confused on winter care

[imagineink]

much of what ive read says many types need winter rest like cattleya types where you barely need to feed and water and just enough to keep psuedobulbs from shriveling while others like paphs and phals dont need winter rest but still cut back the water and feed just a little, and that when new growth starts to start feeding which leads me to be confused
i have ones that should be dorment but have new growths all over the place infact all most everything has new growth(c., bc., den., miltonopsis, onc., vuylstekeara, odondoglossum, and paph)
should i be feeding more even though many should be resting? And why arent they resting, my guess is my ma's kitchen stays at 68-70 degrees all the time and the plants arent really getting climate change till they go outside in mid to late spring.
and the bloomers, the paphs and phals all are working on buds or blooms, i assume they should be getting a regular dose of "bloom booster" ?

[rcb]

First of all, what I'm going to write, many would disagree with me, thats ok, cause it works for me.

The plants you listed are not ones that go dormant. There is a big difference between a wintertime rest and dormancy.

I give many of my Catt alliance plants a semi wintertime rest. By this I mean I significantly cut back watering and fertilizing. BUT, I grow them outside where it is cool during the winter, so I adjust my watering and fertilizing for my conditions.

At the temps you listed, and considering the plants are actively growing, I would suggest that they are not resting, therefore you shouldn't treat them with resting care.

Many plants do slow down during the wintertime, due to lower temps, less sunlight etc, therefore they will not "use" water as quickly as they will during the summertime. Plus some are decidedly seasonal growers, they put out leads in spring, mature them in summer and fall and set during winter. Therefore, adjusting watering and fertilizing frequencies make sense. But if your plants are actively growing, and it's warm, then I would advise to water them at the appropriate times, in other words, water them when they need watered.

As for bloom boosters, my opinion is they are a crock. I've never used them, and my orchids bloom. I do want to point out that many many orchid growers will disagree with me.

[Leafmite]

I agree with Renee. If your orchids aren't resting, proceed with the usual care. Sounds like you have a great place for your orchids!
Leafmite

[11Orchid126]

It sounds as if you are confused, but you are raising many different types of orchids and therefore they will need different care at different times of the year. There is no one be-all, end-all method of care for them. Each type, and even each particular plant, should be given individual care. As Renee and Leafmite both say, if your orchids aren't resting, proceed with the usual care. You can't force them to rest any more than you can force them into dormancy. Be guided by the plants, and listen to your intuition.

[imagineink]

if my plants could talk they would say THAAANK YOU GEEKS we're hungry!

[jsehorn]

I know it's been said several times, but I agree with everybody else.

I have some Catts that grow continuously, and I fertilize them continuously, while I have other Catts that bloom in the fall, and they won't resume growth until the spring, so when they aren't actively growing, I reduce the fertilizer, and to some extent the water (but don't withhold water entirely of course)

Most of my Oncidiums and related hybrids grow continuously. They mature a new pseudobulb, bloom, and then immediately start a new growth (and sometimes start new growth before the old ones have finished blooming). Those plants, I fertilize with a dilute solution all year with every watering, with a thorough monthly flushing to wash away any fertilizer accumulation. When it's cooler, I don't have to water as often because they stay moist longer. Basically, any time a plant is actively growing, it's going to need nutrients.