Blondie,
There are a lot of misconceptions about feeding out there, so don't feel alone. There are a few basics that can be helpful.
- As was mentioned, a plant that is "resting" needs little-to-no applied nutrition at all.
- Too much nitrogen, compared to the other nutrients (as in your 30-10-10 example), may lead to extra vegetative growth, but can delay or stop flowering altogether.
- Plants need all three macronutrients, plus a whole bunch of minor- and trace elements, to be healthy and grow and bloom well.
- A high phosphorus fertilizer is NOT a bloom booster. Plants actually need very little P, and the rest is wasted.
- Feeding a low dosage of fertilizer regularly is better than larger, infrequent dosages.
Personally, I prefer to use a good, complete, orchid fertilizer at 125 ppm N at
every watering (divide 10 by the %N on the label to get the appropriate teaspoons per gallon) for my extremely varied collection.
If you want to learn more, I have assembled some good info at my website. Check out the "Feeding" section here:
First Rays' Free Info
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