There are different schools of thought on fertilizing.
1) Some take a calendar approach like you've outlined. They set up a seasonal schedule like yours and pretty much give the same fertilizing regimen to all of their plants (all genera).
2) Some go by the growth habits and cycles of the plants (for example someone may fertilize their Paphs year round wiht a weak balanced fertilizer but hit their cymbids hard wiht high nitro in spring and summer and stop altogether in Autumn).
3) Some (like me) don't fertilize.
There are different methods of supplying the fert:
1) through regular watering - for examle "weakly, weekly" where the fert is used fairly dilute (small likelihood of burn) on a regular basis,
2) through mix addatives - either organic material like peat or leaves or a slow release fertilizer like Osmocote,
3) through a foliar spray - sprayed on the leaves and absorbed through them.
Different growers will use different schedules as well as different methods, and even different fertilizers. The bottom line is that the "right" method is the one that works best given your plants, your habits, your location and cultural conditions. The reason fertilizing is so confusing for some is because some of us have found what works best for us and then (probably unintentionally) talk as if this is the "correct" way of doing it. Sometimes what works best for grower A does not work best for grower B so then you have people giving conflicting recommendations.
Therefore, I would recommend trying something I did when I first started growing orchids:
1) First look at the advice given on reputable culture sheets like those provided by the AOS (
www.aos.org). These will give you some info specific to a particular genus. For example would you fertilize a orchid that grows and blooms in distinct seasonal cycles the same or differently than one that comes from a tropical region where the seasons are much less distinct and the plant more or less grows and blooms whenever? Good culture sheets will assist you in answering these questions.
2) Then ask people who grow
in your geographical location how they fertilize: when, what plants, how much, what method of delivery, etc.
3) Next, compare the conditions to yours - for example one Phrag grower I know says "fertilize heavily" but he does not let his Phrags sit in saucers of water, so all of the extra fert drains away and no leaf burn. If I were to fertilize heavily I would risk burning leaves because I use saucers and the salts will build up in the standing water.
4) Experiment - Try one method for a
whole growth/bloom cycle or one full year. Trying one method for only a few months then switching will be of no use since it is not long enugh to see the method's effect on the whole cycle of the plant.
So, get the books out, call up yoru friends or go to your local orchid club meeting or ask questions at the next local show you attend, and start experimenting! I look forward to hearing your results a year from now!
Happy growing!