Very new to this, and need some help

[toddkristie19]

Hi all. I bought an orchid pot the other day. It had a few blooms, but they have fallen off. I water it, as instructed, with 8 shots of warm water once a week. I also use miracle gro orchid plant food mist once a week. I put there orchid on my patio when the temp is 65 or warmer and let it get sunlight, but very rarely direct sunlight. As you can see from the picture, there are several (what I think) spikes, but they are dark in color. They have a dark purplish color. I trimmed a couple of ends that were brown and dead, and where I cut was alive and moist. Please give me some advice. Do I keep doing what I'm doing? Do the spikes need to be cut back more? I appreciate any help you can provide. Thanks!

[Ray]

Welcome aboard, Todd.

What you have there is a pot containing several phalaenopsis plants. They like it very warm and humid, but are pretty good at adapting to the conditions we prefer. They are "deep shade" plants, so should never get direct sunlight, or they may burn.

All of those flower spikes are done blooming. If you wish, you may cut them off at the base, where they emerge from the plant. You can also leave them until they start to yellow, although many folks don't like the look.

The key to success is to keep the potting medium moist (not soppy) and airy, as orchids do much of their gas exchange processes through their roots. Try to make an assessment of the density of the potting medium.

I am not a fan of "Orchid Mist" fertilizer, as many orchids, especially phalaenopsis, have thick, waxy cuticles layers on their leaves - an adaptation intended to slow water loss - and it interferes with liquid absorption, as well. You particular product is almost entirely water (it's a 0.02-0.02-0.02 formula). If you mix it 50/50 with plain water, that's about the concentration I apply to my plants weekly.

You might also consider splitting them into individual pots as a way to prevent the sharing of pathogens. You can always place the pots back in that decorative container, then covering the pots with sheet moss of something.

[toddkristie19]

Thank you, Ray. That really helps a lot!

[pokefan_nat]

Originally Posted by Ray

Welcome aboard, Todd.

What you have there is a pot containing several phalaenopsis plants. They like it very warm and humid, but are pretty good at adapting to the conditions we prefer. They are "deep shade" plants, so should never get direct sunlight, or they may burn.

All of those flower spikes are done blooming. If you wish, you may cut them off at the base, where they emerge from the plant. You can also leave them until they start to yellow, although many folks don't like the look.

The key to success is to keep the potting medium moist (not soppy) and airy, as orchids do much of their gas exchange processes through their roots. Try to make an assessment of the density of the potting medium.

I am not a fan of "Orchid Mist" fertilizer, as many orchids, especially phalaenopsis, have thick, waxy cuticles layers on their leaves - an adaptation intended to slow water loss - and it interferes with liquid absorption, as well. You particular product is almost entirely water (it's a 0.02-0.02-0.02 formula). If you mix it 50/50 with plain water, that's about the concentration I apply to my plants weekly.

You might also consider splitting them into individual pots as a way to prevent the sharing of pathogens. You can always place the pots back in that decorative container, then covering the pots with sheet moss of something.

Yeah I was wondering the same thing. I just bought this last week and I just used it starting today. I wasn't sure if I was supposed to fertilize every week because I'm used to fertilizing every other week and I wanted to know if this was good for my cattleya orchids.

[Ray]

In my opinion, Orchid Mist is a waste of money.

Besides the fact that the majority of orchids are poor at foliar uptake, the cost is ridiculous.

What does an 8 ounce bottle cost? $5? If you bought 8 of them and mixed them 50/50 with water, you’d have one gallon of decent fertilizer for pouring into the pot for $40. If you bought a 2# jar of K-Lite from me for $22, you could make up 313 gallons of a better orchid fertilizer solution with the same nitrogen concentration @ $0.07 per gallon.

[rbarata]

All of those flower spikes are done blooming. If you wish, you may cut them off at the base, where they emerge from the plant. You can also leave them until they start to yellow, although many folks don't like the look.

I never cut the spikes and I wouldn't do it. Many Phals bloom more than once from the same spike. If they are dry, that's ok. If not, keep them...maybe you get a surprise.