Bought my first orchid the other day - says it needs "food"?

[nutgirl]

Did you mean that the leaves had fallen of the plant or that the stalk that held the flowers has no leaves?

If the flower stalk is finished blooming cut it off at the base. If you have not inspected the roots, you should. You can pull the plant out of the pot, shake off the potting mix and see if there is any rot.

If it looks good you can repot back in the same pot (if it has good drainage) and medium if it is not too decomposed. It won't hurt the plant to do this.

Phalaenopsis like warm temps so don't keep it in a room that is too cool or has drafts.

Maureen

[agoutihead]

Originally Posted by nutgirl

Did you mean that the leaves had fallen of the plant or that the stalk that held the flowers has no leaves?

If the flower stalk is finished blooming cut it off at the base. If you have not inspected the roots, you should. You can pull the plant out of the pot, shake off the potting mix and see if there is any rot.

If it looks good you can repot back in the same pot (if it has good drainage) and medium if it is not too decomposed. It won't hurt the plant to do this.

Phalaenopsis like warm temps so don't keep it in a room that is too cool or has drafts.

Maureen

Did you mean that the leaves had fallen of the plant or that the stalk that held the flowers has no leaves? -

Isnt that the same thing?

When I bought it, it actually had a couple of unopened pods actually. I probably got maybe 6 weeks or more of it in full bloom. And I got it with like 8 full bloomed flowers already.

I guess I got lucky and got a good one?

I havent cut the stem, but it does look like its starting to die.

So youre saying cut it off at the soil, or below the soil?

I'll unpot & check roots & then repot in the same medium as I believe its still good.

Then I need to bring it in the warmer parts of the house?

Do I need to water or feed it?

[nutgirl]

I'm sorry, I was confused (that happens alot lately).
I thought your orchid had lost it's leaves also.

The general practice is to cut the finished flower spike at the bottom just above the first node. Usually about an inch or so from where it grew out of the main plant.

Phalaenopsis don't like cool, drafty conditions. If you are comfortable it will be comfortable.

It doesn't like to dry out completely but it will rot if it is in soggy potting medium. Make sure yours drains easily and is still "chunky" not like potting soil. It looks like you have a clear pot so just look for condensation on the inside, that will tell you that you don't need to water yet.

I forgot to say that was a really pretty orchid.

Maureen

[Sammy]

Originally Posted by RosieC

There are a variety of mediums for orchids. I use bark or Cocunut Husk Chips (CHC) mixed with a bit of perlite. If you use bark it should be stuff bought for orchids, not the stuff used in the garden.
Choosing Potting Media

Hi RosieC,

I see you use CHC's with your phals... i was wondering where you get them from. I cant find it any where round here.. do you order them online? If so, where from?

At the moment i am thinking of repotting into a mix of orchid mix, expanded clay pebbles and perlite. do you think this will be "airy" enough for them?

Thanks

Sammy

[agoutihead]

Originally Posted by nutgirl

I'm sorry, I was confused (that happens alot lately).
I thought your orchid had lost it's leaves also.

The general practice is to cut the finished flower spike at the bottom just above the first node. Usually about an inch or so from where it grew out of the main plant.

Phalaenopsis don't like cool, drafty conditions. If you are comfortable it will be comfortable.

It doesn't like to dry out completely but it will rot if it is in soggy potting medium. Make sure yours drains easily and is still "chunky" not like potting soil. It looks like you have a clear pot so just look for condensation on the inside, that will tell you that you don't need to water yet.

I forgot to say that was a really pretty orchid.

Maureen

What is a "node"? that little whitish ring around the stem towards the base?

Because thats where I cut it above...

[RosieC]

Originally Posted by Sammy

Hi RosieC,

I see you use CHC's with your phals... i was wondering where you get them from. I cant find it any where round here.. do you order them online? If so, where from?

At the moment i am thinking of repotting into a mix of orchid mix, expanded clay pebbles and perlite. do you think this will be "airy" enough for them?

Thanks

Sammy

Hi Sammy,

I get it online.
Orchid Accessories - www.orchidaccessories.co.uk

Peter there is really helpful and knowledgeable, I've spoken to him a couple of times when I needed help deciding what I needed to buy. He sells a range of mediums and I was very impressed by the quality of the bark & CHC that I bought.

I use mixes of large bark, small bark, medium CHC and perlite. I vary the proportions in the mix depending on the orchid I will be potting and use more of the large bark and less of the small if I want an airy mix. I've never tried clay pelets so can't comment on them.

[nutgirl]

Originally Posted by agoutihead

What is a "node"? that little whitish ring around the stem towards the base?

Because thats where I cut it above...

The places on the spike where flower buds can develop are called nodes. There are usually several the length of the spike. They look like sleeves that the spike is growing out of. Sometimes there is a white ring at the base also. Sounds like you did it right.

Maureen