Weakly-weekly watering

[fotofashion]

A question for those of you who either keep your plants outdoors all the time or those who keep them outdoors in warm weather: First of all, I assume you have a "day" when you fertilize your plants or in other words, a fertilization schedule.
Some plants want to be dried out before being watered (or fertilized) others are not so picky. So, what do you do during a rainy spell. Say it has rained the last three days and today is the day to fertilize. Do you follow your schedule in spite of the fussy plants? Or do you skip them for now and wait for them to dry out? Or...doesn't it really matter. Thanks
Beverly A.

[WhiteRabbit]

Well, where I live, rain is not an issue in the summer / warm weather months. For plants that like to dry out, I would be concerned about over-watering, and probably wait.

[natasha]

i live in malaysia and there's lots of rain here... we also have rainy season when it can rain for days... i'm still new to orchids (about 2 years i think) and don't really have fertilization schedule. usually i don't fertilize much during rainy season. i would wait till the sky is clear during the evening - no point if i spray and then it rains cats and dogs - i have many orchids outside in the open. but i also notice good growth during this season as its cooler. and then the bacterial rot can manifest during this time. i read somewhere to reduce the nitrogen if still want to fertilize this time, and to increase strength of fungal spray... but then i'm a novice and quite lazy one too! the best thing about rainy season is i don't need to water as much as hot days!

[Call_Me_Bob]

i wouldnt over water just to fertilize

[sarahrm]

I wait for the orchids to dry out before I fertilize. My fertilizing schedule is not rigid, but I do try to get to it before 2 weeks go by. I am more afraid of roots rotting than I am afraid of an orchid not getting fertilized. In houston, you have to be very careful because the rain and humidity can keep roots wet longer period of time; I gtow my orchids uncovered outdoors in houston all year long.

[trdyl]

I grow in S/H. Inside I use a weak feritlizer at every watering. Outside I water daily with plan water and hit them once a week with a stronger fertilizer solution.

[epiphyte78]

Nearly all of my orchids are mounted on branches outside year around and even though I never fertilizer them they grow and bloom on a regular basis.

[got ants]

I try to keep to my fert schedule, which is once weakly/weekly. I just have to up my fungicide schedule during the rainy season. Last fall it rained 45 days in a row, and no losses.

[peeweelovesbooks]

Usually during the HEAVY rainy season in Miami I will put my plants inside so that they will have a chance to dry out completely. I have a covered terrace so it's convenient to do this.

I fertilize the plants when they become bone dry. I'll do this in the kitchen--which is a little messy but my collection is small enough to do it. I allow them to dry out again and then put them back outside.

There are periods during the rainy season where we have non-stop rain for a couple of weeks--and this is when I do this.

I also do a THIOMYL drench on the plants twice a year--during the rainy season and during winter time. I have yet to have an infestation of any kind on my plants (keeping fingers and toes crossed).

Having said all this, I need to become more vigilant about fertilizing. I've let it lapse a little bit, but guess what? My plants are growing more vigorously NOW than when I did the whole "fertilizing on a religious schedule thing", so I suppose you CAN have too much of a good thing.

[natasha]

i wonder how 'small' is your collection maria! i also noticed that (actually my neighbour noticed this) even with my haphazard fertilizing schedule my plants still flowers and grow well. but with extra attention, they are doing even better!

i am planning to built 2 shade houses (or whatever it will become) by each side of my car port. i should consider to get one fully covered for rainy season, and leave one uncovered... hope my husband will agree to this... crossing my legs and fingers!