Just curious if any of you grow Orchids as I just received a 4th Phalaenopsis Orchid in our house and wondered if you have any tips.
Any Orchid growers here?
- Thread starter Proud Marine Dad
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My fiance has a lot of them, several different species growing under my light right now, and some cymbidiums outside. It's going to be bad times when I have to move the ones under the light for next years grow!
The main thing is to not over water them, they like containers with really good drainage and get root rot pretty easily.
The main thing is to not over water them, they like containers with really good drainage and get root rot pretty easily.
I`ve grown orchids for about 18 years. I used to have hundreds of plants, all species orchids. I have grown species of Phalaenopsis, too. In fact this one just started flowering this week,
Phalaenopsis like warmth in spring/summer and much cooler conditions in winter. If you keep them too warm in winter they probably won`t flower the following year, although it does depend on what species were used to create the hybrid. Warm in this case means 80-95°F and over 50% humidity too. Cool in winter means 45-55°F, but still humid.
Most of the ones sold are pretty bomb-proof, but they HATE being overwatered. Benign neglect is a good term for how to grow Phals. Because they are epiphytes, they like lots of drainage and need air around the roots. If you have them in a pot of sphagnum moss, get rid of the moss asap. It holds water too long and will kill the roots. Home Depot sells Orchid mix. Use that, but add about 10% by weight charcoal bits (not powder) and 10% perlite (also Home Depot). Soak the mix in water for an hour before potting up the orchids. Pot them loosely, too. Orchids like to be jammed into their pots, so what you would think of as root-bound is a good thing for orchids (in general). Orchid fertiliser is not necessary. Any general fertiliser will do, but use it VERY sparingly. Something like 1/10th the normal concentration once every couple of months.
If you have any questions, fire away.
BTW, this orchid isn`t a Phal. It`s a Cattleya maxima from Peru.
Phalaenopsis like warmth in spring/summer and much cooler conditions in winter. If you keep them too warm in winter they probably won`t flower the following year, although it does depend on what species were used to create the hybrid. Warm in this case means 80-95°F and over 50% humidity too. Cool in winter means 45-55°F, but still humid.
Most of the ones sold are pretty bomb-proof, but they HATE being overwatered. Benign neglect is a good term for how to grow Phals. Because they are epiphytes, they like lots of drainage and need air around the roots. If you have them in a pot of sphagnum moss, get rid of the moss asap. It holds water too long and will kill the roots. Home Depot sells Orchid mix. Use that, but add about 10% by weight charcoal bits (not powder) and 10% perlite (also Home Depot). Soak the mix in water for an hour before potting up the orchids. Pot them loosely, too. Orchids like to be jammed into their pots, so what you would think of as root-bound is a good thing for orchids (in general). Orchid fertiliser is not necessary. Any general fertiliser will do, but use it VERY sparingly. Something like 1/10th the normal concentration once every couple of months.
If you have any questions, fire away.
BTW, this orchid isn`t a Phal. It`s a Cattleya maxima from Peru.
Cool flowers.
Thanks guys. Nigel, all of my orchids are in Orchid mix (wood chips) so over watering is almost impossible.
I soak them in water for a few minutes about once every 7-10 days in the house and they seem to do well.
One small Phalaenopsis didn't bloom this year and I am guessing it needs to be re-potted and have the dead roots removed.
I soak them in water for a few minutes about once every 7-10 days in the house and they seem to do well.
One small Phalaenopsis didn't bloom this year and I am guessing it needs to be re-potted and have the dead roots removed.
I`ve over-watered orchids in orchid bark, so don`t think it`s impossible. The only way to get orchids so they are literally impossible to over-water is to attache them with a small amount of moss, to a large chunk of cork bark, using fishing line. However, I`m sure once every 7-10 days is a very good regimen.Proud Marine Dad said:
It`s always a good idea to carefully remove dead/black roots, but they really do like to be jammed into their pots. Putting them into too large a pot does help them grow, but it also stops them flowering.
Have a look at this site for some incredibly weird and wonderful species orchids. Andy has the largest collection of orchid species in the USA, if not the World. Their greenhouses are about 10 miles from me. Really great guys, too. I used to be over there a lot and help them at Orchid Shows. I think they have over 1 million plants, but it could be more by now.
http://www.andysorchids.com
My favourites are all the Cloud Forest species, which need cool temps (nothing over 70°F) and extremely high humidity (90+%) and a strong breeze 100% of the time. I love orchids that either mimic insects, or attract insects with pheremones and then trap the insects in order to be pollinated.
Incredible! Thanks for the link.