Very nice!

tj

Getgoing, they’re pretty — what is the yellow one?

I’m new to orchids... only have two phals, and this is the first time my yellow one has rebloomed for me. :)

Maybe this pic is better:

I have Iwanagara Apple Blossom that bloomed early rhis Spring. Reliable bloomer and very strong grower.

Iwanagara Apple Blossom that bloomed early this Spring. Reliable bloomer and very strong grower.

Party, that is a very pretty yellow. I have a similar one I got last year in bloom and it hasn't rebloomed for me. The yellow one is called yellow magic festival and it is a nobile type dendrobium.

Aztcqn, nice color.

Here are two I have blooming, the Vanda I just got with buds so no contribution of mine there.

They are all so beautiful!

Wow, good growing. Can not get enough of good looking orchids in bloom)

Nice, I like the vivid colors of the tipmalee.

The Maxillaria is fantastic! How do you grow it?

I grow my Maxillaria in warm and bright conditions with 70% humidity.

My rhynchostylis coelestis blue is blooming. :)

Aaw, the ryncho has that lovely shade of blue. Nicely grown plant.

Getgoing, is that one just above fragrant? It's beautiful.

Do you bring them outside and what kind of light do you give your orchids? Do you fertilize often.? They are so clean and nice

Thanks Mike, yes it is fragrant. I kept it outdoors for a while but then another one of my vandas which was in spike got a real bad soft bacterial rot infection and died within days. Since then I am very weary of keeping any of my orchids outdoors. I also lost a couple of cattleya seedlings to black rot a few years back. The incessant rain and the company of other plants (that are in all kinds of potting mix with bacteria and fungi that are not orchid friendly) outdoors appears to be a deadly combination. Now I keep it indoors in an east or southeast window. The vandas are in terracotta pots in big chunks of lava rock. They get fertilized every week or 10 days with either a high nitrogen or high phosphorus fertilihzer at label strength or half of label strength (Better grow sells just those two orchid fertilizers I think).

Getgoing...You are right. I lost a few to outside too.. Rot. I will have to consider keeping some of mine inside too. Seems like the Cattalya hate constant wet even in a good airy mix. Oncidiums don't seem to mind. I like the Lava Rock idea. I might try that too. Thanks for the insight. It was so easier to leave them outside. I guess too much rain is not good either.

I am moving more and more of my orchids to lava rock considering it retains fair bit of water without getting soggy or rotting/breaking down/turning too acidic like bark or sphagnum moss. Most of my vandas and dendrobiums are now in either a mix of lava rock and bark or straight up lava rock, especially the vandas I bought blooming size, bare root in hanging basket because I didn't want the roots to have too much trouble adapting to beng potted up.

I don't have any oncidiums other than some miltoniopsis and they do not need to be evenly moist. I have them in coconut fiber, which is more durable than bark and works well.

I meant to say they do need to be evenly moist.

I just ordered Lava Rock today. Going to re pot a few and see what works better for me. I am tired of mixes breaking down or causing issues. I like that idea)) Coco fiber? Does that contain salts that might harm the roots eventually? If not I will give that a try too)) Thanks

I had picked up a bag of lava rock from HD. Most of it was big chunky pieces (and it's hard to break them) but there were some smaller pieces as well. The Vandas got the biggest chunks...Coconut husk comprises fibers and the more absorbent crumbly/peaty material. The coconut based potting mix peat substitutes largely comprise the more absorbent material I believe. The fiber is used for making basket and railing planter liners, hydroponics and also sold as bird nest material. I have not researched the salt issue much. I am using fibers from several disintegrating liners that were originally used for their intended purpose. I figured all salts must have been washed away from previous use. I first used some chopped up fibers for cattleya seedlings and they did extremely well in it. Then I tried them for my miltonia because the roots are thin and it loses almost all roots when repotted. I have tried all sorts of bark, moss, perlite combinations and it is always a PITA. I find that cocnut fiber is very easy to separate from the roots, easy to pot up things in (like sphagnum moss) and is also quite sturdy (they make ropesout of it after all). I think I am going to continue to use the liners as a source for the fibers.

Getgoing, it obvious that your orchids THRIVE in what you are doing and I would like to try a couple of your methods.

Do you soak the roots of those planted in Lava and only once it dries down? Often?

Just can't get over how wonderful they all look. If I was to ask anyone for advice on a better method than what I am doing, you would be one.

Mike

Mike, I water them once in a week or 10 days, rarely in 3/4 days (if they are in blooms and it's really hot for a few days. Although the roots turn whitish quite promptly after watering, say the next day, they turn green quite quickly when watered again in a week or so so I am presuming they are being watered adequately. I soak or pour water over the roots/lava rocks and the terracotta pot a few times and it's done. I have found that Vandas, just like phals, really don't need prolonged soaking to turn green unlike some dendrobiums which take forever. Thicker the roots, the more water they can store. I don't get the watering vandas everyday thing at all., perhaps if one grows them bare root in full sun in Florida.

I just had one of my vanda seedlings leaves badly fade within a couple of days in the sun just sitting in a SE window! We all learn by trial and error!