I fertilize the same all year round, 1/4 strength weekly. Of course I have more than 4 orchids and they are in all different stages.

Orchids are slow growing and don't need much even during active growth.

I use 1/4 strength every week-2 weeks. For everything.

Thank you for your help richardol and tommyr. My five orchids were all inexpensive, and according to the info that came with them, the growers intended them to be thrown out when they finished blooming but I love them. I know that orchids are going to be a part of my life from here on out.

It's almost criminal to toss out a perfectly healthy orchid! I guess they just want you to keep buying more.

Instructions that come with many orchids are designed to get maxumum growth under perfect greenhouse conditions. This may nearly kill them under our suboptimal conditions.

As the medium in a pot ages the fertilizer builds up and we don't have to fertilize as much. New orchids have usually been growing in the same pot for quite a while so you really don't have to be quick with the fertilizer when you get them home. And, growth does not accompany flowering as a rule so cut back on fertilizer while the plant is blooming.

Fertilizer does not CAUSE an orchid to grow, it aids in growth, so do not fertilize if your orchid is not growing, and fertilize more when the plant is growing more. For example if a Phalaenopsis is just starting a new leaf, or a Dendrobium is starting a new cane, it does not need as much fertilizer as I does after the leaf or cane is half grown because it is not generating as much plant mass per day. This concept is the reason behind the general practice of "fertilize less in fall and winter".

Chilling the phals at night in the fall encourages spiking. But your plants have been blooming, so there is no need to chill them. After bloom they may take a rest and then they may start all over again. Actually, chilling the plants to encourage spiking is done year round by the big growers.

Your cymbidium can be "chilled" outdoors until frost is expected. They can handle cold temperatures. However, given the stress from the overfertilizing, you may want to give that up this year. Use your judgment.

Phals need warmth. Too cold for phals outdoors here now (nights 54 and going down to the 40's). Cymbids would be great at those temps.

Cut back on the fertilizer in cold temperatures.

Be careful of overfertilizing, especially with orchids. Their roots are specialized to take up nutrients, so it's much easier to overfertilize than it would an ordinary plant. Fertilizer and warmth/light/water have to be in balance. More light/warmth/water, more fertilizer and vv.

I killed a beautiful jasmine once with an inadvertent overdose. Thing is, is didn't just die. It wilted, died a little, tried to recover, died some more, repeat, repeat for several months before finally dying. Each time it rallied, I thought it would recover, but it just couldn't.