The Orchid Garden

Orchid care

Question:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – bit of wisdom: 1 is in pure bark; the other is in the ?peat/bark? mix (they came this way) Yup. That’s why I suggested that it might have once been a chunky bark mix that has broken down. All bark mixes will do this eventually. The problem becomes that when it does this, it gets heavier and the tiny particles pack down around the roots. This cuts off the air circulation to them which is so vital to the good health of the roots as well as the entire plant. And that’s when problems happen. We try to repot into new bark every year or two (depends on each individual growers conditions and what they actually use for their mix) to keep this from happening. i have *offiicial* orchid mix and will stop (have stopped) the misting, and will rePot them… Well, you don’t have to stop the misting altogether. Once a day is fine. And remember… if they are in the bathroom, they are going to be misted naturally every time someone takes a bath or shower. The only change I’d make to your routine (after repotting into a fresh mix) would be to your watering schedule. Don’t just measure the water and give a tiny bit. Don’t be afraid to take them to the sink and really douse them with water until you see the water pouring out the bottom of the pot. The white stuff on healthy roots (velamen) will turn bright green, telling you that those cells have absorbed moisture. This flushes excess salts out of the pot and makes for a healthier environment. When I water, I usually let the water run through the pot for a good minute or two, until I know that the bark is completely saturated right through. Then the plant can be left to dry out for the rest of the week, as it would do in nature. * * * * * Karen C. Southern CT / USDA Zone 6 Spammers be damned! I can’t be emailed from this account… "Gardeners know all the best dirt!"

Thank you VERY much for the advice and information! i appreciate it! sincerely Tanya

Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – how often do you water? they require VERY little water btw i water mine ~ 1/3 cup max once per week ?????   Mine get doused heavily twice a week during the summer and some of them have been living (and blooming) happily for 20+ years. Phals actually like things a bit on the moist side.  Frequency of watering depends a lot on your conditions and the potting mix, but when you do water, water heavily to wet all the potting mix and to help flush accumulated salts. Bottom leaves can yellow and dies naturally as the plant ages, but often it is due to bad roots – either the potting mix has gotten too old or there too much / too much moisture around the roots.  You can carefully dump the plant part way out of the pot to check the roots. If the roots are dead and/or rotten, the potting mix is probably bad and you should repot.  I would use orchid sphagnum moss and a clay pot for a plant with damaged or no roots. deg

Hi i neglected to mention that the 2 phaelenopsis (spelling:) live in a *humid* bathRoom and get misted 2-3 times per day (avoiding the crowns) Plus 1 is in a mix of bark and peat (?) SOOOooo i imagine the above explains the <low frequency and <small amount of water they get more clearly sincerely Tanya

Response:

<<  the 2 Phalaenopsis (sic) live in a *humid* bathRoom and get misted 2-3 times per day (avoiding the crowns) Plus 1 is in a mix of bark and peat I would recommend you repot both your plants into a more suitable mix. Some large garden centers sell orchid mix, or contact your nearest orchid club. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so." Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), 1818-1885

Hello Iris, Thanks a lot for the advice… both plants are in *orchid culture* (they came with it) (inOtherWords i did *not* rePot them <yet) i have orchid mix and will rePot them as per your suggestion much appreciated! sincerely Tanya

Response:

how often do you water? they require VERY little water btw i water mine ~ 1/3 cup max once per week

?????   Mine get doused heavily twice a week during the summer and some of them have been living (and blooming) happily for 20+ years. Phals actually like things a bit on the moist side.  Frequency of watering depends a lot on your conditions and the potting mix, but when you do water, water heavily to wet all the potting mix and to help flush accumulated salts. Bottom leaves can yellow and dies naturally as the plant ages, but often it is due to bad roots – either the potting mix has gotten too old or there too much / too much moisture around the roots.  You can carefully dump the plant part way out of the pot to check the roots. If the roots are dead and/or rotten, the potting mix is probably bad and you should repot.  I would use orchid sphagnum moss and a clay pot for a plant with damaged or no roots. deg

Response:

Hello Karen. thanks very much for answering! (below) bit of wisdom: i neglected to mention that the 2 phaelenopsis (spelling:) live in a *humid* bathRoom and get misted 2-3 times per day (avoiding the crowns) Plus 1 is in a mix of bark and peat (?) Of course, everyone grows orchids a bit differently according to each person’s individual growing conditions. But I’ve heard it stated that misting orchids is a little bit like masturbation!

<lol but seriously (FWIW) i did ask in the orchid newGroup re: misting and was told that it is fine as long as they can dry off but i’ll follow your suggestion… Orchids want to be watered completely and generously and then DRIED OUT! This is the reason why we put these epiphytic plants in very open mixes made up of various ingredients like fir bark chips, lava rock or whatever. I fear the mix you have your phals in was once like this and has now broken down. If so, misting 2-3 times a day is kind of flirting with disaster.

1 is in pure bark; the other is in the ?peat/bark? mix (they came this way) If these were my plants, I’d repot them immediately into some coarse commercial orchid mix (usually consists of fir bark/charcoal/large perlite) and cut out the misting in favor of a good, deep dousing with room-temperature water once a week or as necessary.

i have *offiicial* orchid mix and will stop (have stopped) the misting, and will rePot them… THANKS! sincerely Tanya – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – * * * * * Karen C. Southern CT / USDA Zone 6 Spammers be damned! I can’t be emailed from this account… "Gardeners know all the best dirt!"

Response:

<<  the 2 Phalaenopsis (sic) live in a *humid* bathRoom and get misted 2-3 times per day (avoiding the crowns) Plus 1 is in a mix of bark and peat I would recommend you repot both your plants into a more suitable mix. Some large garden centers sell orchid mix, or contact your nearest orchid club. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so." Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), 1818-1885

Response:

<< We recently bought a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid and we keep it inside the house.  It was blooming at the time, but since then the blooms have fallen off.  I’ve been looking for a good resource on orchid care on the web, but with little luck.  Most sites are very general. <<Can anyone tell me how/where to prune after the blooms go away? Using a sterile disposable razor blade, cut the flower stem off at its base. <<A white "fuzz" have developed on the plant and one of the two leaves has turned all yellow. I suspect you have mealy bugs. Use a good systemic insecticide & don’t fool around with ineffective soaps & home remedies. I use Orthenex. Use it now, as you will have to spray outside (it is not for indoor use). Follow the directions; spray about 3 times a week apart. In the unlikely event you have a fungus (which I doubt, as Phals usually don’t get powdery mildew), Orthenex will treat that too. You should be fertilizing regularly, as your plant needs to replace that yellow leaf. Iris, Central NY, Zone 5a, Sunset Zone 40 "The trouble with people is not that they don’t know but that they know so much that ain’t so." Josh Billings (Henry Wheeler Shaw), 1818-1885

Response:

Hello all, We recently bought a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid and we keep it inside the house.  It was blooming at the time, but since then the blooms have fallen off.  I’ve been looking for a good resource on orchid care on the web, but with little luck.  Most sites are very general.   Can anyone tell me how/where to prune after the blooms go away? A while "fuzz" have developed on the plant and one of the two leaves has turned all yellow.   Can anyone provide some help?   Thanks! Dave M.

Response:

http://www.imagine123.com/orchidtips/ – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hello all, We recently bought a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid and we keep it inside the house.  It was blooming at the time, but since then the blooms have fallen off.  I’ve been looking for a good resource on orchid care on the web, but with little luck.  Most sites are very general.   Can anyone tell me how/where to prune after the blooms go away? A while "fuzz" have developed on the plant and one of the two leaves has turned all yellow.   Can anyone provide some help?   Thanks! Dave M.

Response:

Hello all, We recently bought a Phalaenopsis or moth orchid and we keep it inside the house.  It was blooming at the time, but since then the blooms have fallen off.  I’ve been looking for a good resource on orchid care on the web, but with little luck.  Most sites are very general. Can anyone tell me how/where to prune after the blooms go away?

supposedly, you should cut the spike to 2 nodes below the lowest bloom…or you could  cut it off at the origin…(many of the orchid people suggest cutting close to the origin… many use cinnamon (the spice) on the cut part A while "fuzz" have developed on the plant and one of the two leaves has turned all yellow.

what part of the plant is the white fuzz? how often do you water? they require VERY little water btw i water mine ~ 1/3 cup max once per week Can anyone provide some help? Thanks! Dave M.

Hi Dave, if noOne from this group can answer your questions, try the following ng: rec.gardens.orchid sincerely Tanya

Response:

Filed under: Phalaenopsis Orchid

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