[Richard Butt]

Explaining fertilizers still didn't help me with watering procedures. So I followed the advice of a grower near Madison,Wisconsin as a starting point.
Mix two stock solutions of fertilizer by adding 1 tsp of fertilizer/gal. of water. One solution is balanced
(20:20:20) and the other is a "bloom booster" (10:50:10).

When watering, substitute fertilizer solution for water on alternate applications. (one week water; next week fertilizer sol. etc.)

For Paphs, Oncis, and Catts, use the 20:20:20 fertilizer solution. For Oncis and Catts only, substitute the 10:50:10 fertilizer solution for every fourth application of fertilizer.

For Phals, use 20:20:20 solution from January through August. Use 10:50:10 solution from September through December.

In using this procedure for four months, my plants were luxurant, maybe too much, so I cut the fertilizer back to 1/4 tsp/gal. They still look great. The Paph has just stopped blooming, the Catt has a new flower bud and the Phals are all blooming for the second time.

I hope this helps. I wish I knew some of the theory behind the recommendations, but I know that understanding will come as I learn more about these plants.

Time to go snowshoeing.
Richard