How to tell what type of Orchid I have and how to care for it

[LesaJT]

Ok I have had this orchid for about 6 months. It is about 3-4 ft tall. But it is bent down/over. I have it in potting soild which I think was not the best idea. I want it about every 5-6 days. I also put water in the plate below it bewcause I heard that orvchids like the humidity from the evaporation. I have it sitting on the floor in the kitchen the lighting is mild. I have windows on the east and west sides. I try to open the blinds daily. It is indirect light. The windows are about 20 ft from the plant. The pot it was in was too small so I rewpotted it in potting soil 3 months ago. It has about 6 bulbs sticking out. The flowers fell off after a coupkde of weeks of having it. The highs and lows in the house stay pretty much the same 70 at night and 70-80 in the day. We have a swamp cooler that cools the hosue and produces humidity in the house when it is too hot and a little humid out. The humidity in the house right now is 65%. Temp is 76. It is 7:30 pm. Hope this is enough info. Thanks.
Lesa

[Zoi2]

Lesa, here is a basic cymbidium care sheet.
AOS Cymbidium Culture Sheet
Joann

[Amanda L]

Hi Lesa, Welcome to Orchid Board!

You definitely need to get it out of the potting soil. The leaves could be drooping due to root rot. Un-pot it and take a look at the roots. If they are mushy they need to be snipped off. If they are firm then leave them. If you are watering every 5-6 days in regular potting soil, then root rot is probably the problem. The best thing to do is get some medium grade fir bark and re-pot it. Remember that the pot need only be as big as the root system. I would also recommend a root growth hormone, such as KLN or SuperThrive. This will help with getting some new roots. If you don't have any roots or just a few roots, don't give up on the plant. Orchids are a lot hardier than people give them credit for.

Your temps and humidity seem fine to me. I would move it closer to the window though.

Definitely read the care sheet that Joann posted.

Good Luck and let us know how things turn out.

[ChasWG]

Ouch!!!! Potting soil???? I sure hope it survives that mistake. One I almost made a few years back.

Learning how to take care of your plants and seeing them not only survive, but thrive is a really cool thing. It's neat being able to say, "I helped that plant to do that!"

Good luck!

[WhiteRabbit]

Definitely repot into medium bark chips or cocohusk chips. Soil along with leaving it sitting in a saucer of water has probably rotted the roots - the good news is cyms can take a lot of abuse - and definitely can grow new good roots.
cyms also like a lot of sun - I don't think yours is likely getting enough as you have it situated now.
I wouldn't worry too much about the humidity 65% is plenty! I grow cyms outdoors in frequently quite low humidity. You haven't said where you live - but if you are able to grow outdoors where it can get a fair amount of sun - morning or afternoon, not mid-day ideally, that would be the best. Many cyms are 'cool growers' - they like cool damp nights, and actually need cool temps in fall to initiate flowering. They can remain outdoors til nights get below 40.
They do need the potting medium to be moist at all times - but not soggy, so a well draining mix is needed. Mine are potted in a mix of fir bark, perlite, a bit of charcoal, and some styro packing pnuts. Get watered 1 - 3 times a week in summer depending on how hot and dry it is.

Hope this helps