How to prepare Epsom Salt Soak | Step by Step | pH & TDS values | ALL Media

[@NinjaOrchids]

👕👚Fabulous Orchid Swag! 👇🏼🤩 #orchidfashions Https:/Teespring.com/stores/ninja-orchids-3 🌸

[@lisatodman3338]

How can I email you?

[@NinjaOrchids]

🤗 [e-mail] 🤗

[@ingridfoessl1075]

Thank you for sharing, you have a good day also, by

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Ingrid 🥰💐 thank YOU for watching and for your kind comment 🙏🏼 so very much appreciated, lovely lady! Hope you are having a beautiful day 😍🌸

[@robertforrest7956]

Hello Nina... Very good video!! Not many know how to use Epsom salts to treat Thier plants. Hope your day was a good one... And I'll see you next time. Shared to twitter.... 😁👋🏻

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Robert 😍💐 thank you! 🙏🏼 really appreciate your feedback 👊🏼 my day was, indeed, a good one! I managed to film the start of a video as well as complete a whole video, edit and upload a whole video and possibly will be able to edit another video tonight and no orchid died in the process 😬😅 I consider that a good day! Et tu? I hope that your day is in the process of being a good one 🤞🏼 stay safe!! You are much needed by many! Hasta pronto, amigo! Thank you so much for sharing this video and having my back 🙏🏼 thank you, thank you, thank you 🙏🏼 and thank you for watching ❤️🌸

[@danieljheelan5256]

Never tried it before. My brother Krishna from Gokoola Mauritius told me to use Epson but was not believing him. But as Nina is telling it, will try it. Merci NINA.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Daniel 🤗💐 it is good to see you again! I hope that you are doing well 👍🏼 I can only imagine that you would doubt your brother, because... when I go and buy my epsom salts, and tell the person at the super market that I am using it for orchids, she looks at me funny! so, I can only appreciate that you would doubt your brother. Still.... he makes sense and if you try it out and, long term, see results, then you will be agreeing with him 😃👍🏼 Gracias to you, Daniel, for watching!! I hope that you had a wonderful Thursday 🥰🌸

[@danieljheelan5256]

@@NinjaOrchids Here we are ok and hope the same on your side. Actually on vacation at Saint Hilaire de Riez.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Thank you for watching, while on vacation, Daniel! Really appreciate it 🤗🌸

[@bobbd1221]

Hi Nina, had to watch this video again. I am guilty of not doing the epson soak often enough. Moving some orchids outside today, Aussie Dens, a few catts ( in good shape) don't want to stress an orchid not in the best shape. When the temps reach 85f to 90f their all comming inside. The Den you and I spoke of trying to ride this orchid of its infection has not worked. Today I applied the cardinal sin, copper. Nothing has worked so I figured it's a goner anyway. I'll keep you up to date. Mr. San has not opened yet but close. Thank you for all your help Orchid Master. ❤😂🎉😊

[@NinjaOrchids]

🌸🥷🏼 Bob San 😍🙌🏼🤸🏼‍♀️🥰💐 good morning, good Sir!! I am so sorry to hear that the removal of the leaves had no positive effect! That is such a bummer.... man, these dendrobiums! I am determined to figure out what it is about their DNA, their make up that makes them object to anything bactericide / fungicide! I think, if I can get that figured out that it is the key to why they have such issues and throw a fit. I wish I could have had these answers sooner, but I am not going to give up! And yes, you know me and copper! I never had issues with it until I did, so... when all else fails in an attempt to do something proactive, use it and let me know what you see happening, please 😬 I appreciate you watching this video again, but rest assured, if you have magnesium in your fertilizer, the lack of Epsom Salt soak is not going to a detriment to your 'chiddos. I find that, summer blooming phals are the ones that love it and appreciate it, respond to it more than other orchids. So, if you are getting into the swing of things with the soaks, I would focus on those first. I hope that your day is off to a great start 🌸🥷🏼Friend San! Thank you ever so much for everything!! 😘🫶🏼❤️🌸

[@andreaallum8859]

Thanks for the video very interesting to know

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Andrea 😍💐 thank YOU for watching, lovely lady!! And for your feedback 🤗 hope your day was fantastic 🥰 🌸

[@shirleyholt898]

Lots of good information Nina. I never soak my orchids because of lack of space and time. But I might give it a try. My orchids seem to be doing fine, but I do add calmag every time I fertilize. I haven’t noticed a magnesium deficiency in any of my orchids. But if it occurs I’ll use the Epsom salts soak. Thanks for sharing.🥰👏❤️🌹

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Shirley 😍💐 just like with us humans, if we are not showing signs of deficiency, then we don't take any supplements... at least, I don't! If I am anaemic, I will take an iron supplement until it corrects itself, but not for the sake of taking an iron supplement, so... if your orchids are doing great, then you have everything dialled in perfectly and, honestly, I would not be doing these soaks, if mine did not struggle through my summer of 2021 when RO water was hard to divvy up and then my horrendous spring, gave them another knock. I am only doing this now, because I have to, and I am building them to a form of strength, so that they can handle the conditions come next winter. Which... well, it will be another test of survival of the fittest. 🥹 if I did not have any deficiencies... I would not do an exclusive Epsom Salt soak either. I like the sound of a collection that does not show any deficiencies 🤩👍🏼👍🏼 thank you so much for watching, Shirley!! I hope your day was beautiful 🥰🌸

[@nariepittman4632]

Great tutorial. I do an Epsom salts soak with my orchids every six weeks- I do 50-80ppm.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Narie 😍💐 good to see you again! I hope that you are doing well and had a great Monday 🙌🏼 thank you for the feedback and for your information! If I had the chance to grow my orchids in winter as I used to in the past, with some heat and the lights on to supplement the dark, I would also reduce the ppm to your values, but I have to pump in as much as I can in the time that I have, but, I don't dare go too much above 100, on some I will go to 150. Hoping to get orchids that need strength for the cold months, to get their strength so that they can cope better. It is not ideal, but needs must and anything around 100ppm is not going to pose too much of a risk. Recovery is so slow though 👎🏼 thank you so much for watching, Narie!! 🥰🌸

[@nariepittman4632]

@@NinjaOrchids I am lucky I can keep my orchids outside all year round but I agree with you that they need to get all their nutrients for the best chance of health and chance of flowering. Love your channel and tips xx

[@NinjaOrchids]

Maybe one day things will change at my end again, and then, it will be lights, camera, action again 🙏🏼🤞🏼😅 thank you so much for being here and being so encouraging ❤️

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

I use it by the cupful, but that's for me, in the bath. Helps get those pores good and cleaned out. True story, back when I was into reefkeeping and I had huge buckets of marine salt, I would mix up a saltwater bath for myself. Talk about clean pores and smooth skin. You know, you were in the ocean. After you rinse off the salt, the skin is marvelous. But seriously, I don't do epsom soaks on the chids. For how I grow, I just don't see it as being necessary. There are certainly reasons _to_ do it, none of them really apply to me. Although, I can see where it probably should be done when growing in coconut husk to flush out excess potassium.

[@elbeem20001]

If you're talking about "salts" .... I understand that Epsom "Salts" is not really a salt (sodium), but a mineral salt. Is there a difference? Hmmm .... I shall enquire.

[@michaelmccarthy4077]

@@elbeem20001 all salts are a metal cation and an anion, which makes Epsom Salt a salt. NaCl is a salt, Mg2SO4 is a salt, CaCl2 is a salt.

[@elbeem20001]

@@michaelmccarthy4077 ... eep!! 😶 Thanks much for the clarification ... from a "saltless person"! And Yes, I love the marine salt baths!! Did it only once, and leaves the skin gloriously smooth!

[@NinjaOrchids]

Don Miguel 🥰💐 hola jefe!! I used to have that smooth skin you speak of, but, I don't know if that was because I was young and had great skin because of that, or because I was in the ocean a lot... I doubt that any load of saltwater would make my rhino skin now all soft and smooth 🤣🤣 when I was in Kenya, first of all, I had no idea and the orchids grew in the trees hakuna matata! So, I see your point with how you grow... I wouldn't do it either if I were in similar circumstances. Besides.... I have to prep mine for the winter. I may loose another one, even though I am doing this now, but, not doing it, and then loose another summer bloomer, I would kick myself. Also, this year, I have the water.... so.... I am prepping them for the winter and then all I can do is hope for the best. If I had the five star grow space as I did 2 years ago, I would not be so diligent with the soaks. I find that, if an orchid is not showing deficiencies, then why cram something into it, but because someone else is doing it! Mine are showing deficiencies.... my fertilizer ppm will not cover the Mg required to hopefully correct the deficiencies, sooo yeah! It is a pain in the derriere, but doing nothing... this summer, that is not an option, whereas last summer I wish I could have done this, but I did not have enough water 🥹 hope your day was fabulous, amigo!! And wishing you a wonderful evening ❤️🌸

[@NinjaOrchids]

🧂🧂🛁🧂🧂🌱😅

[@stephenorchids4943]

Hi Nina never done this to my orchids very useful on how to do it great video 😘👍

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Stephen 🥰💐 it is not a MUST, if the fertilizer has Mg in it, but.... well, many of mine are deficient because of my circumstances, so they get their soak in preparation for the next go around! Which I hope will not be so unkind 🥺 thank you so much for watching, amigo! I hope that your day was fabulous 😘🌸

[@josejkoonthanam]

Epsom salt soaking video superb, Nina. A balancing act between TDS and ph, is the most difficult part. Have measured the TDS in the recommended dosage of epsom salt many times. It was touching the sky. I used to lower down TDS by adding more well water/rain water. Was not taking into account the ph factor. Shall make a try Nina.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Jose 🤩💐 you have plenty of water as a resource.... and you have plenty of orchids that can then take the extra solution if a mistake was made, so, hakuna matata! You may be surprised to see that your pH is just right, but... it is nice to actually know that it is, and we are not just using product without it making any difference at all, then wonder why things are not working... so, pH is a good thing to know and it may be only a one time confirmation measurement. 👍🏼👍🏼 hope your day was fabulous, Jose! Thank you so much for watching, my friend 🤗🌸

[@lisatodman3338]

You amaze me! The knowledge you have you should be teaching. Orchid school! Why don’t you just use pure liquid magnesium? I enjoyed the video very much. You make things understandable. Thank you! Have a good day. 🌺

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Lisa 🥰💐 I would LOVE to do Orchid Clinics!! I have asked my garden centres if they would introduce orchid clinics in their premises and I could do classes 1/ month or 1 / 3 months just to get started, but, no one is interested 🥺 It is so frustrating!! I do not have access to a fancy liquid magnesium product. I go the cheap route until times improve and I can source me something akin to Mg from a hydroponics shop. It is a luxury that atm, is not in the budget, so... 😬 yeah! Thank you so much for your feedback, Lisa! Really appreciate it a lot 🤗 and thank you for watching! I had a good day 👍🏼 got lots done, and still have time to do more...and not a single orchid died 😅 a good day indeed 🥳 I hope your day was fantastic as well 🌸

[@desiregrace6701]

Interesting, so I can use it on other plants too.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Desire, hi 😍💐 yes!! But, on other plants, the quantities of ppm can be tripled, because they are faster growing and need more to have any effect at all. AND, if the other plants are in soil, then the pH has to be around 7.5 so that it buffers against the acidity in the soil which will drop the pH down to the level that we want the Mg to be absorbed at. If the other plants are in inorganic media, then the pH range of 6.5 - 7 applies. I hope that makes sense 🤞🏼 thank you so much for being so active on my channel, with questions! I hope that I am delivering on my promise to answer with simple information that does not overwhelm 🙏🏼 hope your day was fabulous, Desire!! That things are going YOUR way! Thinking of you often ❤️🌸

[@elbeem20001]

Hmmm ... 1. I need to get myself a pH meter, as I have no idea what we have running in our taps, or from the rains. A couple of my savvy friends claim it is 6.5. My tap water pH just might be different to yours. 2. The tap water on the island I live on (Caribbean) is touted as one of *THE BEST* in the region, as well as The Republic of Dominica (some of the other island's waters taste brackish). It is very drinkable without any nasty after-taste, and safe. Also, our tap/rain water is usually not super cold like that in the temperate zone, but lukewarm. We also have natural water, underground springs. 3. We still use the imperial system for measurements. To identify with your measurements, I'll need to use my conversion app!! 4. I use mostly *CLEAN RAIN WATER* for my orchids, and other plants. Yes, I need to get myself a pH meter!! I usually use *1 teaspoon per gallon* for my orchids' once a month "spa soak". Then I have to stand back!! They get greener, and keikis and roots start to flourish!! Also, where my plants are placed, they get rained upon during inclement weather. I need to get myself a pH meter. This episode is an eye opener where the water pH, and Epsom salt measurements are concerned! I need to get myself a pH meter.

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Lyn 😍💐 1.) yes! 👍🏼 2.) I remember the warm Kenyan rain! I used to walk in it all the time because it was so pleasant!! 3.) In all my measurement mensions, I add the conversion in a text box at the top left side of the screen. So, if I talk about tsp, I will always have imperial conversion up there and visa versa. 👍🏼 4.) you are so lucky and I am so jealous! and yes... you do 😉😅 I am glad that you are having results with the soak. Mine take a long time to recover, if they even have time to recover, because my colder temps and low light levels come around just as those that need to recover are 'getting going'! This is all about just putting strength into them to prepare them and bring them through the next round of adverse conditions 🥹 I am glad that this video was a little food for thought. You might find out that all your levels are perfect once you have a pH meter, but... it is nice to actually know that to be the case, by using a pH meter 😅👊🏼 thank you so much for watching, Lyn! Hope your day is coming to a nice and peaceful close and I wish you a relaxing evening. 🤗🌸

[@elbeem20001]

@@NinjaOrchids 💚

[@anna-karinhelldner7778]

Hello Ninja!🌿🌺 You are good at chemistry! 👍😃 For me it was high school! Thanks for the lesson🧡😀

[@NinjaOrchids]

HI Anna-Karin 😍💐 👩🏼‍🔬😅 my chemistry teacher should read your comment.... he may have a completely different opinion, but... here we are! If he had only taught his class with orchids in mind, I may have not had such a hard time following his jibber jabber! 🤪😂 thank YOU so much for watching, Anna-Karin! I hope your day was fabulous 🌸

[@Chris-op7yt]

btw magnesium does not enter thru skin and help relieve muscular stress. just the bathtime helps for that. the epsom salts in bath is a non-functional additive. your favorite scented bubble bath liquid works just as well. my tapwater is about 60ppm according to data. i do need to descale the kettle every few months. considering that RO and similar filtration systems have a limited role in that they wont remove chloramines and some other things, may strip water too much, and are not cheap.....would love to see some good plant oriented testing/info on the use of aquarium water conditioner instead of filters. is that ph down citric acid?...which of course is a single component of lemon juice but without the other stuff, and you can get citric acid cheaply as pure powder from grocery stores. btw citric acid is made in bulk by using fungi, rather than extracting from lemon juice. very good info

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Chris 😍💐 if you don't mind, can you tell me why you say that magnesium does not get absorbed by the body via the skin? I am not being confrontational, please do not read my question as me challenging what you are saying. I am asking because, there are studies that state that magnesium does get absorbed through the skin, and then there are other articles that say it doesn't. I used to have a gel kind of product that I used on my skin (to try out, back when I had a health business) which was applied to the skin as you would a cream. It was too itchy for me, so I stopped using it. This product and epsom salts etc articles, stated that 'studies show magnesium gets absorbed by the skin' for that reason I mentioned it. Again, please do not let my question come across as a challenge, things can get lost in text translation 🫣 when I lived in the US, I had such high quality water, I hardly needed any products to wash clothes, hair etc... it was amazing. So, I am totally envious of everyone that can take their orchids to the sink and give them a flush, as well as use their tap water for anything regarding orchids. The pH down in this video is made up of phosphoric acid and phosphoric anhydride as per the label. I do not need much of it, only use it when I want to target a pH range for a blitz soak of a specific supplement. My fertilizer regulates my pH automatically. I have never used citric acid because I find it hard to dose. With the pH down, I know exactly how many drops I need for x amount of supplement. It just goes faster for me 😬 thank you for the additional information on how citric acid is manufactured. I did not know that 👍🏼 the more you know!! and thank you so much for watching, the support and feedback on this video! Hope that your week is off to a great start by the time you read this 🫶🏼❤️🌸

[@larryjones558]

How do you use this with mounted orchids/vandas?

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Larry 🥰💐 if you mist your mounts and vandas, then have the solution in your spray bottle, or hose attachment... not sure if you have a mister, but I would not add anything into that system so as not to clog up the little holes. But, I spray my mounts and vandas with it, and then it is more of a foliar application and what lands on the roots, can get absorbed, and I have to hustle to make sure that I follow up with plain RO water so that they roots don't dry out at the surface with the salts lingering before they can get absorbed. 😅 if you have good humidity, above 70% then the evaporation won't be as fast and salt build up is next to non existent. 100ppm is not much but it is enough to make a difference. I hope that this helps? Thank you for the question 🤗 and thank you for watching! I hope your day was amazing 🙌🏼🌸

[@raeannrees9706]

What benefit is this for the orchids? Sometimes I'm a little slow on the uptake! Is this for all orchids?

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi RaeAnn 🤗💐 magnesium is beneficial for the orchids as it is used to produce chlorophyll, which is used in the photosynthesis process where the light that reaches the leaves will be converted into chemical energy, as well as other metabolic processes. It is great for all orchids, yes! If you have time and are interested, here is a video I uploaded a while ago, talking about the CalMag combination with some more information kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y5ndiaBme9isjKM thank you so much for watching, RaeAnn 🥰 I appreciate your time and hope that you had a wonderful day 🌸

[@raeannrees9706]

Alright!! Thank you.

[@RareRootsOfJoyMelbourne]

That was really useful/informative. Thank you Nina. One follow on question I have relates to slow release fert and liquid fert that already contain magnesium as a micro nutrient. In the case of someone who is already using those, would you still do the monthly magnesium soak? If so, why as I assume that the orchid is getting what it needs from the regular dosing - assuming it is done so at appropriate levels. If so, how does this factor in to calculating the optimum PPM?

[@NinjaOrchids]

Hi Sharon 🥰💐 thank you very much for you feedback 🤗 it is appreciated! These soaks are beneficial to orchids that have deficiencies, are in a form of stress, or that need a pick me up, preparation for adverse conditions in the future. If your orchids are not showing any signs of deficiency, and your fertilizer has the Mg as a micro nutrient in it, then, I would not worry about supplementing. If you want to keep the following in mind, for when you see information about supplements for the orchids 'out there': Let's consider, you have a healthy balanced diet... fresh fruit, legume, veggies etc etc, you have all the nutrients in those meals. However, maybe one day you are not well, and then you need a boost... you might supplement with vitamin C, or even iron... if you are tired a lot, you may be anaemic, so to balance something out, you take an iron supplement. That is what we need to be aware of with our orchids. A balanced fertilizer at the right pH will take care of everything (sort of, we are, after all, dealing with orchids here 😂) but I hope that my analogy helps you, moving forward! The optimum ppm is the one that is the safest. The one that won't waste the product because the orchid can only uptake so much and not higher to leave anything behind in the pot, which the orchid is not capable of absorbing, resulting in salt build up, even after a flush. Orchids have such a slow metabolism, they are the sloths of the plant world, so, they don't need high quantities, they may need them on a regular basis, but not high! The ppm that we speak of in our hobby, would starve a houseplant, but the metabolism of a house plant is so much faster, so it needs a lot more to do what it has to! I hope that I am making sense and have answered your questions / thoughts? Let me know!! Thank you so much for watching, Sharon! Really appreciate you 😘🌸

[@FernandaNascimentoOrchids]

🦒🌼💖🙌 I used to find it very boring to do the PPM and then the pH and I tried to rush it but no use!!! I soon realized that rushing thru the process makes it longer, having to start all over again 😬🤣 So, these days I focus on it better, a little increment at a time. With Epson salts I do it like you do, I mix it with water in a small jug first except that I use cold water. The excess, like you said, other plants in the garden will enjoy it. What a miserable weather around here in my area and all the west coast, I haven't seen the sun in three days, it's foggy and humidity is above 90%. Not pleasant, I can assure you. It is not even warm, only 23C which without sun turns out to be chilly. Very frustrating considering many other areas are under orange or red alert due to the heat and the fires. It's either 8 or 80 😬 Anyway, it will get better later today 🌞🌞If not, maybe manana 😄😄 I bet you are having warmth and sun at your end and so I wish you a wonderful day, everything going your way 🥰😘💖💖

[@NinjaOrchids]

FFF 😍🙌🏼🤸🏼‍♀️🥰💐 good evening, meine liebe Freundin!! Rushing the dosing of the water is something that I did once! it was a pain afterwards, and never again 🤪 I don't have the patience to wait for the granules to dissolve! I boil the water while I am feeding the dogs, and then when it is time to dilute my granules, we are ready to rock and roll. You have a lot more patience than I do 😃 I am reading your weather conditions with horror!! Yuck, no! That is of the devil 😤 not this time of year! I am not surprised that you are frustrated with the conditions! I would be too... there would be thunder in my patio brought on by my mood! It was nice day today and I am trying to live in the moment and enjoy having water, and warmth! Thank you so much for watching, amiga mia!! Keeping fingers crossed that your weather breaks tomorrow and you wake up to sparkling sunshine 🙏🏼 much love to you, vecina favorita!! ❤️🌸

[@rabz5616]

Dear Nina, thank you once again for this. I'm in a sub tropical zone, winter doesnt hit us up until December, it's 95F right now, for instance. How often do you suggest I feed my orchids this cocktail? Thank you and God bless ❣ Also, can I use cal-mag (by GHE) and epsom salts together and is epsom salt alone a foliar spray too?

[@NinjaOrchids]

HI Rabz 😍💐 you are very welcome! I am glad that you found it informative and are considering doing something similar for your orchids 👍🏼 so, I need to know what your winter grow environment is like. If you were to soak your orchids in epsom salts every 2 months as a booster, then they are set for your winter. If you want to do it to strengthen them for the winter conditions, if they are in stressful circumstances (like mine) and there are no deficiencies throughout the season, then I would do a soak 2 months before the stressful conditions arrive. I would not advise mixing one supplement with the other. CalMag on it's own because it is already ideally mixed and nothing can go wrong. Adding Epsom salts to a well balanced CalMag product could cause issues, because of the added magnesium which epsom salts are, and CalMag already has that in a balance. If you were to use epsom salts as a foliar spray then in very very low ppm. No more than 30ppm. Seeing as evaporation is faster and you don't want the crystals to settle on the media from residual spray. If you have not seen this video on foliar spray, specifically, maybe it will give you some pointers that you can translate for your collection and environment kzbin.info/www/bejne/roqrZoKjqJ1gfrM let me know if I can be of any further help. Thank you so much for watching and for supporting the channel 🫶🏼 have a fabulous day ❤️🌸

[@rabz5616]

@@NinjaOrchids thank you so very much. I had no idea you had something on foliar spray as well. This will be very helpful. The GHE calmag doesn’t allow for foliar spray. Neither does my Orchid Food by Grow More it is, I think. So I literally have no foliar spray at all with me right now. Wondering if that’s okay…? So many people online are using calmag and then Epsom Salt too on their orchids. Should I just stick to calmag then or should I try both or what .. so confused. Winters are very dry but temperatures stay within the 60s-70s and it’s very sunny

[@NinjaOrchids]

It is absolutely ok to not foliar spray! This is not something that is a MUST when giving nutrients to orchids and because the quantities are so minute, some actually say that it is pointless. Seeing as I mist many of my orchids, I do apply my tips as pointed out in the video so that my misting is not all wasted. There are opposing opinions as to the effectiveness of foliar spraying and I am on the side of the fence that, if I have to mist roots anyway, then I might as well be mindful of what goes on the leaves. How can I make it so that they can take up the fraction of nutrients. Most of my other potted orchids do not benefit from foliar spraying and there is not difference between those that get it and those that don't. I uploaded the video for the purpose of helping those that DO swear by foliar spraying, to do it right! You will find many differing opinions, but, either way, doing it wrong is not going to be effective 🤗 IF your orchids are not showing any signs of deficiency, then CalMag is all you need. IF one or two of your orchids are showing signs of deficiency, and usually it would be Magnesium, THEN the Epsom salts only comes into effect to get a concentration of Magnesium into the orchids that show those deficiencies as a targeted application. Epsom salts really is not something that HAS to happen seeing as you have CalMag. Remember, too much TLC on the orchids can be taxing. So, when I recommend Epsom salts only it is because there is a deficiency showing and calcium is not the problem, but magnesium is. I don't want to waste the CalMag that is more expensive than Epsom Salts, AND I do not want such a high ppm to get my magnesium % to the levels I want them either. For that reason, and where needed...I administer only Epsom Salts. You have plenty of light during your winters. Based on what you told me, stick with CalMag only and if you have any doubts about an orchid showing deficiency, let me know 👍🏼👍🏼 we shall look at it together 👍🏼

[@rabz5616]

@@NinjaOrchids , I Find your messages so reassuring. Just when I'm about to have a panic attack, lol, you calm me down. Actually, lost 4 out of my 8 keikis and couple of phals that were sick, just due to the horrible hard water which I was trying to revive them with, hence the paranoia. I'm trying to follow your advice as closely as possible and so would be grateful if you could tell me how high can one's TDS go after adding fertiliser? what would be the absolute maximum ... often i need to rely on bottled (water which already has TDS of around 125) I dont have R.O water on me currently (will take some time setting that up) and so then my other option (low TDS) is distilled water of course which is quite pricey :( Therefore, after mixing fertiliser into bottled water, if ppm is 220-250 is that ok or will it burn the roots? As always, Much love Dear Nina . Hope my prayers for your wellbeing and that of your loved ones and your beloved orchids, find their way to you. Amen

[@NinjaOrchids]

I appreciate you letting me know that what I write is of help. I aim to take the pressure off of growers who feel they are not doing enough for their orchids, because of all the 'must do this' information on the internet. No, you must not ... you can, but there is no MUST! I find it appalling when I see videos that instruct growers to DO THIS, and then it is garbage info. I do have DO THIS in my titles sometimes, but only when it is to err on the side of caution or if an orchid is in trouble that needs immediate intervention. I like to remind everyone that growing orchids is not a sprint. We are dealing with the sloths of the plant world, so, everything takes time. A LOT of time! To your TDS concerns, your concentration is fine. You can even up it a little bit to 300 or 350 for your bigger orchids. If you do that, just make sure you keep an eye on the surface of the media and monitor if there is salt build up. Before fertilizing, remember to flush the pots. And orchids that are not in active growth, use the watering as an opportunity to flush those pots as well. I appreciate your prayers and your very kind words of encouragement, thank you! MUCH needed and even more appreciated. So grateful that you are here 🫶🏼 AMEN 🙏🏼

[@TrishsOrchidLife]

Question: my orchids with moss I only soak for 5-10 minutes in the Epsom or CalMag. Can I soak 30 minutes if mixed with bark? All spag? I am hesitant to get “too much of a good thing” so that is why I try to soak a shorter time due to the moss staying “wet” Longer

[@NinjaOrchids]

🌸🥷🏼Trish San 😍🙌🏼🤸🏼‍♀️🥰💐 guten Nachmittag, meine Freundin! Sister from another Mister! 😉 or is that too forward?! 😬 you can soak for 30 minutes, no matter what the media is, because.... once the sphagnum moss is wet, even after 5 minutes, it is going to stay wet, whether you soak it for 5 minutes or 30. The idea being that the Mg has time to reach the roots. The reason it is a good idea to mention 30 minutes, is that it is an easy time to remember and anything longer than that does nothing to benefit the orchid more. As the moss will hold on to water longer, the nutrients are in the moss longer, so, if your moss is not repelling water after being dry for a long time, and soaks up the solution, straight away, you can take the orchid out of the soak once the moss is saturated, but then wait for 30 minutes before flushing the pot out with plain water. I hope that makes sense? Too much of a good thing is if we add too much ppm in a single soak. That, is what I consider 'too much of a good thing' the orchids won't take up much more than 100ppm, no matter the size, but if we think that we can double the number and think we will get better results faster, that won't happen because .... metabolism. and the excess is wasted. (my opinion 😬) hope your day is going great!! Thank you so much for watching and thank you so much for being a friend ❤️🌸

[@TrishsOrchidLife]

@@NinjaOrchids Danke! This makes perfect sense ❤️🌸 And no! It forward at all 😍❤️

[@bettedaviseyes8563]

So I watched this again just now… every time I make feed it is a fiddle.. I thought I was the usual crazy me for how long it takes me to care for my orchids. Silicon instead of bicarb! Good to know! Rarely have to raise pH.. it’s always pH⬇️. Since my orchids are in organic media we must wait for next watering. I’m thinking the extra 20 ppm of Epsom added to regular feed, with an every 3rd to 4th feed a flush is akin to this 100 ppm treatment once per month. Sorta? All constructive criticism welcomed with open arms! Nutrition is fascinating to me-mobile, immobile.. it’s the cats meow 😅🐈🐈‍⬛.. I love it! Thank you ever so much for sharing your bag of tricks.. after the first viewing I did start using your method of making small solution and adding to solution by sips. Then I get lazy (read hurting and aching) and skip steps cause I’m dying to be in the recliner. Since I see I am not alone in fiddley behaviors, I feel a bit more sane. Many thanks again! 🤗🫂🩷🌸✨

[@NinjaOrchids]

🌸🥷🏼 Bette San 😍🙌🏼🤸🏼‍♀️🥰💐 hi, lovely lady! No, nope, nope, preparing nutrients is most of the time, a fiddle. Especially if, as in my case, I only do a certain soak 1x/ month. So, you are not alone there and I am glad that you saw the process for what it is, in reality for many growers. With editing many steps can be cut out, giving the appearance that the mix is quickly prepared, but I chose to show the reality of the fiddle and I am glad that I did. I feel it is important to show the reality so that no one thinks they are over complicating things when they go to prepare nutrients. I am glad that resonated with you and thank you so much for letting me know🫶🏼 your quantity, as per how regular you apply Epsom salts is fine, yes. I do the monthly thing just to make sure that I have my brain in check when it comes to what I did when with who 😆 I also try to remind myself that I have to take my time, even though I want to get to filming and editing so that I can get to bed sooner, but usually, when I get ahead of myself and think I got this, I end up spending MORE time getting it right, as opposed to small sips and measure until I get to where I need to be 😉 little side note: we have to be crazy to be growing orchids and doing what we are doing, and a little crazier still when it comes to loving the nutrients minutia, so... we are tiny, we are tooney, we're just a little looney 🤣🤣 (looney tunes) and I am glad that there are more of me out there, which now includes you 🌸🥷🏼 Bette San 🫣🥰🫂 thank you so much for taking time to watch this video again! I appreciate your time and thank you so much for being here, for your incredibly kind and generous support! Wishing you a beautiful start to your weekend 🫶🏼❤️🌸

[@bettedaviseyes8563]

@@NinjaOrchids 100% Nina San (hope I’m using that correctly-as a show of honor and respect.. also maybe part of a group of like minded? As opposed to mentor mentee)

[@NinjaOrchids]

@@bettedaviseyes8563 LIKE minded!! Absolutely! United in the quest to grow orchids 🌸🥷🏼Bette San 🙌🏼💪🏼