A strange find-- Big Lots - Orchid Board

Pilot · #1 03-20-2009, 02:08 AM

Hi All--

I'm brand new to the forum-- and though I'm brand new to orchids, I consider myself a pretty good gardener.

So my wife stopped by Big Lots today (a closeout sort of store that often sells some great things and some not-so-gret things for really cheap). And to her surprise she found orchids!! She bought two thinking she liked the flowers and thought she'd surprise me with two new plants (I'm addicted to plants, I won't apologize for it!).

They're both Phals and frankly, I'm shocked how nice they are. Again, I'm new to orchids but they have healthy leaves (from what I've read and researched) and they have loads of roots-- both in the soil and aerial. I do believe they need to be repotted but to only to include the aerial roots into the soil, too. What do you think?

The soil-- or medium-- is a mixture of bark, perlite and what I think might be charcoal. I've read loads of recipes for orchid potting mixes and this seems to be a descent one for it is loose airy and though it is plenty moist it doesn't stay "wet."

So I plan on heading to the garden center nearby (I'm in Parker CO, so I go to Tagawas) and getting some CLEAR pots and the potting mix they use on their orchids.

I do have one other orchid but it is a little young to bloom-- it is currently in the sphag moss-- its a Phal Schilleriana. Should I move it to a looser, more free soil, too? I do live in Colorado so humidity-- lack thereof-- is an issue but we have a humidifier giving its all and our inside humidity is, I'm guessing, about 50-60% (outside today it was 9!). I also have them sitting on a tray with water in it with marbles that set them out of the water to help with a higher localized humidity.

Light is also an issue but I have them in an east-facing window now. While they flower they'll stay there-- and then move into my grow-room which has a fair amount of grow lights helping things along.

Tonight when we got the plant back to the flat, they were quite dry so I watered them with room temp water with some liquid fert (I used only partial dosing so as not to shock the plants)-- the fertilizer is a fish emulsion and has worked will with my other plants-- so hopefully this will do the trick too.

I'll post pics tomorrow when it is light out.

Any advice on what else I can do to help these guys? Again, from what I've read and researched these plants aren't bad off at all-- just a little dry and probably need their aerial roots tucked in.

I appreciate your help and advice.

Ryan

Zoi2 · #2 03-20-2009, 02:18 AM

Hi Ryan and Welcome to the OB. It sounds like you got a deal with healthy plants from Big Lots! Do you know the names of your new phals? It also sounds like you're on your way to the "orchid addiction"

Watch the phal in spag, it has a tendency to stay a bit wet.
Joann

Lene Th. · #3 03-20-2009, 04:45 AM

Sounds like you have started a new aditction...

You seem to have read up on a hole deal, and youre plan looks nice.

Only i would not tuck the air-roots into the medium, they are not used to that conditions, and will most probably rot if you do so.
Just give them a light mist every morning instead, that will do the trick!

Phals are not the most humidity needy chids, as long as you are doing what you plan to, and maybe put the chids together, with other plants as well, i dont think humidity will be a big issue.
They are not the most needy about direct light either, and you should be carefull with the sun. To mutch will cause burning pretty fast.
Phals wants good light, but not direct sun.
When you fertilize, remember to flush with plain water from time to time as well, to prevent too mutch salt building up in the medium.

The other thing you should remember, is to buy pot with dreinage. That is important, as the phals like it moist but airy, and never wet.
Clear pot is good, both for the plant s chids are able to photosynteize using the roots, and for you to keep a closer eye on the condition to the plant.

Before you repot, let the medium stay over night(some prefers 24 hours) in water to become moist.
And let the chid stay in water for an houre or so, before removing the old medium. This will make is easyer on the roots.

There are planty of people with mucth knoledge about fertilizing and other growing products here, i can not adwise you on about that.

Good luck! And keep us posted!

Pilot · #4 03-20-2009, 11:42 AM

Thanks Zoi2 and Lene--

Quick question for you both (and anyone else out there)-- if I want to repot these guys, is it best to wait until after they flower? I really haven't a good idea how the roots look inside their potting medium but if I go by how they plant looks in general and the fact that the potting mix is quite loose, airy and was rather dry, I would suspect the roots were at least a little dry too but not rotted.

I have misted both plants' aerial roots and some have plumped up-- so if you say I should keep them out of the pot, I will.

I just keep reading things about bud blast and it seems any major change whether persistent or fleeting will cause it. So I'm hesitant to repot into a new pot if it means losing the flowers.

thanks--
Ryan

Pilot · #5 03-20-2009, 03:58 PM

Here are some pics of the orchids I have newly acquired:

caseydoll · #6 03-20-2009, 06:11 PM

Your phals are just gorgeous! The colors are beautiful too.

You can repot them when in flower, usually with no ill effects. A lot of people (me included) repot every orchid when it's brought home regardless of if it is flower. That's just because you never know what is lurking below. Sometimes the orchid can look completely healthy even though it has rotted roots. But you do take a chance of losing a bloom. I usually have no problems with that. I just have everything ready to go and transplant it quick. I don't know if that makes a difference but it has worked for me!

If you think the bark mix looks pretty fresh and you can see some good roots down below you can wait until it finishes flowering. The choice is up to you. Maybe you can post some pics of the root area and we can help you decide.

Pilot · #7 03-20-2009, 06:24 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by caseydoll

Your phals are just gorgeous! The colors are beautiful too.

You can repot them when in flower, usually with no ill effects. A lot of people (me included) repot every orchid when it's brought home regardless of if it is flower. That's just because you never know what is lurking below. Sometimes the orchid can look completely healthy even though it has rotted roots. But you do take a chance of losing a bloom. I usually have no problems with that. I just have everything ready to go and transplant it quick. I don't know if that makes a difference but it has worked for me!

If you think the bark mix looks pretty fresh and you can see some good roots down below you can wait until it finishes flowering. The choice is up to you. Maybe you can post some pics of the root area and we can help you decide.

Thanks Sarah! You know I tried to check the roots when I brought them home but the medium was so loose that it would have made a huge mess and it was too late for that!

And so the purple one (no idea of their names) actually came in a clear plastic pot and I couldn't see much at all-- I suspect this is new medium the sellers put the plants in...who knows. But I have some new medium soaking in water now in prep for repotting. If the first one goes ok I'll do them all.

Best of all, my wife is thrilled with them!

camille1585 · #8 03-20-2009, 08:01 PM

Nice phals!! They look really nice.

Love the white one with the pink lip!

Pilot · #9 03-20-2009, 08:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by camille1585

Nice phals!! They look really nice.

Love the white one with the pink lip!

Thanks Camille-- might you have an IDs for these guys? The only one I think I could guess at based on a book I have is the yellow one-- I think it might be Brother Passat? It looks similar to the pics but these things are so subjective.

Lene Th. · #10 03-20-2009, 08:05 PM

Gorgeous blooming!

I understand why youre wife bought them...

About re-potting, there are several theories about how and when...
I usually repot as soon as possible after bringing the new chid home, but there is a risk loosing the flowers by dooing that.
But.. if the roots are in bad condition, you risk loosing the hole plant if you dont repot.
And the only way to know for sure, is by looking at the roots. Then you have already stressed the chid, so why not just repot at the same time, instead of later and stress the chid several times...?

The reason i repot after buying a new chid, is simply that my medium is best in my growing-conditions.
And sometimes there are too mutch moss in the chid from the store. The way i grow, the medium wont dry quickly enough, and i risk root-rot.
I grow most of mine in S/H, but to repot into that kind of different medium, there should be some new growth. I try to only buy chids where i see new roots, but if there is none, i either repot into regular bark-medium the first time, or i repot into S/H without new root-growth, depending on witch kind of chid it is.