I want to know do you feed flowering orchids. If you do feed them what kind of feed to use.?

Question

I want to know do you feed flowering orchids. If you do feed them what kind of feed to use.?

Answer 1

Orchid should be fed fertilizer on a regular schedule, not just when they are blooming.  Avoid the Bloom fertilizers as most experts are skeptical of their effectiveness.  An orchid's (and for that matter any plant's) blooming spike has developed for quite sometime inside the plant long before you see it.  Because of this, it is best to fertilize regularly.  Get a balanced orchid fertilizer from any nursery or home improvement store.  Liquid fertilizers are better as they are more consistent in their concentrations.  Follow the directions on the package.

Answer 2

Boy, this is probably the most common and miss answered Orchid questions. I've been growing orchids for almost 40 years, since I was a little boy. The general answer is a balanced fertilizer (10-10-10) with micro nutrients at half  to quarter strength one a week. We call it "weakly, weekly".

You'll hear and read all kinds of stuff but listen to the people who really know and not the people who sell fertilizer or just do a quick search. Try going to a good growers site like my friend Andy Phillips at http://www.andysorchid.com

Answer 3

A Orchid food is available. Use it as per the manufacturers instructions.