Question
QUESTION: Hello!

If you remember me, I'm the guy who sent you guys a letter and wrote you several questions.  I just wanted to help my plants out with some fertilizer, as the could do with a bit.  I got the Miracle-Gro Orchid Food liquid fertilizer.  I will fertilize my D. Capensis, P. 'Tehuacan', and an unknown seedling Sarracenia.  How much fertilizer should I use?  Should I just spray it over the leaves, and is it okay to get it on a bit of the soil?

      Thanks,
         Kendall

ANSWER: Hi Kendall,

Mix your orchid fertilizer at 1/4 teaspoon per gallon of water.  Spray just the leaves and avoid getting it in the soil.  One way to do this is to hold the pot sideways and spray until you get dripping, then stop.  This way very little goes into the soil media.  Do this about once every two weeks.

Here's a very important side note.  Fertilization is only helpful when all other growing conditions are optimal.  Here's an example.  Often folks will have a plant in winter that isn't looking great due to poor light conditions (short cloudy days like us here in Oregon).  So they think, "I'll fertilize it to give it boost."  Since, however, the plant isn't doing normal photosynthesis due to lack of light, it can't utilize the fertilizer, and is killed.

Foliar fertilization works best when a plant is growing well, but just doesn't have many bugs around to catch.  It's also only for use when a plant is in active growth.  Never fertilize a dormant plant.

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks!  I've heard that miracle gro doesn't work and will harm the plant?  What do you think?

Answer
Hi Kendall,

Miracid (a Miracle-gro product) has been use for years on acid-growing plants like Sarracenia, sundews and flytraps.  Their orchid mix is designed for epiphytes and will work fine.  How you use the fertilizer is far, far, more important than brand when it comes to cp.  The old phrase, "When in doubt, don't", applies big time here.  Their regular formula is less suitable for cp, but if it was very dilute it would be fine.  Like I said in the previous post, fertilizer isn't a magic bullet.  Use correctly it can be helpful.  Used incorrectly, it can be devastating.  For many years we told new growers not to use it at all for this reason, yet folks always read on the internet about people using fertilizer on their plants.  It often gives them just enough information to be dangerous.

Kendall, if you don't already have our volume #2 DVD, we have a chapter on this with demonstrations.  http://cobraplant.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=38&products_id=256

Good Growing!

Jeff Dallas
Sarracenia Northwest
http://www.cobraplant.com