The best orchid fertilizer on the market! This is our own specialty fertilizer formulated by SelectOrchids for Dendrobium, Paphiopedilum, Phalaenopsis, and other orchids. It also works very well on other tropicals like Nepenthes and Amorphophallus - even Begonias! It works extremely well and greens up the leaves quickly, even on slower species. It is a complete fertilizer with Calcium & Magnesium and is safe even on sensitive species thanks to the Ammonium Nitrogen added.
This fertilizer is a dissolvable blend that is mixed and watered into the substrate. This gives more predictable fertilization compared with slow release forms. We always recommend soil fertilizing but foliar feeding can be done in tandem.
The difference:
Unlike other "orchid fertilizers," this one is actually formulated for tropicals. Other blends were originally designed for vegetables and contain micronutrient levels that are far too low for optimal growth of orchids. Not supplying enough of these micronutrients like Manganese or Iron results in dull leaf color, chlorosis of new leaves, and slow growth.
MSU fertilizer is very commonly used but rarely is it mentioned that it is a blend made by Coic Lesaint in the 70s for hydroponic tomatoes. Tomatoes! Not orchids. Furthermore, MSU did not(!!) use the common "RO Blend" in their university greenhouse at all, their publication was done with the Well Water blend which contains Ammonium and higher Potassium. Their "conversion" for using RO actually is a very different formula producing a lower K, all nitrate fertilizer. Honestly, I think claiming MSU used the "RO blend" is false advertising. All nitrate fertilizers result in poor leaf color, chlorotic and yellowish overall - Ammonium/urea is required to get very dark leaves in orchids. In fact, too high nitrates can be toxic since it requires Molybdenum for proper utilization by the plant, again another nutrient added in insufficient quantities to fertilizer.
You can check MSU's use of the "Well Water" blend, not the commonly sold "RO blend" easily at this link:
MSU Trials
Unfortunately MSU and similar all nitrate fertilizers are endlessly recommended and thus used by many, but where are the results? Today there is actually less mature flowering Paphiopedilum in cultivation and the leaves are not the dark green that was common a couple decades ago when Ammonium/Urea fertilizers were the norm. This is easily confirmed by looking through AOS awardings throughout the years. It is no coincidence that all the major nurseries in the US, EU, and Asia all use fertilizers with one of these other Nitrogen sources.
It's time to start growing your plants faster and better, the results of our fertilizer speaks for itself in the photos - incredibly green plants.
17-2-16 ratio. 8 oz size. Select free shipping at checkout.
