What now? - Orchid Board

Alix Campbell · #1 10-27-2011, 12:01 AM

I bought 2 orchids (in flower) 2 years ago. One has just finishing flowering after looking like a twig for a year and the other is just about to flower. I'mjust wondering what I need to do to keep them healthy and encourage them to flower again. White one has no flowers now but look really healthy, should I be cutting it back? xxx

silken · #2 10-27-2011, 12:05 AM

Welcome! We would need to have an idea of what type of orchid. A photo or two would be helpful also.

Zoi2 · #3 10-27-2011, 04:24 PM

Hello and welcome!
As Silken suggested, pictures really do help with answering questions.
Joann

RosieC · #4 10-29-2011, 11:34 AM

Welcome to Orchid Board.

I agree, there is not really enough information as orchids vary in the care they need. Most common in the UK in supermarkets are Phalaenopsis, however Dens, Oncs and even Paph can be easily found in garden centers

If you need help with how to post pictures see the link in my signature which talks about several different methods you can use.

Alix Campbell · #5 10-29-2011, 10:32 PM

This is the one that's about to flower. The other one is identical and all flowers have dropped off. Don't know what to do with it now. Any ideas would be great xxx

Alix Campbell · #6 10-29-2011, 10:45 PM

This is one of the the flowers that the last one produced. Same as the one that's in bud but white.
Just wondering what I do with them when the flowers have dropped off. Haven't touched the white one but the flowers have only just dropped off. Any advice would be good. They were both flowering when I bought them and I just left them alone when the flowers dropped off. Trimmed them a bit but not sure if that was the right thing to do. Took them 2 yrs to flower again so any tips will help a lot xxx

silken · #7 10-29-2011, 11:00 PM

OK, So they are Phals. The first picture looks like you have a keiki (baby) growing from the bloom spike and it has roots. There is much info on phals here on OB. You've had them for 2 years but I assume never re-potted? Some additional info would be helpful such as what are they growing in and what kind of pots. Do the pots have drain holes etc. and are the roots healthy?

I immediately re-pot phals when I get them and remove all of the moss that they are usually growing in and replace with a mix of bark and some moss in a loose airy arrangement so that the roots can breathe. For many people, if they are left in the wet moss that they usually come in, they will get root rot and die fairly quickly. But if yours have lived for 2 years already, then they must be somewhat happy.

You could do some reading on this thread: http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html which has a lot of info on phal problems and how to resolve them. Also a little more info as to your growing conditions and the roots etc. would help others to give you advice on the care of your phals.

Alix Campbell · #8 10-30-2011, 09:13 AM

Thankyou. They're growing in a bark/moss mixture. Not been repotted yet. What's the baby? What do I do with it? I'm hoping I'll find out when I visit the link you posted. Thanks again x

Paul Mc · #9 10-30-2011, 09:50 AM

What you do with the baby is more a matter of choice. You can leave it attached and be sure to water the roots daily, or you can cut the baby off and plant it with the mother plant or in another pot. Different people have different preferrences on this, and it also depends upon the amount of care you want to give.

One word of warning though, some phal's produce keiki's abundantly, while others won't unless they are under stress and fear dying. Check the roots of your mother to be sure the later is not happening. However, based on the size of the keiki and apparent health of the overall leaves on the mother, I'm guessing and hoping it's not the later.

silken · #10 10-30-2011, 12:50 PM

Since the keiki is growing on the flower stalk, it will eventually need to be planted. The flower stock will at some point turn brown and die. Until then, it is supporting the keiki. Usually keikis are left attached until they have 3 inches of healthy root. That could be 1- 3 inch root, or 3- 1 inch roots etc.

As Paul Mc mentioned, some phals produce more keikis than others, and sometimes it is a sign that the mother plant is in trouble and may be dying. If your leaves on the mother are firm and healthy I wouldn't worry. However, many people re-pot their phals every year, especially with moss as it breaks down and holds too much water. It is likely time for you to slide it from its pot and check the entire root situation and re-pot it. If bark and moss have worked well (as they do for me) then just replace the old stuff with some more of the same new stuff. Most orchids, including phals, should be in a pot only slightly larger than the root mass. this prevents them from staying too wet. Often with a phal, it stays in the same pot and just gets new potting media. Have a look thru some of the other info on Phals here as there is much to see and learn!