Orchid Growers?

[goldenluver]

Quote:
waste of money, it is hard to refill them, one of those bottle kind with a removable top is better

 

[chicken boy sam]

Oh..... too bad, I saw a few at the dollar store!

 

[cheri222]

I am just getting back into orchids again. I love them. Nothing blooming right now. Im back up to about 8. The house plants and the chickens help me keep my sanity.

 

[seismic wonder2]

Quote:
Dont repot it!!!
Phalaenopsis like to be somewhat root bound. let the roots creep over the edge of the pot. it's cool!
They like 60 to 75% humidity and slightly warmer that room temp. DON'T OVERWATER! when it's root bound it can get root rot if you water too often.

to water I'd just plunk it in a bowl of water for a few minutes then hang it up to air dry. Water about once every week or two but no more. spritz with a fine mist water sprayer once in the AM and once in the PM just to keep the himidity up.
Those things are almost indestructable.

 

[chicken boy sam]

Thanks for the tips! I'll have to buy a water-sprayer.... Do you spritz the plant or the soil?

 

[MrsDuck]

My late aunt and uncle were REALLY into orchids. They even wrote a couple of encyclopedia like books about them. Anyhoo, their orchid green thumb did not rub off on me, but their advice sure helped! I had an orchid that wouldn't bloom, wouldn't bloom, wouldn't bloom. So they suggested letting it dry out and put it in a darkish place, and then move it to a filtered sunlit window. Sure enough! That's probably why it worked so well for Booker81!

I have five orchids in my west facing window above the kitchen sink. It would be too hot for them there in the summer, but I grow basil right out that window and it filters the light for them. They bloom a LOT! It's awesome! I think the humidity from the kitchen sink really helps, and they definitely don't get over-watered.

Another way to get higher humidity is to put a tray or plate with rocks in it and fill it with water, and then set the plant on top of that. Just don't let the roots touch the water.

Anyway, here is a shot of three of them. They all just dropped their flowers, so I'm bloomless at the moment thus the old picture. And I've added a couple since this was taken... (this was actually a picture of our new sink a couple of years ago, but it timed out with lots of pretty flowers, too.)

 

[Chickerdoodle13]

I have a few orchids. I had gotten some really neat ones from an orchid show a few years back, but they just didn't really do all that well. They were supposed to be easier ones to care for too. The ones that do the best for me are the phalaenopsis orchids. I haven't been able to get my original one to bloom for a couple years though. It bloomed two years in a row and hasn't for the past two. I think I have three pure phalaenopsis orchids and one hybrid. Two of the orchids I bought out of bloom and I haven't been able to get them to bloom since I've had them. They grow new massive leaves quite often though, so I wonder if that's why they haven't bloomed. Those two that haven't bloomed are humongous! I have a few pictures of my original orchid I'll have to dig up to show you guys!

 

[Bleenie]

Ahhh... It's been forever since I have had an Orchid. I think I will stop at a local store that I know sells them and see if they have any nice ones tomorrow... I am very jelous looking at this thread!

 

[chicken boy sam]

Anything blooming? My spider plant is doing well, and I just got my mom an amaryllis for her birthday, but I have to take care of it since she isn't good at it. We also got a poinsettia. Any care tips for that?

 

[flgardengirl]

I just bought a bunch of orchids at Lowes off the clearance racks. Some were in 8 inch pots for only 3 dollars. They are done blooming which is why the mark them down plus they don't want to hold them over the winter. I sometimes find the smaller orchids that are in the netting packaging on clearance at Home Depot in January and Feb.

How about orchid cactus? Does anyone else grow those? I got about 45 different cuttings last year to root.