Pros And Cons Of Fish Fertilizer For Orchids

Hi, this is Fred again. When I open my e-mail this morning I saw mail pertaining to
usage of fish fertilizer on orchid plant.

"I have the Alaska fish liquid fertilizer. Just got it yesterday, and used
it. It looks like sludge and smells like a fish cannery, but weaker. It made
me gag too. How is the orchid supposed to utilize whatever fish parts are in
the sludge without the normal bacteria that would be normally present in the
soil to break it down to the orchids usable parts? Is it even worth the
time to tolerate the smell?

I wonder if you have any experience or knowledge of how orchids would make
the sludge usable? The smell also makes me wonder if a housefly would lay
eggs on the media thinking there is rotting fish for their babies to eat.

Do you know if the orchid can make use of the fertilizer without the normal
bacteria that are usually found in soil?

Plus the readily available nitrogen is extremly low, and the water soluble
nitrogen is high in comparison to the 1st one. Do you think its worth the
time to use it?"

Yes, just try to forgive the smell, try using the deodorized version. However for me it worth using it. My dendrobiums and Cattleyas loves it very much. There are techniques of effective use of fish fertilizer on orchid plants.

Firstly it must not be used as the main fertilizer. It must be supplemental in nature. I use it about twice a month.

Secondly, it must be mixed with some fungicides.

Thirdly, try to avoid spraying into the shoot or apex of the plant.
Just focus spraying on the roots, since it is not foliar in nature.

There are various brands available in the market.The brand I use is called
"all purpose deodorized fish emulsion" with N-P-K of 5-1-1.