Matt,

The general rule of thumb as far as fertilizer is weakly/weekly. That is 1/4 to 1/2 recommended strength of the fertilizer being used once a week.

As far as which fertilizer, either use anything you already have laying around for other plants or go to Lowes/HD and buy an orchid fertilizer, Miracle Grow, Peters, etc... Either way, weakly/weekly. Maybe use un-fertilized water once every 4-6 times for a good flushing of the media.

Once you acquire a few more orchids (and you will!), then you might consider purchasing some of the more expensive/designer fertilizers like MSU or DYNA-GROW etc... Most of these are found on-line and not in local stores, well maybe hydroponics places.

Good luck,

Bob

Thanks Bob, thats a big help.
So...is this feeding method to be used all year?

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Matt,

Yes feed year round. At least every Saturday for me, 52x year. I water some plants during the week also, but my mature phals are pretty much on a once a week schedule. In actuality water when the pot feels light, you'll be able to tell 'when to water' soon enough. Test the weight before and after watering, you should be able to tell the difference. I just choose to water/fertilize everything on Saturdays for my personal convienience.

Bob

I'm worried about the pot conditions: "the inner container has drainage holes and the outer container has no holes". The fact that the outer container has no holes has the potential for disaster unless you have a good deep layer of drainage material under the inside pot. Orchids not only need good drainage, they need air at the roots, and decorative pots don't allow for that. There is the possibility that water will collect in the bottom of the pot and keep the roots wet, which will then rot.

Otherwise it sounds like you're doing lots of things right.

orchid126,

Thanks for your concern. This is something I am aware of. I remove the inner container, water, let drain, and place it back into the outer container. I water in the morning before I go to work and check to see if there is any water in the outer container when I get home. If there is, I empty it out. I am getting the hang of letting it drain before I put in back into the outer container. So far, no extra pooling. Just a little dampness. When it's time to transplant my orchid, I would like to get a poetry container with the holes around the sides. When I was little, I remember watching Martha Stewart visit the studio of Guy Wolff, a wonderful potter from Bantam, CT. Wolff makes beautiful garden pots as well as orchid pots. I had a hard time finding his orchid pots on his site, but if you search for Guy Wolff orchid pots in Google Images, photos of them will come up.

Do you think I should repot it now, or can I wait until it needs repotting?

Thanks again,

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Here is a link that might be useful: www.guywolff.com

I'm glad to hear that you have the drainage conditions under control. Yes, I'm familiar with Guy Wolff's pots. He's very expensive, and there are less expensive alternatives everywhere. It's a matter of personal preference. Also, you may decide that plastic is a better way to go.

As for repotting, of all orchids, phals don't mind being repotted at almost any time, even when in bloom, so they can safely be repotted now, if you so choose. How does the medium seem to you? Is it still in good shape or is it starting to break down? Does it smell sour? Do you want to repot because you have a specific medium in mind? Are the roots really crowding the pot or is there room for growth? (You may have to slip the pot off to determine this).

If you think the medium is still okay and the roots aren't too crowded and have room to grow, there's no hurry to repot. If you want to try a specific medium, or you answered yes to some of the above questions, then by all means repot now. Otherwise you can wait til spring.

orchid126,

Everything seems fine...the medium is a mulch-like bark and it looks fresh, but is starting to get some white mineral deposits from our well water. There are lots of roots, but there is still lots of room for growing. No crowding yet. All the roots have new light tan/white growing tips. The inner pot is clear, I like being able to see the roots. I have a potter friend...we keep taking about getting together so she can teach me a few things. I should see if she can teach me to make some pots like the ones Guy Wolff makes. Although I would love to have one of his pots, even though they are pricey.

I've added a link to the repotting page at Just Add Ice Orchids...there you will see photos of my inner pot. My orchid is from Just Add Ice Orchids. The only thing is that they don't give the hybrid name on the plant tag. Is there any way I can ID it?

Matthew
Indiana.Matt

Here is a link that might be useful: see my orchid pot