Against the "Status Quo"

[HighSeas]

I'm in the process of reading Martin Motes book on Vanda Growing in Florida and can barely pull my eyes out of that book.

For those of you who don't know Dr. Motes, he's been growing and hybridizing Vandas in South Florida for decades. Has won multiple AOS awards....Judges....Has spoken at multiple World Orchid shows all over the world, etc.

The book is quite an eye opener and along the way, I've discovered that I've been doing some things just plain wrong.

The majority of my Vandas bloom two or three times per year...with the exception of a few species. That pretty much means they rest for a short period and then start anew. According to Dr. Motes, there's no reason why a well fed, healthy Vanda can't bloom five or six times a year. There are a number of things that I have not been doing to achieve that....but something I read last night touched on a subject that I've often considered a little counterproductive....and have never followed. Yet, I think most people do. The subject is watering and feeding any orchid by first watering without fertilizer to "wet it down" and avoid burning.

According to Dr. Motes, this is counterproductive. His argument: If you want to provide nutrients (and the plant is only going to take up so much in a feeding) why would you begin to "fill it up" on plain water first. Isn't it like asking your two year old (who doesn't eat much anyway) to drink a full glass of milk and then all of his dinner? He continues....saying that if your feeding your orchids the right fertilizers, weakly, burning should not be an issue and has never been an issue for him. Instead he states, he pulls the most out of the plant with healthier growth levels, larger blooms and more vibrant colors by feeding them dry to insure they take a big gulp of food right from the go. He says....Old information dies hard.

I've always felt the same way and have never burned a plant. Actually...this was the first time I'd ever heard anyone broach the subject with the same logic I had.

What do you guys think about this watering technique? Have you tried it?