What am I doing wrong - Orchid Board

exotika · #1 01-16-2010, 04:59 AM

Hi everyone ! I am new again on OB , I had an account here last year when I tried saving my phals ... sadly they died. but I learned to keep a better eye on them and not over water them ! Yay

Well I ended up creating a new account because I forgot what my last one was :O

So Since then I went to my first Orchid show , and got 2 orchids..

- Phal. Venosa which is a baby, lil thing , was told it should bloom in 1-2 years
It has gorwn a new leaf ,but the other leaves arnt doing well. 3 leaves total , roots look good, but no further growth ??? not sure what I am doing wrong ...

- Blc " mendenhall" Ocanee Am/AOS
Grew a new leaf now one of the stubs things is browning

I dont really know much about cataleyas. When is it gonna bloom ? I mist them atleast once a day. I use Schultz medium + moss on top.
I also use Schultz orchid food and put it in the mist bottle.

I tried and bring them ( as often as I can ) in the washroom when I shower so they can get some humidity and moisture ?

They sit in front of the window with my other plants. It's a pretty big window, but doesnt get direct sunlite. Because it been clowdy and sunless, I put a lamp ( LED light bulb) Ok yes not the best option but for now it will have to do......

orkie · #2 01-16-2010, 09:43 AM

I would first read through these 2 links which have good info about each type of plant:

AOS | Cattleya

and AOS | Phalaenopsis

I don't grow either of those 2 plants, but I have other species or primary hybrid Phals and they stop growing if temps get below about 60 for extended periods (my Phal bellina and schilleriana both are doing fine, but I don't expect to see new growth until it warms up a bit).

I don't think misting the plants is really a good idea. If water accumulates in the crown of the Phal or in the papery parts on the pseudobulb of the Catt, it can cause rot (I've doen this to a Catt). Misting the top of the medium is ok, but avoid the leaves generally. I prefer to soak my plants and then let them dry a bit (for baby Phals, potted in moss, I soak every 2 days, as the moss dries very quickly right now and the Catts get watered by soaking once every week-10 days). Catts like to get drier between watering than Phals do.

Catts (at least mine) need more than just indirect light to bloom usually. Supplemental lights help.

If the plants are not actively growing, fertlizer is really not all that necessary in my opinion.

Good luck with your new plants.

trdyl · #3 01-16-2010, 03:00 PM

Phal. venosa is a summer to fall bloomer. I think Blc. Oconee 'Mendenhall' is also a summer bloomer.

King_of_orchid_growing:) · #4 01-16-2010, 03:42 PM

There are numerous posts about Phalaenopsis culture here on the OB. Some of them are very recent. It's just too time consuming to keep typing the same thing over and over again. Please, do a search on the OB search engine.

I've even posted links to pictures of them growing in the wild.

I don't recommend potting in full moss.

Phal venosa is a species orchid.

Cattleyas are easier to grow than Phals. It's also ridiculously easy to pull up photos of them in the wild. Information about the places of origin and the elevations they come from are readily available for many of them.

If you need an idea of how to grow a Catt, look into what mother nature is providing for them and imitate it.

A general rule of thumb for Catts is bright indirect. Intermediate to warm. Moderate to good air movement. Moderate to high humidity (50% - 100%). Wet spring and summer. Drier fall and winter.

Check to see if your fertilizer is urea free.

Stop misting the leaves. If you need to get a humidifier.