HELP!! I had 8 down to 4 more thank likely 4

[Tcup]

I bought 1 lonely orchid about 2 years ago, it looked lovely with deep reddish purple flowers and I feel in love. I have since been given and purchased a few more however they are slowly fading away.
I have 5 left, I think one might be gone so probably 4 left and need helpful advise on reviving them.


To boot i only know the names of 2 of them
I believe they are all den.'s though well i am really not sure about Orchid 5
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Because I am not sure if i posted the pics right you can see them at
http://photos.yahoo.com/amy_bush@sbcglobal.net
Thank You

[esungirl]

I can't see the picture, it's not coming up. So I don't know what to say.

[Tcup]

http://new.photos.yahoo.com/amy_bush...bal.net/albums

CLick on the funny looking thumbnail and you'll see my poor babies

Thanks
Amy B

[justatypn]

Tcup .. I pulled up your s from yahoo and I will try to help the best I can, but bare with me I am not the expert here by no means. I will take from your verbage...

Orchid 5 - it looks like the dend is in a bowl is there sufficient drainage for this chid when watering? From s orchid 5 looks like it has been over-watered and rotting.

Orchid 3, sorry it looks like a goner to me, dried roots, shriveled psuedo

Orchid 4 looks good to me, give it some time proper care and will produce similar to Orchid 2

Orchid 2, looks pretty healthy to me

Orchid 1 looks good with a keiki, which can be carefully cut and with a bit of patience and tlc will produce a nice Sens Red.

What are your conditions, apparently your an indoor grower? Lighting? Watering regimen? Fert.

Dend like medium light and are drought tolerant, I watered mine every 7-10 days and they let me know they were unhappy and have changed to every 5-7 days and with my conditions has allowed them to dry a couple inches below the top of them medium, fert every other watering weakly of course and mist every other day as well as humidity around 60%. Hope this helps....

[Tcup]

i have them all in an orchid blend mix mostly wood chips and charcol, i mixed some larger lava rocks in the bigger pots. I do not water very often when i do i soak them for about 2-5 minutes in warm water and then let them drain well outside (before it started to get cooler) I will mist them about 3 times a week. I was thinking about placing them in an aquarium to see if that would help. I want to get them in good condition and then try and get them to bloom again.
Sigh on # 3
How do you think i would be able to help out #5... i have read different post about treating injured orchids and they mention the use of Hydrogen Peroxide and root starter....any comments on that or better suggestions?

They stay inside...
I started with 8 and lost the first 3 do to something outside, not sure if it was a bug or something else but they sure bit it kinda quick

The long leave-less stalks should i leave these be or can i cut them back?


Thanks for your input


Amy B

[justatypn]

No, no, no do not cut back the leafless stalks, I read here on the OB about there being 2 different types of dend (brain dead at the moment) and this is a significant kind. As this stalk, as I call it, matures new growth starts emerging from the bottom around the medium and eventually the adult will die off. I have one dend that has a "stalk" which is 16+ inches long and most definitely being held up by a stick of bambo and typically hunch-back.

I have never heard of H2O2 being used to treat rot. Maybe someone else has and would like to know more about it if this is practical, definitely would work in a pinch, noting this as a home staple.

How long between waterings? If the psuedo is shriveled its a given the dend needs to be water more.

Your past dends that you lost did they look like orchid 5?

[Mahon]

I don't see how H2O2 could help rot... but maybe it could if it's more external?

I have to get going to sleep, so I didn't read all the posts, but it just looks like they need to be outside (if it's possible), and they basically need H2O! Do not put these plants in full sun, instead, keep them where they are (if can't put them outside because of cold), or if outside, put them in a spot where they are shaded and protected (such as the north side of a wall or your house)...

I would suggest keeping an eye out on Orchid 5, as it has a new growth coming up... as for cutting the orchids, don't... cutting bulbs off or "trimming" does not inhibit growth, but may cause infection. Sometimes, you can cut or puncture in the correct place on a plant, which will inhibit growth, but you shouldn't be attempting this now (this also includes dividing)... keep us updated on these guys! Where are you located?

-Pat

[Tcup]

The previous orchids looked more like 1-4
Orchid # 5 i am not sure if it is a Den or not
I actually got this one from my Gma, she received it as a gift and it grew very large, we separated it and i kept the smaller portion, hers is doing very well i will take a pic and post ASAP, maybe someone can help me figure out what it is.
Reading more on the care of Den's
I think i am going to repot them into smaller containers
Like #3 was in and devise a humidity try inside of the aquarium to hopefully keep them warmer
I do use fertilizer about once every other month or so
Also on my readings i have heard too much is not a good thing for them

I have decided until i can manage to keep these babies in top condition i am not going to buy anymore...that will be hard but hopefully i will not have to wait too long

Thanks for the help!!
Amy B

[Tcup]

we are in TX near Dallas
I think i will start watering them more by watering i mean soaking them more maybe take it up to once a week. I will hide the cutting tools and fight the urge to prune as i do with with my many other plants...if only orchids were my only weak spot
I just brought home 2 more plants i rescued from Walmart
i have only seperated one and that was #5 it was farely large and my gma's hers is doing quite well
I used to have moss ontop of the orchid blend mix i wonder if this is how the rot started, can it still be saved? or will it perish and i be down to 3
i hope not.

Thanks you

Amy B

[Mahon]

Amy,

It is about near impossible to tell what your #5 orchid is... it looks to be related to Oncidium...

Anyways, I think what happened to you is you started bad with orchids... Perhaps you may want to go to Wal-Mart and get one or two orchids in bloom (try and get one with more buds than blooms, that way you can enjoy the flowers longer and see how long it takes for it to progress)... I had a bad start with a Dendrobium long ago (my second orchid), but I finally realized that I was playing with it WAY too much... I may have repotted the plant in bloom about 5 times (it died)... lol... it is best to just keep the plant in its pot for a while, until you read more about them... I suggest the book "Orthos' all about Orchids", for starters... do not take conditions too literally, as everyone has different growing factors... I can keep Dracula alive in heat, while the books say it is impossible...

I wouldn't worry too much on your plants that you have now (I would even have a hard time getting those to bloom!), but keep them in a spot where you don't have to see them all the time (they tend to suprise you when you are not looking)... Hope this helps...

-Pat

Basically, I am not