often use as top-dressing or throughout the mix of many of my plants -- particularly Nepenthes and Heliamphora. The weak orchid fertilizer doesn't seem to affect the moss to any great degree . . .

The plant below (the only example I readily had on hand) was regularly fertilized with 30:10:10, large divisions taken last Fall, and it's ready for more punishment come October. It is easily a third larger than the other Heliamphora plants of the same age -- often divisions from that same plant -- which had been fed either only insects or fish food flakes. The same goes for some of my Nepenthes . . .

HheteroxminorB-1.jpg


Hheteroxminor.jpg
 
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Nepfreak said:
The instructions say to use 1/4 of a teaspoon every day or 1/2 every couple of weeks. I was thinking 1/4 teaspoon every couple of weeks. Does this sound
Click to expand...

Hi Ben,

The stuff I use is 20-14-13. I certainly would suggest NOT fertilizing every day, lol. I go every two weeks (give or take).

Overmind1632 said:
Yes, general rule of thumb is too not fertilize carnivours plants since they absorb their required nutrients (fertilzers) through bugs

Fertilizers will burn the roots of the plants and kill them
Click to expand...

This is most definitely NOT true! Properly fertilized CPs look better, are stronger, and healthier. Since this is in the Nepenthes forum, I'm assuming you're looking at fertilizing your neps. I don't know a thing about fertilizing other CPs, but my Nepethes are doing great with fertilizer.

You might want to check out this thread, as there is a lot of discussion about various fertilization methods. You do certainly want to be careful not to over do it.

xvart.
 
nightsky said:
Very nice Heli you have there.
Click to expand...


Thanks, that Heliamphora x minor spends most of its life just above my kitchen sink, is about 40 cm (16") across, and catches its fair share of insects. Last Fall, I divided it into thirds -- and now it's back . . .
 
Agree about not using Osmocote or time release pellets. 1), not every pellet has the same exact nutrient concentration. One may be all potassium, while another could have no phosphorous, etc, etc. 2) sometimes the coating will crack and kind of 'spill' all the nutrients out at once.
 
I tell people to use half-strength. That doesn't mean you can't use some things full strength, but don't go double strength :P I always tell people to use half strength because it's so safe and most Nepenthes don't get a butt load of light (light and nutrients go hand in hand. If you have a lot of one, you need a lot of the other!) since they're shade tolerant, anyway. You can't mess that up half strength, though.
 
I thought he wanted to fertilize by following the instructions on the ferts and then just mixing it into the water, then it all goes into the pots+rots, that I believe will kill most CPs

but, yeah 1/4th strength foiler feeding like 1-2 times a month is fine
 
Many people pour it on the media. It's not practical to fertilize the pitchers when you've got a TON of plants, like Sam or Michael as was pointed out by Ron.

Foliar feeding is kind of like spraying vitamin water on your skin.
 
So you think foliar feeding is useless? Let's test it. I'll try foliar feeding with the fert at 1/4 tsp per gallon every other week. I'll keep track of whether the plants actually show any difference. Then we'll see :-O . Thanks for the help guys, feel free to let this thread meander off topic and quite probably turn into a 30 page debate about fertilization in which several people send angry PMs to mods and leave the computer crying! Post Scriptum: There is no sarcasm in this post. Really, thanks for the help!
 
Nepfreak said:
So you think foliar feeding is useless? Let's test it. I'll try foliar feeding with the fert at 1/4 tsp per gallon every other week. I'll keep track of whether the plants actually show any difference. Then we'll see :-O . Thanks for the help guys, feel free to let this thread meander off topic and quite probably turn into a 30 page debate about fertilization in which several people send angry PMs to mods and leave the computer crying! Post Scriptum: There is no sarcasm in this post. Really, thanks for the help!
Click to expand...

I have to agree with the real benefit of 1/4 strength twice-monthly foliar feeding. I've tried a number of other methods, fertilizer strengths (to 1/2), time-release products (Osmocote, etc), periodicity, but most have had a truly negative effect on any live sphagnum in the pots -- and I do like the moss.

I have known of foliar feeding's benefit with Heliamphora for some time now and I've used it on Cephalotus for the past two years with measurable results -- earlier leaf production in Spring and good-sized pitchers by mid-May. All my Nepenthes produce pitchers like clockwork, and the moss -- it still looks good. What could be . . . more better?

For those who do not believe in the practice of foliar feeding, simply inquire of your orchid-growing friends and of their constant litany of 30-10-10, 6-30-30, and 20-10-20 . . .
 
Why don't you try feeding the pitchers and see if you don't think foliar feeding isn't nearly as great as you say :)

I can't fertilize the media AND grow live Sphagnum, either. I've never heard of an orchid grower who ONLY foliar feeds and doesn't feed the roots, too. Nepenthes in general have pretty waxy cuticles, and the mist just runs off into the media if you mist heavily enough for anything to matter.... oh wait.. that would be media fertilization wouldn't it :P Think of it like this. How much mist can you put on a plant before it rolls off? Not much at all, and if it rolls off that's media fertilization and ruins your argument that foliar feeding is so fantastic. However, how much solution can you fill a pitcher up with? Neigh, every pitcher on the plant! A whole lot more, and that means the plant gets a whole lot more nutrients.

It's literally like misting your skin with vitamin water. You will absorb some vitamins... but it's a joke when you could take a vitamin orally. I've received plants with white residue all over them from foliar feeding. I wonder how much better they would have grown prior to me receiving them if they didn't have that layer of unused crap blocking the light :)
 
Sphagnum hates fertilizer for sure!

Can you feed with various other methods other than putting food in the pitchers? Sure. Feeding regardless of how is really important.

The problem with other methods such as slow release, water soluble etc is you have to be really careful you don't either over do it and/or let salts build up. Which can be a challenge for most hobbyists growing indoors in an enclosed space. Different plants will also respond differently and what might be fine for one species/hybrid may be too much for a more delicate plant. If you have a small collection and can regularly put various insects into the pitchers you will have happy healthy plants. Provided of course all the other requirements such as water quality, light, temperature etc are met.
 
I'm in agreement with everyone else about foil feeding. When compared to root feeding, it just doesn't make much sense. Roots are designed to suck up nutrients, whereas leaves do not.

Clint said:
Why don't you try feeding the pitchers and see if you don't think foliar feeding isn't nearly as great as you say :)
Click to expand...

Wow. There are way too many double negatives in that sentence!

xvart.
 
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