To feed or not to feed...

[Dusty Ol' Man]

My phals are in spike/bloom. I have read through a lot of posts about various alliances and the general consensus is 'don't feed while in bloom.' Is this true of phals? Please be as technical as you want with answers; I'm easy to teach.

[estación seca]

Most orchid media have almost no nutrients, so some fertilizer is needed. Plants only use fertilizer when they're growing, so there's no reason to feed when they're not growing. Phals grow all year if temperatures are warm enough. You can feed them all year if you keep them warm enough. In a house kept cool for the winter, they won't grow much, and won't need much fertilizer, if any.

[Roberta]

I would definitely fertilize when they're in bloom, and all the time - Phals are always growing and rooting, and as ES noted, when they are growing they need it.

[DirtyCoconuts]

There is nothing I could add to these two comments other than to say I completely agree with them

[Dusty Ol' Man]

Thank you all. They were just flushed two days ago so I will start with a fertilizer spritz on the surface roots. I usually give them a little root mist daily anyway.

[SouthPark]

Could maybe think of out in the wild. Orchids can still gather nutrients when their flowers are open.

Also - for my own setup, I add fertiliser at the beginning of each month, and just guessing that the orchid roots can still actually get some fertiliser hanging in the media whenever the media gets wet. I then also apply mag-cal at the middle of each month. I have the option of applying both together though - but just purposely apply my fertiliser and mag-cal at different times.