Newbie with questions

[Piper23]

Thank you in advance!

I was gifted a collection of orchids as a housewarming gift last summer (pics attached).

Current care:
I live in the Northeast and they are in an East facing window receiving morning sun.

They are potted in a mixture of bark and moss, and I re-potted them last month for the first time. I trimmed dead roots but there were active roots.

I have been watering once per week, ensuring that the core is not continuously wet during the week.

I have recently started fertilizing weekly using a fertilizer sold to me by an orchid grower- it is "20-10-20 plus trace elements, no Boron".

A few questions:

- can someone identify the types for me? I am a former biologist and would love to learn more about each one.

- Most of them look healthy but the one with the large brown/yellow leaf isn't looking too great, and two of them have leaves that look like something took a bite out of them

- None of them have flowered or have signs of stem growth since I got them. They are producing new leaves (except the one with the large brown leaf).

I am open to any and all tips/suggestions/recommendations

---------------

In the second picture there appears to be a moth-eaten spot on one of the leaves. I now see one on a second orchid. Can someone tell me that this is likely to be?





Thank you!

[Roberta]

First, Welcome!
Most of these are Phalaenopsis. I can't see the one on the far right of the group well enough to tell what it is. The Phals all look dehydrated to me. The mix is quite chunky, so will tend to dry out fast. (The fresh medium will dry much faster than the old medium that you replaced when you repotted.) I would water more frequently. A trick for learning the "how often" part... water the plants well, then weigh on a kitchen scale or postal scale. The next day weigh again. When the rate of water loss flattens out (not much more water to evaporate) it's time to water again. The one with the yellowing leaf looks particularly dehydrated. That one may not make it, the others with new leaf growth should be OK.

Depending on parentage, many hybrid Phals tend to bloom in fall/winter. The main reason for a healthy plant not blooming is insufficient light. Phals are low-light plants, but need more hours of good light than they got last winter. Summer should be fine. But as days shorten, you might want to consider some supplemental light (a full-spectrum LED light, 12 hours a day) Don't need grow light for just supplementing what nature provides, just generic full-spectrum.

[estación seca]

I think the one on the right is a Cattleya alliance plant. I agree they all look wrinkled and dessicated. You will need to water frequently in large bark with holes in the pots.

The Phals are fine in shade. They don't ever need sun on their leaves. They do need longer winter days than you get naturally, as Roberta mentioned.

The Cattleya needs a lot more light than do the Phals, especially in winter. It should almost dry out between waterings.

[Mugsie]

What Roberta said. They are definitely dehydrated.

[tmoney]

welcome to the ob!

the plants (as others have said, mostly phalaenopsis) are probly the most versatile and forgiving of the orchids, so no stress. even tho they may be a bit dehydrated, with some consistent care they should come back no problem. all i wanted to add was not to worry if the wrinkly leaves don'timmediately plump up again. in fact, they may always be a bit wrinkly and floppy, even if the plant is coming back into good overall health.

edit to add: if there is ANY draft or breeze going over them from an open window or door, then they will dry out much faster. in summer, if we have to water our phals more than once a week, it is because they are plants sitting in the main breezeway of our apartment and the plants to the side of the room are fine with still once a week watering. not sure if this applies to your east facing situation, but worth remembering!

so, enjoy, and have fun! best of luck getting your phals back in action...

[Piper23]

1. As the days shorten, would a grow light be okay for them instead of an LED? I have a grow light usually on for other reasons. Is it okay to include the non-phal one of them as well under the grow light?


2. I appreciate the watering information. I have read that overwatering is never great-- when I have been watering the media is definitely dry but when I feel the core it is still damp...is that okay if still damp?

3. Can you suggest your favorite potting media?

4. Can you infer anything from the colors of the leave? Most are dark green

Any other newbie tips? Better fertilizer than the one I am using? Any thing else?

Thanks again

[Roberta]

1. Grow light is fine (as opposed to generic LED) but not necessary. If you already have one, then certainly you can use it. For Phals, they don't want a lot of intensity but they do need light duration (enough light hours) to bloom.

2. You can't water by the calendar... so many factors affect the rate of drying. The goal for Phals (and many other orchids that are dominant epiphytes like Catts) is "humid air" not "wet". So a chunky medium with lots of air lets you water more frequently. Ray (who posts often here) says it so well... orchids die not because of too much water, but rather from not enough air. (Of course, a soggy, broken down medium holds both too much water and not enough air). So if the medium is open and airy, you really can't overwater.

3. Such a wide choice of media... I like Orchiata bark (medium size for phals, large for Catts), works well under my conditions. Other people use LECA or lava rock to good effect. Some even cut up wine corks. The goal is, again, "humid air" ... and there are many ways to accomplish that.

4 For Phals, dark green leaves are fine. Maybe with more light they will have lighter color, depeonds on the plant.

5. Fertilizer is the least important cultural factor. Get everything else right, then the fine points of fertilizing may make a difference. Whatever you have is probably fine, as long as the first number (Nitrogen) is equal to, or higher than, the other numbers. Look for Ray's notes on fertilizing, or check out his website.

[Dalachin]

I live in the northeast too! Your phals are in lovely airy pots… I have found my phals really like a double pot… put the airy pot inside a solid liner pot (could be a decorative glazed ceramic or a yogurt container or any plastic from the recycling that fits. It creates a humid, airy environment that the roots love. Once a week watering with a good soak for the bark might be fine if you have a double pot to hold the humidity.

It is summer now, but make sure they stay warm when it gets cool… seedling heat mats are essential for me.

Except in south facing windowsill, I need grow lamps to make anything bloom!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

You can grow orchids under LED lights from The Home Depot as long as the output is high enough to grow the particular orchid in question (I’d recommend anything around 1,200 lumens output). You can use an inexpensive lamp socket with reflector that costs you about $10. Play around with the distance you can place the orchid from the lights and you’re golden!

Anything with a Kelvin temperature of 5,000K to 6,500K is fine.

You may use a timer to automate timing of your lights any way you wish. I like Leviton timers, they’re programmable by cellphone.

Color of leaves can infer a number of things and is highly contextual.

Dark green leaves can mean insufficient lighting or it could be the plant’s natural degree of pigmentation.

Yellow or orange could mean too much light, underwatering, or overwatering, or it is natural because the leaves naturally become deciduous.

Red/purple leaves may mean high light exposure, but not enough to cause burn, or in some cases, it is natural (particularly if the red/purple is underneath the leaf).

Beige usually means leaf got burned from too much light exposure.

Pronounced black spotting could mean it was overwatered or it was grown too cold.

If the leaves have watery discolored patches they were likely overwatered or received cold damage.

To diagnose plant health via leaf coloration takes practice.

The easier way to determine orchid health is through their roots. The bigger the root system, the likelier they are to be resilient. There are a good number of orchids that can lose all their leaves, but have a surviving root system in place and still grow back! Phalaenopsis is one of those.

For Phal hybrids like the ones you have, either large grade bark or large grade coconut husk chips work fine. The pot should have enough drainage holes for water to drain out and not collect anywhere inside. Roots growing in sitting water for extended periods of time has the potential to cause root death.

Orchids die rather slow, btw.

If when you water and the core is still wet, you can either place broken pieces of ceramic pot in the center of the pot, then place the plant with potting media over it, or you may use styrofoam or another smaller pot inside.

Aside from the traditional looking pots, “orchid pots” could be another option.

[realoldbeachbum]

Welcome to OB, Piper. I am relatively new to orchids, so I have no advice to provide; however, these fine folks on the OB know their stuff!!! I also use this site when struggling with pest/diseases: St. Augustine Orchid Society - North Florida Orchid Growing
Happy growing! ROBB