You don't need to get fancy feeding orchids, I use a water soluble Jack's 20-20-20 at a little over half the recommended dilution rate when my plants are actively growing and use it about every third watering during the spring and summer when my plants are outside growing. I like to apply the fertilizer solution to the roots soaking them and splash it on the foliage of the plant as well. When I don't have my "regular" fertilizer I have used Miracle gro or Miracid and they both work fine too. Every once in a while I like to use a water soluble seaweed concentrate and apply that with a sprinkling can over the tops of the plants to be absorbed by the leaves and roots that are growing on top of the bark in the pot. I DO like to occasionally switch fertilizers because I don't like eating the same food all of the time and figure that my plants don't either!

I would never use a "stick" fertilizer on any plant, especially an orchid, it wouldn't evenly fertilize the whole pot of growing medium and it is a good idea to flush an orchids pot and roots once in a while with plain water to remove any accumulated fertilizer salts.

Great tips, Jeb! Thank you.

I always use MSU fertilizer formulated for my type of water which is tap. It's granular to be mixed with water. For my heavier feeder orchids like catasetum, when they're in active growth I throw some Osmocote in their potting medium and give them the same MSU fertilizer. Everyone gets some occasional epsom salt in water and liquid kelp-water mixture when in bud or bloom.

Highly diluted...and it works! I have orchids that are 30 years old!