'Swiss Miss" care, watering, feeding etc

[vamptramp3405]

ok, very first orchid, no clue what I am doing! Ive been on the laptop neglecting my children and husband cause I am all crazy over this orchid lol. On the tag its called a " Burr Nelly Islar 'Swiss Miss'. I looked it up and it looks like the same plant. Anyways. it has 2 open blooms, 1 about to open then a bud. the bud turned yellow and fell off, the one opening was doing good til today when i went to check on it and the opening flower and two opened flowers, the stem turned yellow and fell off i need the run down on what this orchid likes and wants. how do u water it, how much, how often, what to feed it, what kind of light and how much, what temp should it be at and soo on. Oh please I really dont want to kill this thing! I can post a picture of it tomarrow

[Wrebbitrocks]

dont water it after it starts to get dark. only early in the day so that it can dry out by night, keep it away from any cold air out of a/c, and put it in the brightest place you can without the sun hitting it directly. sounds to me like the spike just blasted from the change of environment. a look at the roots will rule out other problems. but im no expert. others WILL chime in with better advice

[RosieC]

This is a pretty orchid, I have a Burrageara Nelly Isler, however I can't help much as while mine grows I've not had flowering success.

Moving to a new environment can sometimes be enough to cause the buds to blast (fall without opening). I agree with Omar's suggestions as well and checking the roots is often a good idea with any problem.

P.S. Just a note on naming to help you for the future Burr Nelly Isler is the most important part of the name and it's that which will help people know what orchid you are talking about. The part in the quotes is a cultivar name which names the actual parent plant yours is a clone or division of. However cultivar names can often be the same for different hybrids and so on it's own does not tell anyone what you have.

This actually differers from some types of plants where the cultivar name is actually used as the main name. In orchids (or at least most of them) the Genus (in this case Burrageara) and the species name for species and the grex name for hybrids (in this case Nelly Isler) are the main identifiers of the plant.

I know that's an aside from your question. Hope you can get the help you need :tup:

[Bud]

Burrageara Nelly Isler 'Swiss Beauty'

This oncidiae intergeneric hybrid combines Oncidium, Miltoniopsis and Vuylstekeara. It is easy to grow under a widLight:
Low to medium from 750 to 2500 foot candles. This plant will do well in an east window, under a fluorescent or a high pressure sodium fixture.

Temperature:
This plant will tolerate a wide range of temperatures due to its genetic heritage. Ideal temperatures should be from 55 to 68 degrees at night to 68 to 85 during the daytime. This plant would ideally prefer a 5 to 10 degree temperature drop at night.

Humidity:
50% or higher is ideal. Humidity trays can help if you have a dry environment.

Water:
It is best to use rainwater, distilled or reverse osmosis water. Tap water with a pH of 7.5 or lower can also be used. Water as the mix approaches dryness but do not allow the mix to become completely dry between watering.

Fertilize every other watering in the summer and every third watering in the winter.

Flowering:
This plant blooms in the fall and spring or whenever new growth matures. Each pseudobulb can produce up to 2 flower spikes that can branch. The flowers are a bright orange red with a peach lip that is covered in suffused red spots.

Repotting:
Repot this plant every year using a small orchid bark mix or coco peat mixed with 50% sponge rock. Plastic are usually best.

e range of conditions and can bloom twice per year.

[vamptramp3405]

alright thank u guys for all ur help!! and yea I am learning with the naming thing. my gosh for someone who opens an orchid book for the first time u have a tendancy to get confused lol. lot of stuff to learn so u all are saying to check the roots for any problems...... what am i supposed to be looking for. its a root ball pretty much, looks root bound, and the roots are pretty much white. i have it under some flurescents. the grow lights u can get from walmart. i will ask my husband what exactly they are, he knows more than i do bout the lights. how do u know when it needs to be watered?

[Bud]

it would be nice to post pictures of your plant
the lights are only a suggestion; you need not buy lights at walmart...if your window is bright enough...but if its too bright then you need a new placement
look at the media if its dry then water it...
you can have a couple of days dry until your plant complains by droopy leaves and dry roots...
if you can also learn the skewer method of watering google it...

[Wrebbitrocks]

you're looking for dead roots or any pests that could be in there. anything that isnt plump and firm when you squeeze it/ is squishy and leaves behind only a stringy thing, is most likely dead. catch any pests that you may find and give us desc. maybe pic if possible so we can help with getting rid of it. you want to make sure the media isnt too far broken down. honestly, the best thing i could suggest is pics, pics, PICS!!! we love pics

[vamptramp3405]

I am working on pictures right now

[Skirril]

I might have missed it, but I didn't read anyone say never let orchids stand in water, always let it all drain out when you water them.
Also, there may be a ball of moss in the middle of the plants roots which may mean it's too wet there. Now I repot all my plants after I get them so I know what they are in and know there's no hidden surprises.

I am still pretty new to this myself (only at 30 orchids!), but those would be my tips. To find out if it's wet in the middle of the mix pot you can use a wooden skewer or plant stick or whatever.