Oh, boy. Now you've done it, Charles! It's the "wet sponge/dry sponge"
discussion. I think you'll find two sides of this argument.

Some growers (including commercial growers with whom I am familiar) insist
that watering before fertilizing is the way to go. Others, like Martin
Motes, as an example, reject that method out of hand. And you can't argue
with Martin Motes' success.

Here's what I think. It may be true that the initial burst of water won't
penetrate the roots of the plant, and hobbyists often don't water as
thoroughly as commercial growers. So maybe for those folks a shot of water
before fertilizing won't hurt anything. But if we are good at drenching the
plants, it just makes sense to me to fertilize on the first pass. Think
about that sponge. If you soak it to sopping, how much more can it absorb?

The "water first" contingent argues that a dry sponge needs to be wet down
in order to absorb anything. Well, why not wet it down with fertilizer?

I don't water first. Just my opinion. Group, I have my flame retardant suit
on.

Diana

"Charles VanDyke" wrote in message
...
Some people in our orchid group water their orchids thoroughly with plain
water before watering with a fertilizer solution. Is this necessary and a
generally recommended procedure?

Thanks

Charles VanDyke