I need help with my orchids! - Orchid Board

Rorchid · #1 07-19-2011, 09:28 PM

Hey everyone, I am new to this site and really excited to get some advice from people who have had personal experiences with orchids!
My mother has about 20 orchids, most are Phalaenopsis I believe, two are lady slipper orchids, and one is a peach fuzz, a couple I cannot identify.
Anyways I took over caring for them when i noticed there was white film all over the pots (salt buildup?) and their roots were growing out of the pots. I repotted all of them in a phal mix that includes bark, I have them in a sunroom with north, east, and west light exposure. They sit on the north west side of the room. I put a fan in the room for air circulation, a thermometer, and some sheer curtains to filter the sun.
When i repotted them they had root rot, I cut the bad roots out and I am hoping that they do well.
Should I put a humidifier in the room?
Any suggestions would be great and appreciated as I am completely new to all of this. I am going to continue to read. Thanks to everyone.
I will try to include pictures of them...

silken · #2 07-19-2011, 09:38 PM

Welcome to Orchid Board! It looks like you are well on your way to becoming an orchid addict. The plants look very healthy and quite a variety. I bet they will just take off with growths and blooms now that they are re-potted. For added humnidity, you could set up humidity trays to place them on. I see they all have saucers. You likely know this, but they should never sit directly in water.

You may find that some need to be moved into more light and others into a less bright area. Good luck and be sure to pictures when they bloom for you, as I see some already are.

Rorchid · #3 07-19-2011, 09:55 PM

Thank you, your words are assuring that i am doing the right thing! I was worried because i thought the state they were in before was pretty bad, but again i do not know much so I am trying my best!
Before they were sitting in tray with rock and water, i think i will invest in some humidity trays.
I will take your advice on moving the ones with darker green leaves to get more sun...thanks again!

silken · #4 07-19-2011, 10:01 PM

Your masdevallia Peach fuzz does not need lots of light and it likes cool temps and some moving air. It looked like possibly a cymbidium and oncidium and those would like fairly bright light. Slippers and phals not too bright.

Rorchid · #5 07-19-2011, 10:04 PM

yes another member told me the same, i am going to try moving them to another room with cooler temps and a lower exposure to light. Hopefully i can set up something for them in my dining area, it has a north exposure to light so it is not so bad, thanks alot for your help!

sweetjblue · #6 07-19-2011, 10:45 PM

Rorchid,

I agree with Silken, they all look pretty healthy and you've done a good job with the repotting.

I noticed in the 4th pic that the leaves are wrinkled, generally a sign of underwatering.

Trays with rocks/pebbles and water are good for your humidity as long as the pots aren't sitting in the water, then they will stay too wet which leads to root rot.

So far it looks like your off to a good start and it wasn't as bad as you were thinking is was!

Judi