Newbie needs tips

16 years ago

Hello Orchid people! I am a newbie in regards to Orchids; I need advice on how to grow them. I just bought two orchids that were on sale for five bucks each; they are blooming and appear to be healthy. I know only a bit about them (but please correct me if im wrong): they like humidity and indirect, filtered sunlight (and its normal if some of their roots are sticking out of the dirt...right?).

I have a few questions too:

The pots they came in are quite small, should they be repotted or are they the type of plants that dont mind having limited root-space?

Does the soil need to be constantly moist?

Are you supposed to mist the leaves? Or should they stay dry?

Would they grow well in my bathroom? It gets quite steamy in there (which I assume they like); the bathroom also has bright, indirect sunlight there.

Should they be fertilized? And if so how frequently?

Should the stems be cut back after flowering?

Thank you so much (in advance) for answering all of my simple questions!

CMK

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Comments (6)

arthurm
16 years ago
Might be simple questions but you have left out a vital bit of information. Namely, what sort of orchids are they?
mike_gee
16 years ago
Start with the FAQ of this forum. Thousands of orchids are killed annually in bathrooms
Mike

Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid Forum FAQ
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howard_a
16 years ago
Arthur is right of course but assumptions and generalizations can be made even before knowing what the exact orchids in question are. The first generalization is that orchids, all orchids, are essentially outdoor plants that only grow indoors with effort, directed, controlled, effort of will and modification of environment. Both Arthur and myself as well as many others here could simply answer your questions one by one in list format but you would not then get the sense of complexity and gestalt that even a casual grower of these plants must bring to the party. I recently advised another poster like yourself to go to www.oakhillgardens.com and locate the orchid culture page and to do the same thing at www.andysorchids.com and again at www.orchidspecies.com. You will notice that at none of those sites is the actual orchids you have of great importance. Those distinctions become important when it is time to re-bloom plants. Actual day to day culture and care has bottom line minimums that will enable just about anything you can walk out of a Trader Joe's (or Target, Home Depot, etc.) with to survive until you get your 'thumb (sorry Arthur, there actually is such an appendage).

H
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
16 years ago
Wow that was fast! I do have the tags. One Orchid is called "Phalaenopsis". The other is "Intergeneric", but the picture on the tag looks nothing like the flowers on the plant. Ill try to find out what type it is if I can...
CMK
richardol
16 years ago
The pots they came in are quite small, should they be repotted or are they the type of plants that dont mind having limited root-space? They may actually be too big.
Does the soil need to be constantly moist? Yes for some, no for some, the answer matters which a lot for some others are more tolerant.
Are you supposed to mist the leaves? Or should they stay dry? Keep the leaves clean, but overall, misting has more problems than benefits
Would they grow well in my bathroom? It gets quite steamy in there (which I assume they like); the bathroom also has bright, indirect sunlight there. Hardly any bathroom has enough light for orchids and the humidity is not as much higher than any other room in your house than you think.
Should they be fertilized? And if so how frequently? Weakly, weekly
Should the stems be cut back after flowering? Yes for the long-term health of the plant. No (for the Phal) if you want maximum flowers. Cut brown stems on any orchid.
The intergeric should be in a south window behind a white sheer. The Phal back a foot or two, or in an east window.
christinmk z5b eastern WA
Original Author
16 years ago
Thank you soooo much for answering my questions richardol! You have been very helpful!
CMK

Newbie needs tips

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