"weakly weekly"- is it just to save you time and hassle?

[dethswatch]

Is 'weakly weekly' just to make it easier on yourself?

If you normally water X amount a wee, with Y fertilizer and it's working, would it work just as well if you watered and fertilized the same amount over the course of the week in little bits?

Or does the plant actually need a week's rest between fertilizer and do various types really need to get dry or nearly dry or is that just to try to prevent root rot and if you watered all the time but dried the roots out you'd be fine?

Thanks!

[Orchid Whisperer]

Even smaller fertilizer doses on a more frequent basis is OK. You do need to flush periodically with pure water (without fertilizer).

[estación seca]

The issue is dissolved solids in water. Orchids are mostly epiphytes, or come from areas with plenty of rain. They generally need pure water with very low levels of dissolved minerals. I have read most orchids want total dissolved solids (TDS) below about 225-250 parts per million (PPM.) Slipper orchids want even purer water. When you mix fertilizer into the water you are adding dissolved minerals.

An engineer friend recently tested his well water before and after adding 1/8 teaspoon / 0.625ml powder per gallon / 3.78 liter of MSU fertilizer - that's a commonly-used orchid fertilizer. He said that amount raised his total dissolved solids by 42 ppm. So using something like a teaspoon of that fertilizer per gallon might increase the TDS by 8 x 42 = 336 ppm, which is generally considered too high.

[Ray]

I like to take my cues from nature. In a forest, epiphytic plants' food supply is the exudates from the trees forming the canopy above it, plus whatever dust and droppings may have also been deposited, and it reaches the plants immediately upon the start of rainfall. The net result is very little nutrition (some studies indicate 15-25 ppm total dissolved solids, almost entirely nitrogen), applied very frequently.

[Whimgrinder]

I use R/O water and add fertilizer pretty much every other watering. The R/O water starts at 4PPM TDS and I add fertilizer till I hit the 30-40PPM mark. At that level, I suspect you could apply ferts with most every watering during the growing period without having to flush with clean water. Would you agree, Ray?
The key is to know the TDS of your water supply and go from there.

[cjm3fl]

Originally Posted by dethswatch

Is 'weakly weekly' just to make it easier on yourself?

No.

It's been a long standing "rule" that the amount listed on the packages is more then needed when feeding any plant.
Also the number of times per month to feed is more then is needed for "most plants".
Many believe this is a "sales method" used by manufacturers to sell more fertilizers/plant food.

I've spent years growing 'house plants' to large sizes, outside. This was before I got into raising orchids.
They thrived on "1/2 as much-double as often' rule for feedings.


As others have mentioned the majority of orchids are plants that grow in trees. So they get really small amounts of "food" from what falls on/near their roots and doesn't get washed away.

For my orchids, my feeding rule is '~1/4 the amount-twice as often'.
Using the recommended amount is, to me, a waste. The plants can't absorb the higher dose and sometimes it can be bad for the plant.
Also I've found it best to feed about 30 to 60 minutes after I've watered them. The roots are "awake" and can better take in the small amount of nutrients.

Of course, feeding and watering, depends on what the plants are doing. If they are in their rest period feeding and watering is reduced. If they are producing new growth (plants/leaves/stalks) I feed and water a bit more often.
And I have a few different "strengths" of orchid foods. Some for bloom development and some for root/plant growth. Different foods for different reasons.


Also where you are living and how/where you are keeping your orchids play into watering/feeding.
I live in central Florida and all my plants (house and orchids) are located outside, and I have a longer growing season.
I need to water more often then someone living in up-state New York does. But I can keep my orchids outside. Only needing to take them into the shed 4 or 8 nights a year and maybe 2 or 3 days


So the short answer, for me, is no.
I'm not doing it to make it easier on myself.
I water very often because of the local weather and I'm feeding a bit more because most of my orchids are in bloom or about to bloom.
So I'm actually feeding and watering more often, but with less "recommended" amounts of food(s).