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| Hello all,
I'm completely new to orchids, and this is -I'm sure- a familiar story ;). I stopped by HD to pick up a lavender for my balcony and saw these beautiful plants. I picked one up as a hostess gift for a friend, and saw one I HAD to have for myself. The purple one I picked for her started dropping blossoms, so I had to get another, etc. So now I have 3 Phals, lol. Oh-and she loves the one I gave her.
Anyway, I wondered if you can tell me if I'm going the right direction. They are 3" and potted in what looks like sawdust, but I understand its very tightly packed moss. They were completely dry and the mixture was so hydrophobic, water ran off it. I soaked the pots for about 15 minutes in lightly fertilized water, blew any water off the base of the leaves and let them drain. They look great and the one has stopped dropping blossoms. I understand that they like being pot-bound, but want to re-pot soon- maybe in 4"? in some Phal potting mix. I read that Phals are ok being potted while in bloom and conversely not to do so unless necessary...so wait or not?
Are these Phalaenopsis as I have guessed? Any advice welcome. And yes, lol, I'm hooked. I'm already looking at some more exotic ones, but am resisting. At least until I know I can care for these properly... Thanks!
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Follow-Up Postings:
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| Hello, I am a newbie as well so take my advise with a grain of salt. Hopefully someone more experienced with chime in. They look like phal's to me. Regarding whether or not to repot, from my personal experience and by reading on the forum, the majority of plants that you'll pick up in stores are not in an ideal potting medium. You will put your plant at risk of dropping flowers if you repot it, but you'll probably decrease the risk of getting root rot and killing the plant. If I were you I would repot in a larger pot (maybe by 1 or 2 inches diameter) and some fresh mix. While it is not an ideal time to repot (in bloom, also autumn/fall), I think the risk is outweighed by the likely low quality, tightly packed non-draining medium that most of these store bought plants are in. |
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| Maybe you should seek advice from local orchid societies to get tips appropriate to your growing conditions. The following notes that may assist. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Orchid notes
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- Posted by terrestrial_man 9 (eyuracleo@hotmail.com) on Sun, Nov 4, 12 at 3:41
| From what I can see of your plants they look good. In fact the root bound one looks great. I would not repot it as long as it is doing great. The roots appear to look nicely white to greenish which is healthy. Your general culture appears OK but do not let the plants pots sit in water all the time-soak and drain thoroughly and set out of water. Also your fertilizer is for plant growth not flowering. You may want to check out Miracle Grow All Purpose food with a formula of 24-8-16 and feed when in active growth at half strength at every watering. With the Phallys humidity is important and the use of humidity trays may help the plants. |
Here is a link that might be useful: Robert Fuchs phalaenopsis culture info
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| Thank you all for the responses! @beachape, I appreciate the encouragement, we'll both learn as we go. I have potting mixture ready for the right time :D @arthurm, A very useful link- it'll help me adjust advice to my circumstances! @terrestrial man, thanks for the evaluation, its good to know they are ok for now! I have carefully cut some slits down the sides of the clear containers to make sure the roots breathe and drain enough. Here are photos of the other 2, to my untrained eye, they seem to be ok as well?   Meanwhile I can decorate the 4" clay pots and use them as cache pots. I'll have a look for another fertilizer, the one I mentioned is "Miracle-Gro Orchid Food" (yep, it does suggest growth more than bloom). I have Shultz 2-7-7 Cactus and Succulent, Fish and Poop 9-6-2 and Miracle-Gro Rose 18-24-16... |
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| Totally agree with terrestrial man. Your plants look very healthy. Don't fool with them! I would not fertilize at all now, it is not necessary and could cause some buds to blast. Also, watch your water quality if using tap. Enjoy, you got yourself some beautiful Phals. Jane |
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| I also agree don't do anything with them at the moment. I can tell by the type container that they are in that they were imported just like that in tightly packed spagnum moss. Just make sure that the spatnum moss is really dry before rewatering. The ones that I have in my house like that take about 12 or 14 to dry out. |
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| Thanks, jane ny and bob8! I use aged or filtered tap water. It's city water, treated, but is on the hard, alkaline side, so I have a pur filter. I also have 3 aquariums and treat their water with peat, so I can easily do that . I'll set aside the ferts for now. I have cut slits in the sides of the plastic pots to ensure drainage and air circulation. We are pretty dry here, but I'll keep track of moisture. The terra-cotta will make good cachepots. Thanks for all the responses :D |
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