Canna - Orchid Special

A complete feed for orchids such as Phalaenopsis, Oncidium, Cymbidium, Dendrobium and Vanda. 3 ml per litre, and you immerse the plant rather than watering it.

Immerse, five minutes, and then the water has to go

CANNA's instructions for this product are not a watering instruction, and that is the most important thing to know about it.

Mix 3 ml per litre of water, let it come to room temperature, and immerse the orchid for five minutes. Then let the plant drain and put it back.

Then comes the warning that belongs inseparably with it. After a minimum of fifteen minutes and at most four hours, the excess water must come out of the pot. Orchids cope very badly with water standing in the pot: the roots then rot within a few days.

That is why most orchids die not from too little water but from too much. Anyone treating an orchid like an ordinary houseplant and pouring a splash of water in weekly is doing precisely what is warned against here.

Monthly in winter rather than weekly

Orchids have a rest period and the feeding follows it.

Give a flowering potted orchid feed every week for a long, colourful bloom. In winter most orchids are at rest and once a month is enough. They still need light then, plenty of it, just not full sun.

Carrying on with weekly feeding through the rest period is not extra care but a dose the plant is not asking for at that moment.

Lime in tap water

Tap water will do, but CANNA note that orchids prefer rainwater. Water that is too hard carries a lot of lime and that can be harmful to orchids.

If you live in a hard-water area, collecting rainwater for these plants is worth the trouble. Either way let the water come up to room temperature first, for the same reason as with the Herbs Special in this range: water straight from the tap, too cold, can damage the roots.

In very warm, dry weather the plants may be given an extra immersion in between, with water only.

Vandas hang, and that asks for something else

Not every orchid sits in a pot. Vandas are best hung in a humid room, a bathroom for instance, provided there is enough daylight. You moisten the roots with a plant sprayer holding the nutrient solution.

For the kinds that do sit in a pot: only special orchid substrate, a kind of bark. And move them into a larger pot roughly once a year, preferably in spring.

Available sizes

Technical Specifications:

• Type: complete feed for orchids
• Manufacturer: CANNA, Specials range
• Dosage: 3 ml per litre of water
• Application: immerse for five minutes, then let drain
• Important: excess water out of the pot after 15 minutes and within 4 hours
• Frequency in flower: weekly
• Frequency at rest: once a month, usually in winter
• Water: at room temperature, rainwater preferred over hard water
• Substrate: special orchid substrate only
• Warning: causes serious eye irritation

Frequently asked questions

How do I give this feed?
By immersion: 3 ml per litre, submerge the plant for five minutes, let it drain and put it back.

Can water stay in the pot?
No. The excess must be out within fifteen minutes to four hours, or the roots rot within a few days.

How often in winter?
Once a month. Most orchids are at rest then; during flowering it is weekly.

Can I use tap water?
You can, but orchids prefer rainwater. Water that is too hard carries a lot of lime and that can be harmful.

My Vanda is not in a pot.
Hang it in a humid room with enough daylight and moisten the roots with a plant sprayer holding the nutrient solution.