blass wrote:

What the point of watering the orchids before applying fertilizers (half
the strength recommended). What's the logic in this. I've been
directly applying fertilizers on the orchids for three months now and
they're all doing very well.


Actually, that's what they were recommending in books I was reading 25
years ago. I think that idea has pretty much died out. Today, I think
it's more common to use a more dilute fertilizer (without pre watering)
and use it every time, flushing with lots of plain water once in a
while. How often to use the plain water depends on your water quality.
In my case, they get flushed repeatedly by rain in the summer and maybe
once by me in the winter, if I get around to it. If there are many
minerals in your water, you should think more like once a month. (how
did I manage to change the subject again?)
Oh, one more thing. If I manage to neglect the plants and let them get
too dry, I'll often water with no fertilizer, just to rehydrate them. I
go back to the fertilizer the next watering. I'm not sure that is needed
but it's what I do.

Steve