Neglected orchids - advice and identification needed (tons of linked images)

[natasha]

hi again...

my fave book is 4 seasons of orchids Amazon.com: Four Seasons of Orchids: Greg Allikas, Ned Nash: Books
i love the pictures especially, and they have a repotting guide that is very easy to see for many common genus of orchids - cattleya, cymbidiums, dendrobiums, vanda etc. i love this book so much even though i'm living in the tropics instead of temperate. he also aspire me to be a better photographer...

to me, its better to leave a sick plant as it is, no need to divide. let it have all the energy that is left to regenerate. just cut away the sick and useless part and hope for the best for it to recover.

anyway, i also don't know many of my orchid names. only a handful is known as in here, many plants are sold without tags. nevertheless, my plants still thrive (but some also died!). so, i think, being able to recognise the name is a bonus (but i know the genus or alliance!). but i'm still very new too and still spend lots of time looking for good books and websites.

p/s: somehow i can't open you links... but its ok, i understand your wonderful problem. hey, free orchids are great!

[snow]

before i.d do anything at all, i,d water the crap out of them.you,d be surprised how many of them will turn around. once you see some growth you can start repotting.
at least that is what i wuold do. it is very easy to get overwhelmed with so many orchids in need of you,re care.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

I'd be careful about "watering the crap" out of the Dendrobiums.

Many of the ones in the pics are not all that dessicated. A few good waterings and they'll perk right back up.

They're just messy and need a good make-over.

[natasha]

btw, in my other book, there is an advise to use coconut water or glucose water to supply energy to neglected orchid plant. i have never try it, but this book is great ..::Orchids of Asia by Teoh Eng Soon::..

anyway, like snow said, you should start to water them. then buy the repotting supplies - this cost a lot, buy in bulk and make friend with the supplier. also, constantly make research, books & internet - also societies & orchid people nearby. good luck! i wish you can save the chids!

[Diamond Maverick]

Thanks for the advice guys.

natasha: Those look like some cool books. I have a book on ... I guess identification of orchids, but some of the flowers look the same to me (esp the yellow bunches). I must look into those books.

King: What is potbound, exactly?

And for future reference: If an orchid is mounted, and the thing it's on is rotted, how would you replant it? Or would you just leave it on the rotted mount?

[natasha]

hi again,
maybe you can ask others what are good book for beginners. 4 seasons of orchids are actually for temperate growers (but i really like the pics!) but the orchids of asia is for asian growers...

[phearamedusa]

http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q...s/Plants15.png apart from the minor damage to the leaves I think this plant looks pretty good. It's a dendrobium also, and doesn't need repotting until it fills the pot (hence the term pot bound) or even starts to overgrow the sides of it.
I copied this picture from another site, so you can see the frilly/hairy lip of anosmum http://i299.photobucket.com/albums/m...9/DSC00043.jpg http://www.aquagemorchids.com/orchids/d_anosmum.jpg

There are some really good books available, I just got The Dendrobiums by Howard P. Wood. This is a reference book in my opinion. It seems to cover everything you could want to know about this type of orchid and then some. You may not ever find out the exact name of the orchids you plan to care for, but by knowing which group they belong to you can take better care of their basic needs correctly.

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Potbound refers to the roots being confined to a pot size that is snug enough to fit the root mass in. And the roots can continue to keep growing in the same sized pot until it grows to what appears like a solid mass over time.

For example:

If you own a Dendrobium and the living root mass is the size of your fist, then you'd find a pot that is roughly the size of your fist and plant the Dendrobium in it.

Conversely, over potting refers to potting a plant in a pot that is far larger than the root mass is.

For example:

Again using the Dendrobium with living root mass the size of your fist. If you use a pot that's twice the size of the root mass, which is roughly twice the size of your fist, then you've over potted it.

As far as the mount falling apart...

Usually the mounts that fall apart are tree fern fiber mounts. If this is in really bad shape, I suggest carefully removing the plant from the mount and either potting them up or re-mount them on a fresh mount. It's up to you.

I've given a little bit of information to go on (keep in mind this is simplified information). I suggest reading a few books. They can give you more detailed information. They're out there, you just have to look for them. These books are not always easy to find because they're not "popular" amongst the general public.

[natasha]

amazon have quite a bunch of orchid book. but i actually prefer to go to the bookstore - read the book to see whether it is suitable for my need or not. otherwise, i prefer to spend my money on orchids or their needs

[phearamedusa]

DM

here's a picture of one of my dendro's this plant is probably in need of being repotted. some of yours could go down a pot size.