mix of orchids

[Niffer]

Originally Posted by james mickelso

The roots that are sticking out of the media are not "air roots' but just normal roots that are not growing down into the media. They are the same as those growing into the media. Not to worry. In their natural environment the roots of most orchids grow along tree branches and are exposed to air and light. Birds poop on them and that is how they get their meals. Yuck!!! Right? OK. You can help the phals along by getting a spray bottle full of distilled water or RO water (the kind you can buy in the machines outside the grocery store) and just spray the roots every day. They will dry out in a day so you don't have to worry about rot. The roots "in" the media are a different matter. Take the plants out of the decorative pots before you water them. Leave them out until all of the water has drained from the pots the orchids are potted in. I'm glad you know to put rocks or something in the bottom of the decorative pots to keep the inner pots off the bottom. I would even go so far as to tell you to get them out of the decorative pots all together. The more air flow the better. Phals like to be in a warm draft. Fans work fine. And that south window will give them lots of light. As long as it is not direct sunlight burning the leaves. If it is direct sunlight then just hang some thin gauzy material over the window. Sheer curtains look nice on windows anyway Fertilizer....20-20-20. That's all you need. 1/4 strength, once a month. Flowering. Light is the key. Good light and the phals will bloom when it is time. The most important thing for you to do is keep from overwatering them. Wait a week and don't water them. Pick them up and feel their weight. They should be fairly light. Now water them well. Water them until water runs freely out the drainholes. Now pick them up and feel how heavy they are. Try and remember the difference. When they are again as light as that, then water. Phals are not water hogs. They can be dry for awhile with few problems. Once they start going downhill because of too much water, they will take a long time to recover. Water them correctly, give them lots of air flow, feed them properly, and you will have flowers a couple times a year. Let us know how they do. Keep us informed.

Thank you very much. i will work on those things. a couple of the pots are so thin im not sure i could leave them out of the decorative pot but i will figure something out. thank you both for all the great info. i will back off on watering even more. and spray those roots. looks like i need a different fertilizer. will work on that one too. thanks again and i will definatly keep you updated.

[james mickelso]

We love updates. Heck I like any dates but that's a different thread!!!!! Just kidding. Yes please keep us up to date on how they are doing.

[Niffer]

Thank you for all the information. That will be my biggest challenge is the watering I think. I see the bark nearly dry and I feel like it needs water. But I am also in the pacific northwest where the humidity is high and I need to remember that as well. A couple leaves are starting to turn yellow so I will just not do anything for a while. These are so different than everything I'm used too. For a long time I would forget to water and something would die. Now if I water to much they will have problems so I think it is really just a mind set. What are the signs of underwatering if any?

[Wynn Dee13]

Try the skewer trick. Keep a wooden skewer like one you would use for kabobs in the middle of the pot. Then pull it out every few days to see if it is time to water. Try and put it in the middle of the pot as much as possible because remember the medium in the middle of the pot dries out last. So if the surface is dry it may still be wet enough in the middle of the pot. When the skewer is dry then water if it is wet don't water. If it is a little damp and you are not sure if it is dry enough you can always wait one more day just in case. Over watering is worse than under watering. But remember some kinds of orchids like more water than others.

Under watering isn't good either but it is way easier to fix than over watering and having a plant with rotted roots. The signs of under watering can be the same as over watering. The leaves and psuedobulbs will shrivel. Pay attention to the newest growth the most. If it is wrinkly it is probubly under watered. But again it could be over watered too. It can be normal for the oldest psuedobulbs to wrinkle some as they age. Old leaves on Phals can wrinkle when they age too. That is why a lot of people use the skewer trick because it makes it a lot easier to know when to water. I really recommend that you try that and eventually you will know what to do on your own. Good luck!

[Slobo]

You getting really good advices here. I have my Phals in a same medium as you and it seems they like it. They all look healthy and they are in flowering stage right now. I water and feed my plants once a week using MSU type fertilizer at 85 ppm N. I'll probably increase watering to twice a week as we getting into summer months. The skewer trick is good one to get the idea when to water.

Slobo

[Niffer]

Thanks everyone. I will get some skewers for sure and some different fertilizer. I found out from the guy I got the orchids that it has not bloomed in nearly 2 years and he commented to place them in as much sun as possible. Which leads me to believe that there are a couple reasons they have not bloomed. Old sour bark or moss and to much sun. not sure what his watering or fertilizing was like. The leaves have lightened up a little. I got roots growing and leaves. Maybe I'll get some flowers too.