Anyone ? Where to buy ?
Orchids ?
- Thread starter MegaSpokaneMan
- Start date
What kind of orchids are you looking for? If you check out my GLOG you can see the orchids I grow. I would be happy to trade or cut you a deal if you were looking for Paphs. 
Yeah, type makes a huge difference. I can actually get some pretty nice varieties just at my grocery store these days, which is very surprising, even though the one I go to is on the edge of a foo-foo neighborhood. For others, I go to a couple different local nurseries.
That said, I have none now - we got a weird fungus in this area a couple years ago, and it wiped out tons of plants, including our orchids, and I just haven't gotten back into them at this point.
That said, I have none now - we got a weird fungus in this area a couple years ago, and it wiped out tons of plants, including our orchids, and I just haven't gotten back into them at this point.
Thank you for the replies. I am just getting started so I have no idea what types I will be growing. In reading this evening it looks like I have a ton to learn. Are any of the types easier for the beginner ?
- Mega
- Mega
Phaleanopsis orchids come in a variety of colors and are pretty easy to find. They're probably easy to find because they're pretty easy to grow, so I would suggest starting out with one of those. The thing to keep in mind with orchids is that they are very much like peppers - they don't like to be wet. Don't grow them in standard soil - there are a handful of growing mediums out there specifically for orchids, so definitely get one of those. You may need to experiment a bit to find which medium is best for you. Ideally when you water, fill a sink with water (mixed with orchid food), place the pot inside until it's soaked through, then pull it out and let it drain completely. Just like with peppers, don't get the pots that have the built-in water catchers that prevent water from coming fully out.
Something that you have likely seen orchids do is send their roots out of the pot. The ones that do this will eventually wither, but do not necessarily take this as a need to pot up. As long as the plant itself and the roots inside the pot remain healthy, the pot size is probably fine. There are a lot of good articles on the web on growing orchids, some specific to given varieties. There are also good books.
Something that you have likely seen orchids do is send their roots out of the pot. The ones that do this will eventually wither, but do not necessarily take this as a need to pot up. As long as the plant itself and the roots inside the pot remain healthy, the pot size is probably fine. There are a lot of good articles on the web on growing orchids, some specific to given varieties. There are also good books.
Strangely enough the one's I've grown in pots are the ones I have always had trouble with :/ The other day I lost one of my largest one's to a fungus
On the other hand I've had great luck growing mine on some of the trees around our yard, on bamboo, coconuts and some even on rocks. These with their roots out in the open have done the best for me, for two examples Vanda's and Florida Sunset. Since most orchids from the best growers are very expensive, I've always taken the route to buy clippings from growers. I use to get like 5 or 6 at a time for around $8.00, although the prices have gone up lately there are still very good deals. I take the clippings and plant them by attaching them to various things and I've also done well planting them into wooden baskets. I'll try and post some pics in my glog soon ... Good luck with the grow!I seriously couldn't grow much north of North FL, lack of knowledge :/ ... but willing to learn & I enjoy reading all you northerners trials & tribulations
Secondly I was born in the tropics and its honestly in my blood, I can't stay up north too long during the winters but have enjoyed my trips in da past ...I spent the first, oh, 35-ish years in Houston and then Los Angeles, so still don't understand why I'm up north now! That said, it's highly unlikely that MSM could grow orchids outside of his house except in the summer.
MSM - if you haven't already read so, be sure that they are near a window but not getting direct sunlight - they WILL burn, especially when you add the reflection from snow to the sunlight.
MSM - if you haven't already read so, be sure that they are near a window but not getting direct sunlight - they WILL burn, especially when you add the reflection from snow to the sunlight.