AlabamaJack
eXtreme
My wife's daughter sent her a White Orchid for her birthday and I am simply amazed at the beauty of this flower...
Anyone Else Growing Orchids?
- Thread starter AlabamaJack
- Start date
I love orchids, though this is my first time growing one. I don't have a camera with me, but I have the exact same variety sitting next to me in the office. It's been holding its blossoms for a good 2 months now.
(FYI, I found it on a clearance rack for 3 bucks. A couple of months of care and it started putting out new buds. I think clearance racks are like plant crack to me- so many perfectly healthy plants that just need a good home...)
(FYI, I found it on a clearance rack for 3 bucks. A couple of months of care and it started putting out new buds. I think clearance racks are like plant crack to me- so many perfectly healthy plants that just need a good home...)
Normally the issue is that they often plant them in plastic containers that restrict air flow to the roots. I just water it sparingly and deeply, letting them dry thoroughly between watering and making sure there isn't any water sitting in the tray after watering.
Orchids' roots are adapted to rapidly intake water and be exposed to open air. You'll often find the roots growing out of the surface of the pot with a healthy plant. They're very fragile though, so there are some difficulties in repotting without damaging the plant. "Orchid pots" have large openings throughout the pot to allow for air to flow freely, though I kind of wonder if you could reproduce the same effect with a normal pot and a large drill bit...
Orchids' roots are adapted to rapidly intake water and be exposed to open air. You'll often find the roots growing out of the surface of the pot with a healthy plant. They're very fragile though, so there are some difficulties in repotting without damaging the plant. "Orchid pots" have large openings throughout the pot to allow for air to flow freely, though I kind of wonder if you could reproduce the same effect with a normal pot and a large drill bit...
I've had some expierence with cattleya and oncidium orchids. I would consider most orchids in the "air" families. You generally don't incorporate a soil as the medium. I've used any thing from pine bark, coconut chips, a mix of coir with MG orchid mix. When repotting I'll shape the roots. I repot in the spring when the new growth starts to vibe. Occasionally we'll order "Anthuriums " when a new color is available. Those with some miniture orchids are shipped from Maui's Tropical Gardens, Fed-Ex 2 day'er. They're growing medium consists of volcanic rock ...that can't be shipped but they'll use crushed coconut shells. Orchids can grow within any substance that breathes well that doesn't stay saturated with water.
Beautiful plants with a rainbow of flower heads to chose from
Greg
Beautiful plants with a rainbow of flower heads to chose from
Greg
My wife has gone through a number of orchids until I finally told her I would take a stab at it. I can keep them alive but they drop all flowers, stop growing and turn into a stem with some green foliage at the bottom haha. One day I'll dig down into some reading and figure these things out. Amazing flowers, no doubt about it!
-J
-J
Yes. I have two Phalaenopsis Orchids.
They are the most intricate, delicate looking flower of all and are one of the largest families of flowers in the world.
My wife brought this one home to me a while back. It is incredible.
They are the most intricate, delicate looking flower of all and are one of the largest families of flowers in the world.
My wife brought this one home to me a while back. It is incredible.
I did the same thing. Was picking up some random stuff and adopted one a couple of years ago. Made a nice long open pot for it and it's just starting to bloom again after a year. Did a little reading and it seems I need to "divide" it because I have about 4 nodes growing, but only 2 stalks of flowers.
I was thinking about putting a couple in the phototron and setting it up in my office at work as I don't think mine is getting enough sun now.
My mom had been big into orchids when she was alive, and she used to baby the heck outta hers. My wife and I had one that had been my grandmother's, that we didn't really do anything with for about 6-7 years (and I mean we just left it hanging on the porch of the apartment we were renting at the time, subjected to mother nature's watering schedule, the heat of the summers down here and the coldest days of the FL winters (and yes, it does get a bit cold at times here...LOL). The plant didn't die, and actually grew pretty massive for the planter it was in.
Now that being said, it didn't flower at all for quite a few years, so it wasn't doing as well as it would have if properly cared for.
The year my mom died, the orchid flowered. For whatever reason, out of the blue. I took it as a sign that my mom saw how we were treating the orchid and pointed it out to us
We have been treating it much better since then (watering when a dry period and bringing in when cold), but we still need to split it off more. We split out 5 plants from it, which are doing fine, and could probably get a ton more.
I think they are wonderful plants. I just think that either they don't need to be babied as much as my mom used to do, but more than we were doing. A happy medium somewhere...
By the way, y'all have some really nice ones. Ours has been blooming more towards the end/beginning of the year and just lost the last couple blooms a few weeks ago. Will see if we have any pics somewhere...
PapaBill
Now that being said, it didn't flower at all for quite a few years, so it wasn't doing as well as it would have if properly cared for.
The year my mom died, the orchid flowered. For whatever reason, out of the blue. I took it as a sign that my mom saw how we were treating the orchid and pointed it out to us
We have been treating it much better since then (watering when a dry period and bringing in when cold), but we still need to split it off more. We split out 5 plants from it, which are doing fine, and could probably get a ton more.
I think they are wonderful plants. I just think that either they don't need to be babied as much as my mom used to do, but more than we were doing. A happy medium somewhere...
By the way, y'all have some really nice ones. Ours has been blooming more towards the end/beginning of the year and just lost the last couple blooms a few weeks ago. Will see if we have any pics somewhere...
PapaBill
I have 17 of them; most from the lowes rack 
repot them in orchid bark with a little peat moss mixed in, or straight bark, use the bark to make a 3d puzzle around the roots to keep it planted firmly, it should not wiggle around. Never ever use miracle grow orchid mix; it repels water and will kill them. I've had them bloom up to 3 times a year for almost 3 years now. I'm convinced they package them that way so people have to keep buying more. The clearance rack is great, they just don't have a clue how to care for em.
repot them in orchid bark with a little peat moss mixed in, or straight bark, use the bark to make a 3d puzzle around the roots to keep it planted firmly, it should not wiggle around. Never ever use miracle grow orchid mix; it repels water and will kill them. I've had them bloom up to 3 times a year for almost 3 years now. I'm convinced they package them that way so people have to keep buying more. The clearance rack is great, they just don't have a clue how to care for em.