Are Smaller Seedlings Worth Keeping?

[Happypaphy7]

Thanks for all the input, Rick.

I might try that.
but here's one thing I keep thinking.
So you see better results with such low amount of fertilizer, but did you see any effect of overfertilization in the past before switching to this new fertilizing regimen?

Because I have apparently been giving my orchids way too much according to this, although I have always thought I was being very "gentle".
Yet, I don't think I've seen some huge lush green vegetation or fertilizer burn at all.
Maybe orchids do not respond to fertilization in a very sensitive manner??

Anyways, I'd like to try this very low fertilization this year and see what I get.

 

[Happypaphy7]

You need to increase the Nitrogen percentage (ratio) regardless of the concentration you apply.

I've always used "balanced" or nearly balanced fertilizers.
I know there are ones like 30-10-10.
Well, this thread is already going into fertilizer thread.

Do you really see difference with fertilizers with high N?

 

[Rick]

Thanks for all the input, Rick.

I might try that.
but here's one thing I keep thinking.
So you see better results with such low amount of fertilizer, but did you see any effect of overfertilization in the past before switching to this new fertilizing regimen?

.

Your Welcome

Actually you kind of answered the question with your question.

I didn't go to this new regime because I was happy with the results of the old regime.

So the reason I questioned my old high feed regime was because I got crappy results. (Which I would include high rates of runts, poor survivorship, slow growth......).

I'm an aquatic toxicologist by trade and noted that the basic concentrations of N and K we throw on our plants are lethal to sensitive aquatic organisms, and cause environmental degradation in many ecosystems (like the coral reefs)
Further research indicated that the concentrations of N and K in the plants native environment are a fraction of what we typically apply to our plants.

Further research indicated that leaf tissue concentrations (particularly the ratio of K and Ca) are reversed in wild plants compared to cultivated plants fed a typical high NPK rate.

We always say that "Mother Nature Knows Best" but for some reason we never follow that advice when throwing chemicals on our plants.

So I've been giving Mother Nature a chance for the last 3 years, and I've not been disappointed.

 

[gonewild]

I've always used "balanced" or nearly balanced fertilizers.
I know there are ones like 30-10-10.
Well, this thread is already going into fertilizer thread.

Do you really see difference with fertilizers with high N?

Yes you will see a difference with a higher nitrogen ratio.
Not saying to use more fertilizer just a higher percentage of nitrogen compared to other nutrients.
You can get the same result by lowering the percentage of the other nutrients which is basically what K-lite does.