Seasonal Orchid Care - Orchid Board

D&S Mabel · #1 09-16-2007, 10:40 AM

Mornin' All:

This has probably been posted quite a few times but I can't seem to find such a tread in the forums...

For the first time since starting in the orchid hobby several years ago, I've been fertilizing my orchids regularly this year and I've liked the results. In the past, I "let nature take it course" and I got what I got. Now I am not sure how to handle care with the changing of the seasons and knowing when the seasons actually change, given that it must vary a bit with location and that I grow my plants outside.

If "weekly, weakly" is a rule of thumb for fertilizing during the growing season, what is it in the off season? Although some orchids may need "special" attention, how do I treat my plants during their "rest period" - mostly vandas and cat types? Being that I am in a more southern location (central Florida), then say someone in New York, do I need to vary my plant care regiment accordingly and how do I know what that variance should be? I would think that my "rest period" is shorter then someone further north (or south, depending on your hemisphere).

In short, is there some kind of guide / calendar out there for seasonal orchid care and how do I adopt it to my requirements, if need be? If not, what signs should I look for in my plants that might tell me what they need?

Any help, once again, appreciated!

cneos · #2 09-16-2007, 10:58 AM

The Orchidboard forum is a good place to start but I would also check out YOUR LOCAL SOCIETY or vendors to find out what growers in your area are doing. I emphasize your local society or vendors because climate in Florida is very different from New England.

shakkai · #3 09-16-2007, 11:28 AM

I agree that a local society would be the best source of information for what to do in your area.

Personally, I watch the plants at this time of year - as things vary even in the same location from year to year... When I see growth slowing or stopping (i.e. new growth for the year is matured or close to it, new green root tips have slowed or stopped growing, etc.) I take that as my signal that the plant wants a rest. I've still got at least a month more growing season left here before I begin to see these changes, it normally happens as days become significantly shorter and night-time temps drop lower. Right now, days are in the 70s and nights in the 60s (as they have been nearly all summer!) so I'm still on the 'weekly, weakly' routine.

Ray · #4 09-18-2007, 09:37 AM

First a caveat:

I "abuse" my plants and tend to not allow them to rest -- my collection is too big and varied to have the time for individual attention. Anyway...

There are two basic ways you can estimate the appropriate needs:

You can look to see what the particular types of plants experience and how they grow in their natural habitats. Vandas, for example, tend to be Asian equatorials (or nearby), so don't really experience a rest period. Catts, on the other hand, are South American natives that respond to lengthening days.
What is the plant doing? If the cattleya is doing nothing, it is in a rest period, so increasing the feeding is unnecessary. Once it starts new growth, pour it on!

One further comment (and I'm not picking on anyone; this is just a peeve): erase "weakly, weekly" from your jargon. It is as meaningless as "use at half strength", and neither actually tells you anything of value. Your feeding regimen is an extremely important aspect of your overall culture, so knowing the formula of the fertilizer, the rate at which you're applying it, and the frequency of doing so are all important.

What does "weakly" mean? Even if you define weakly as "half the label recommendation", it still tells us nothing, as label recommendations and fertilizer chemistries vary greatly. Tightening that to "a half teaspoon per gallon" is better, but still useless, as half a teaspoon of a 20-20-20 is the same as a full teaspoon of a 10-10-10 fertilizer.

The "weekly" feeding guidance is also of little value, due to variations in plant demand, light levels, evaporation rates, strength of fertilizer application, etc. Vandas are notoriously "heavy feeders", and tend to be grown with a lot of exposed roots with little- or no medium to act as storage for moisture and nutrients. They, therefore, will need to be watered and fed a lot more frequently than do cattleyas in a bark medium. Your assessment that being in FL makes a difference is right on, too. Up here in PA, I probably don't feed or water my collect but a time or two a week at this time of year, but everything is probably still growing like gang-busters for you, so needs more.

bejay · #5 09-18-2007, 01:23 PM

Hi,
Here is a link from the AOS called Monthly Checklist:

American Orchid Society - Orchids

It is a rough guide for certain genera, with tips for a given 2-month period (Jan-Feb, up to Nov-Dec).

Hope this gives you additional help!

cb977 · #6 09-18-2007, 01:48 PM

I'm in Spring Hill, on the west coast of Florida and I follow a very general system:

I stop watering and feeding those plants that call for a winter rest from early November through early March.
These are mostly Dens. They get just an occasional carryover type of misting when I mist the stuff around them through that time frame. When I see signs of growth, I slowly re-introduce water and fertilizers.

I do cut back on the amount of watering and feeding for everything just slightly. The vandas are really the only ones that get no change in their care for winter except to protect them from temps below 55 F.