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?

[silken]

I tend to agree with that way of thinking as well. If I soak the roots first with plain water, the velamen has already absorbed water and may not absorb much more when the feed water is added. That leaves the fertilizer sitting in the media and not being used.

[tucker85]

I have both of Martin Motes books and There's a wealth of good information in them. I think the best way to approach orchid growing is to try culture techniques that you learn from some of the experts and see which ones work in your personal mini-environment. I heard Martin Mote's speak about never watering your orchids before fertilizing and a month later I heard Bill Thoms speak and he said always water your orchids before you fertilize. Both of them are award winning orchid growers. I do use many of the techniques that I've learned from Dr. Motes and I always refer back to his chapters on what to do each month but I have had good luck with watering my orchids first before fertilizing. I've always done it that way and it's always worked for me. If you like the results that you get when you don't water first, by all means, keep doing it.

[HighSeas]

Silken you're exactly right! According to Motes, it's a tale that's been told for so long that it's stuck...and keeps being regurgitated to the newbies....who teach it to others...on and on.

I've heard it SO many times. I hear it at Orchid meetings...read it in articles...even in culture sheets.

I've never burned a plant and I want my feeding regime to do it's job.

[orchidsarefun]

Originally Posted by silken

I tend to agree with that way of thinking as well. If I soak the roots first with plain water, the velamen has already absorbed water and may not absorb much more when the feed water is added. That leaves the fertilizer sitting in the media and not being used.

me too. I have never double-watered. Either my orchids get fertiliser water or plain water, never both. I do however make sure water runs through the pot and out the bottom, whatever the mix, as that ensures good airflow. I know that is not applicable to vandas with their aerial roots, but just sayin'

[HighSeas]

Tucker, you're right....His books are so informative! I have "Growing Vanda's in Florida" and can't put it down. (I'll surely get the others). I also agree that I can't "blueprint" the same culture he practices but he does have quite a bit of science in there that I wasn't aware of. (That I plan to try)

I have never watered with plain water and then applied fertilizer afterwards....it just never made good sense to me. I was actually shocked to read it though since I've never heard anyone come right out and say it wasn't necessary. (According to their opinion)

Tucker...do you grow Vandas? Have you tried the Potassium Nitrate/ Magnesium brew he suggested?

[quiltergal]

This is a timely thread for me. I used to water first for years....all my plants (no vandas). This year I decided to just water with fertilizer first to make less work for myself. I'm starting to see double spikes, larger flower counts, more robust vegetative growth etc. So I'm going to stick with it for the rest of the year anyway and see how things go. I think as long as you aren't mixing N to exceedingly high concentrations there shouldn't be any problems.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I really don't know where or when the watering the orchid first, then water the orchid with fertilizer water advice originated from, but I've never found this to be necessary for any orchid, let alone Vandas.

If, in this particular case, we're going to stick to the subject of growing Vandas strictly, then I'd say I've fertilized my Vandas straight up without having to water them first; and the ones that are strong and healthy are still alive, and those who have been on the OB for a long time are aware that I've grown Vandas for multiple years.

[stonedragonfarms]

The way I look at it, plants in nature don't get a pre-watering before they get fertilized...so why in the heck would I waste the water (and time) watering everything in the gh first, just to go through a second time with fertilized water. I wonder if there are any studies on this..?

[isurus79]

I think the double watering thing came about when fertilizers were VERY strong and growers really needed to prevent burning. So while the fertilizers were tweeked over time, the thought that the plants needed to be watered twice was not. Luckily I was growing orchids as a teenager long before I met anyone who could tell me to water my plants twice, so I never got this myth stuck in my head!