MSU fertilizer & s/h

[Dana]

I was wondering if anybody uses MSU fertilizer in combination with growing in s/h?

If so, at what strength do you fertilize?
Do you fertilize every time you water or only certain times?

[uncasteeb]

I can,t see how MSU fert will differ that greatly from a lot of other ferts.
I fert @ 1 teaspoon per 5 gallons( 1ml per 5 litres ) once a week , if i need to top up the pots during the week i use plain rainwater.
A good flush with plain water every now & again.

[Dana]

Thnx Steve.
I recently received some MSU fertilizer and I thought I'd give it a try.
I'm always a bit scared to fertilize, afraid i'll burn my plants to a crisp

[Cinderella]

I have used MSU fertilizer and mostly s/h with good results for a few months.

[LJA]

Dana, when you're first switching over to it, less is more for about a month or so, until the plants get acclimated. When I first tried MSU, I went immediately to the recommended dosage and got a lot of burn on leaf tips. Steve's ratio sounds like a good one to start with, and as summer arrives, you can increase.

[LJA]

These are the recommended dosages for MSU per gallon of water, depending on how many Parts Per Million nitrogen you're trying to get. In general, orchids in bark need more nitrogen than orchids in S/H, so keep that in mind when you're deciding:

50 ppm N: 0.3 teaspoons / gal.

100 ppm N: 0.6 teaspoons / gal.

125 ppm N: 0.25 tablespoons / gal.

In the winter, on plants with no active new growth, 50 ppm N every time you water will do fine. On plants with active growth or spikes, go with 100 or 125 ppm Nitrogen every time you water. If you fertilize with every watering, you'll run a far lesser risk of fertilizer burn from salts rushing to the end of the leaves than if you wait, and then fertilize suddenly.

So Dana, if you haven't done it for a while, definitely start at a very low dosage: a quarter US teaspoon per gallon of water, and work your way up to whatever is needed for the season and condition of your plants.

[Dana]

Thanks for the help!
I'll print this post out and keep it near (my memory is like swiss cheese )

[Gin]

Hi I missed this post , I use it for all the plants , the rain water RO. formula . for the ones in s/h they are for the most part Phals . My routine is half strength on Sun. and clear Ro. or rain on Wed /Flush . I also got tip burn, on the intergenitics using it full strength . Gin

[Tanya]

OK, I gave up. I tried searching what MSU fert is, and I came up with Michigan State University . Fertilizer formulated by the Michigan State University?? Would somebody please educate a dumb person like me?

[RSJ]

Yes, it is Michigan State University! It was developed for a study that was conducted at MSU. The results of the study were published in the June 2003 issue of Orchids Magazine, and the formula they developed is tagged MSU or MSU-type fertilizer.

Ronnie-Sue