I got an orchid...now what do i do?

[Biogirl71]

That orchid is beautiful! Orchids are actually pretty hardy. Sometimes you think they are dead and they will come back with some TLC. Lari gave you great advice...overwatering will be a surefire way to make it very unhappy. You can also use a spritz bottle to water as well. And no direct sunlight. If you want to keep it near a window with a lot of sun, shadecloth works well.

 

[anatess]

I'm Filipino... And you must be Filipino if, you got orchids... :D


But seriously, I grew up in a house surrounded by 6-foot tall cinder-block walls, 3 sides of which are covered with different species of orchids that you can't see the wall anymore. It's my mom and my brother's passion.


What you got is a phalaenopsis, commonly called moth orchid. The problem with those things in regular retail stores in the US is that they are usually not potted properly. They are potted for transport, not for longevity. You know you got a poorly potted phalaenopsis if it is potted in tightly packed sphagnum moss or soil. So, if you got one of those, you'll need to repot it pronto. So, to repot, check the roots of the plant. If it has several green, fat, and firm roots with light green tips, you can wait until the blooms wilt before repotting (could last a few weeks). If the roots are rotted and mushy, you can't wait for the blooms to wilt, you'll just have to go ahead and repot. Go to the nursery or even lowe's or home depot and get a phalaenopsis potting mix. If they dont sell one, you can make your own by mixing bark chips, perlite, peat moss, and small pebbles. Take out all the old soil/moss - you'll have to break it apart as it will be packed tight (to keep the plant upright in the truck) - this should expose all the roots. Trim off the rotted roots and put it in the pot the plant came in and then pack loosely with the potting mixture. You can optionally move it to a nicer pot - just make sure the pot has big drainage holes.


Ok. What the plant needs (it's really an easy care plant when put in good potting mix and ideal conditions):
1. Temps between 60 and 80 is good. A 10 degree difference in day and night temps encourages bloom. It's a great indoor plant!
2. Bright morning or afternoon sun. No direct midday sunlight. It's great indoors next to an east-facing window. You can even grow it on 12 hours of fluorescent light about a foot or so from the plant if you don't have a bright window. I did this in the office when I had one.
3. Well-drained water. The special potting mix is designed to hold moisture but not stay soggy. Allow the potting mix to dry before watering again. But don't let it stay dry too long that the leaves start to wrinkle. Weekly thorough watering in 50% or above humidity conditions is ok. This plant is forgiving if you're like me who sometimes forget to water plants. If you live in low humidity home, you can spritz the exposed roots with a spray bottle in between watering or you can put the pot on a saucer of water with pebbles to keep the bottom of the pot from being submerged. I've lived with orchids so long that I can determine if the plant needs watering by the weight of the pot!
4. Proper aeration of roots. The special potting mix is also designed to allow air flow through the roots. This is usually what kills retail store orchids - they pack the soil/moss so tightly that not much air can penetrate the roots... especially those in spaghnum moss that tends to get soggy when packed too tight. When the potting mix starts to decompose, you'll need to repot to keep air flow going. I usually just repot the plant once a year after it is done blooming.
5. Fertilizer. The plant thrives on even NPK balance like a 14-14-14 formula. Offer fertilizer every other watering and don't fertilize when it is in bloom. My mom usually "coaxes" a bloom by increasing phosphorous (like 10-30-20) but I've never done it myself.


Thats really it for beginning orchid growers! There's some advanced techniques too... Like how to grow one in moss, how to get multiple blooms, how to get them to have babies, etc.


And here's some of my mother's orchids... She loves vandas - completely different care from phalaenopsis.
Vanda Sanderiana (naturally found only in the Philippines):

Some other vandas:

Cattleya:

And here's my pathetic collection:

 

[MamaAndi]

You lucky thing...I loove orchids. I however have been unsucessful at keeping them alive. So nice to look at while they last. Lol

 

[JAKEISGREAT]

They sell great looking fake ones. Real plants are soooooo overrated!

 

[LariP]

A few years ago Bruce bought me an orchid instead of cut flowers for our anniversary. Then because I was so pleased he repeated it on Valentines day and the tradition was born. I'd much rather receive a plant I "might" keep alive than a bunch of cut flowers that are dead in a few days. . I have killed a few anyway, likely because I didn't repot as Anatess suggested.

Anatess gave great advice. I gave the simplified version because I think the reason most people kill orchids is because they allow the roots to stay too wet. The ice cube trick helps to avoid that for the orchid newbie.

 

[Biogirl71]

[MENTION=2874]anatess[/MENTION] - your mother's orchids are gorgeous! Seeing those takes me back to my childhood...my parents grew cymbidium orchids as a side business and we had three large greenhouses filled with them. They also had some phalies and a small greenhouse of assorted more exotic varieties. While I hated all the weeding I had to do, the greenhouses were my favorite places to hide out. I loved being surrounded by all the orchids, even when they weren't in bloom.

 

[cali baker]

[MENTION=2874]anatess[/MENTION], i do appreciate your advice! reading your post, and re-reading it , it really isn't as complicated as it seems...even for me.
The plant I got is in a glass vase , embedded in moss and some wood chip thingies. It looks so pretty in there that re-potting seems like a shame but it sounds like that's a must for the plants livelihood. I want to give it a try and do my mom proud...she had a lovely green thumb

 

[JeannieCO]

No help here Henny. That is one beautiful flower though.

 

[Bella'sMom]

[MENTION=2874]anatess[/MENTION]....you are the one to ask. I have a sunflower orchid, it is a hybrid. So as you know, you should not re-pot them if in bloom. Well, I can't get this one to stop! I have had it since Easter of last year and it is in consent blooms. Not that I am complaining, just I want to get it out of the plastic ad get it in some new moss and a basket. Should I still wait or go ahead and do it?

 

[anatess]

@anatess ....you are the one to ask. I have a sunflower orchid, it is a hybrid. So as you know, you should not re-pot them if in bloom. Well, I can't get this one to stop! I have had it since Easter of last year and it is in consent blooms. Not that I am complaining, just I want to get it out of the plastic ad get it in some new moss and a basket. Should I still wait or go ahead and do it?

Is this the kind you got?

Yeah, this is a hybrid but it still follows the same care as regular phaelanopsis orchids. It's awesome that you got a non-stop bloomer! These guys usually bloom from winter through spring and then it goes and tries building new leaves and new roots through the summer and fall before blooming again come winter. Is your plant growing new leaves/roots? If so, definitely just leave it alone doing the exact same thing you're doing to it now. You can put the entire pot in a big decorative basket if you like, just make sure it still gets enough air. If it's not growing new leaves/roots it will eventually "max" out its blooming cycle and you can repot then.

I'm drooling. I've never had a non-stop bloomer ever before!

 

[cali~jenn]

Orchids are my fav but I kill them all. lol Sadly.

 

[Bella'sMom]

Is this the kind you got?

Yeah, this is a hybrid but it still follows the same care as regular phaelanopsis orchids. It's awesome that you got a non-stop bloomer! These guys usually bloom from winter through spring and then it goes and tries building new leaves and new roots through the summer and fall before blooming again come winter. Is your plant growing new leaves/roots? If so, definitely just leave it alone doing the exact same thing you're doing to it now. You can put the entire pot in a big decorative basket if you like, just make sure it still gets enough air. If it's not growing new leaves/roots it will eventually "max" out its blooming cycle and you can repot then.

I'm drooling. I've never had a non-stop bloomer ever before!

That is the one. Not as full as the picture. It has two stalks now in bloom and 3 stalks growing and starting to bud. I was told that it would bloom a couple times a year and when it is done to re-plant it, well I haven't had the chance....funny thing is, she told my that my Cherry Blossom colored Cymbidium would be the frequent bloomer and it has lots of blooms, but just once a year. I wonder if she was confused. We have a Wholesale Orchid farm here in town and they open it to the public!!!! My mom and I go a couple times a year.

 

[anatess]

That is the one. Not as full as the picture. It has two stalks now in bloom and 3 stalks growing and starting to bud. I was told that it would bloom a couple times a year and when it is done to re-plant it, well I haven't had the chance....funny thing is, she told my that my Cherry Blossom colored Cymbidium would be the frequent bloomer and it has lots of blooms, but just once a year. I wonder if she was confused. We have a Wholesale Orchid farm here in town and they open it to the public!!!! My mom and I go a couple times a year.

I'm definitely drooling now! The best source I got close to me is this lady with a greenhouse down the street from my old house. She gets a lot of "baby" orchids from her well established plants so she sells them to pay for fertilizing cost. She has quite a varied collection but mostly phals and dendrobiums and ground orchids.

 

[Bella'sMom]

[MENTION=2874]anatess[/MENTION]. here is a photo, not as full and pretty as the one you posted. Terri says if maybe I just try to fertilize them, they will do even better. Problem is, I am afraid to do anything different, I have had such good luck.

 

[anatess]

@anatess . here is a photo, not as full and pretty as the one you posted. Terri says if maybe I just try to fertilize them, they will do even better. Problem is, I am afraid to do anything different, I have had such good luck.

Now, see... THAT is a poster child of a healthy orchid. See those massive, fat, green roots? That's quite amazing that you have a plant in full bloom and still growing new roots (the bright green ones as opposed to the older dull green ones) and even new leaves! There are so many flower stalks on that one that you'll be blooming all through June at least! So yeah, definitely leave that baby alone for now... You might have to move it to a bigger pot within the year as those roots are going to get too crowded in that little space and will start to bust out of it, but if it stays as healthy as it is now without repotting, you can always just leave the new roots exposed in a variated "aeroponic" setting.

I'm drooling so much Bullie will have to mop it all up!