Watering Orchids Kept outdoors schedule - taking dew into account - Orchid Board

HiOrcDen · #1 12-14-2022, 09:53 AM

I have recently moved the great majority of my Orchids, and some houseplants, to outdoor shade houses.

So I would think that, logically, since the dew, especially in cold months, yet even during warmer months, will keep the medium considerably wetter than plants kept indoors, that since I am in the practice of a more dilute fertilizer with every watering schedule, the Orchids may not be being sufficiently fertilized.

So I would think the most obvious solution would be to switch over to a time based periodic watering. Though in this case, is it safe to water very, very thoroughly with full strength fertilizer mix?

So if I do this, don't I lose the benefit of dilute fertilizing with every watering? Would it also be okay to simply go ahead with the 'dilute fertilize with every watering' schedule, and simply don't allow the medium to get as dry as I would indoors? I think this last method works okay when it's pretty warm. However since the medium stays really wet in cold months, I imagine I should use full strength periodically. Is this a good idea? And again, can I do very thorough watering with full strength fertilizer?

Roberta · #2 12-14-2022, 01:41 PM

In cold weather, orchids just naturally slow down their growth. Slower growth = less fertilizer need. This is the case even for those orchids that don't have a "rest period". In winter you can water less and fertilize less.

And unless you live within a few blocks of the ocean, don't depend on dew. In the aftermath of recent storms, humidity has been staying high but as overall humidity drops, we often don't hit the dew point in southern California. And if humidity is low, plants will dry out faster. (But if it is cooler, there's less evaporation so slower drying) So just keep observing your plants and you'll get a feel for the pattern. But cool weather (even if dry) with slower growth, still suggests lower (or even no) fertilizer for the coldest months.

Keysguy · #3 12-14-2022, 02:25 PM

All of mine are outdoors in the Keys. I suspect both our temps and humidity are higher year round than yours but that being said....

I fertilize weekly from late Oct to late May (except those requiring a winter "rest" which I isolate) and use a time release over the summer when they get drenching tropical rainfall often, sometimes every day. They literally grow like weeds over the summer.

Our winters are probably quite a bit warmer than yours and while the humidity is much less than summer, it is still present year round.

I also have automated daily misting for my vandaceous collection and general overhead watering that runs for 10 minutes every fourth day.
Because winter is our dry season, I've found that every 4th day thing to be perfect. In the summer growing season, I've concluded that in my environment, you can't overwater. But again, if they are potted, you have to be using the right media to accept that condition. There are a lot of intertwined "ifs" and "buts" with all of these assumptions.

I am also very near the open ocean and we get almost constant year round tradewinds so my air circulation is excellent.

After 6 years of growing in this environment, all I can say is that after much experimentation this is the regimen I have settled on and it seems to be working for me. It's all about being in synch with the environment so they don't get too much or not enough of any one thing.