mix of orchids

[Niffer]

here goes, I want your opinion on how i did. ive heard so many different things about orchids and the different care they need that i need some advice.
I have some Phalaenopsis the ones that i'm most concerned about have no tag. they have lots of arial roots and when i got them they were in a northeast facing window. he has had them nearly a year with no flowering.
5 for 15 dollars. when i got them home i put them in a bark, perlite, and charcol mix. They seem to like the change as the old stuff in the pot looked like it was very old. now here is my question, I need to know how often i should water. some are not in clear pots. I am in the pacific northwest with a 8b zone. they are placed in a north facing window because i do not have a east or west facing i can use. I tend to over water and do not want to water these to much but don't want to underwater either. ive also heard if the arial roots start to wrinkle it is time to water. is this true? There has also been some mix of idea's that i have seen. some like the moss while others like the bark mix what is the opinion on this subject. thank you. They all look healthy i would like to keep them that way. first picture is when he had them. it will not let me download the pic of now.

[Niffer]

here is the newer photo

[turtleamy]

Where they flowering when he first got them?

[Niffer]

Originally Posted by turtleamy

Where they flowering when he first got them?

yes i believe they were flowering when he got them. he said he just got tired of waiting for them to flower again.
I just text him to find out when they were flowering last so i have some kind of idea how long it has been. ive been told if the leaves are too dark they are getting too much or not enough light. maybe that was the cause for no flowers?

[Wynn Dee13]

They all look pretty good from what I can see. All of them in your photo are Phalaenopsis, probably hybrids. If they don't have tags just treat them like any other hybrid Phal. Orchids with no tags are called NOIDS. No IDs. A lot of orchids bought in grocery stores don't have tags.

A lot of Phals grow aerial roots and that is normal. They can shrivel but just because the aerial roots shrivel doesn't necessarily mean that it is time to water. It usually means they don't have enough humidity. When to water depends on the meadium not the aerial roots. I can't tell you how many times per week to water it depends on your environment you are growing the plants in. Water when the meadium is completely dry or almost dry. A lot of people put a wooden skewer in the pot to use as a gage for watering. Put one in each pot in the middle of the pot since the meadium in the middle is the last to dry out. Then you can pull out the skewer and if it is wet it is not time to water. If it is dry then water. Always put the skewer back in the same place so you don't poke any roots. It is better to under water than to over water. If you are not sure if the meadium is dry enough wait another day to water. You don't want to rot the roots. When you water make sure you don't get any water in the crown of the plant it can cause crown rot. If you do take a paper towel and dry it out.

To raise the humidity around the plants place them on a tray full of pebbles with water in the tray. Set the plants on top of the pebbles but don't let the bottom of the pots touch the water. Grouping the plants together also helps humidity.

As far as meadium goes I think you chose a good mix especially if you like to over water. It really doesn't matter what the plants are planted in as long as they get all their needs met like light, water, humidity, air flow to the roots and plant, food, etc. Some people just prefer some meadiums over others.

If the plants have not bloomed for almost a year that could be normal since some orchids only bloom once a year. But it also could be from not enough light. Phals also sometimes need a lower temperature for a few weeks to induce spiking. Do you have a south facing window? You could put them there with a sheer curtain to block some light. I also live in the pacific northwest and I grow my orchids under lights for most of the year and then put them outside for the summer. I used to grow on a window sill but didn't get many flowers. The lights have helped a lot. If you don't have enough light you might need to suppliment with some grow lights. You might be fine though. If you haven't already, I recommend reading The Phal Abuse Ends Here thread. It has a lot of great information. Good luck and if you have anymore questions I will try and answer them.

[Niffer]

Thank you. I do have them in a south facing window but i don't have a sheer curtain covering it. they have been sitting there for sometime now. they do have a rock bed under them for the most part. i only have a few of them that don't. but i also put some rocks at the bottom of the extra pot they are in so that they have air down inside the pot as well and so they don't touch water that may have drained into it. What sort of fertilizer is best for them? i have a miracle grow fertilizer that says 30-10-10. what do you recommend?

[Wynn Dee13]

Originally Posted by Niffer

yes i believe they were flowering when he got them. he said he just got tired of waiting for them to flower again.
I just text him to find out when they were flowering last so i have some kind of idea how long it has been. ive been told if the leaves are too dark they are getting too much or not enough light. maybe that was the cause for no flowers?

In some orchids like Cattleyas dark leaves can mean not enough light but you can't gage light just by the leaves. For instance some of my Cattleyas have dark purplish leaves because they are in high light and have red flowers. But if your orchids have not flowered for a while it is probably from not enough light or they need a cooler temperature for a few weeks to induce spiking like I said before.

[Wynn Dee13]

That fertilizer might be ok. I'm not very good with fertilizers. A balanced fertilizer is often recommended like 20-20-20. Try and get a fertilizer that is urea free. Or one that has most of its nitrogen from other sources. Always use like a 1/4 strength of what the package says. Most people recommend feeding weekly weakly. Weak doses every week. So if you water once a week fertilize with each watering for three weeks in a row then on the fourth week use plain water to flush out any extra salts. Do you soften your water? Softened water is not good for orchids. It will most likely kill them. I use MSU fertilizer for well water. I got it from First Rays. Google his web site, it has a lot of helpful information. The Phal Abuse Ends Here thread will probably have info on fertilizing too.

[Niffer]

I use rain water. i have already been warned about the clorine in the water which isn't good for my veggie garden so i only use bottled or rain water when i can get it. i would bet that the guy who had them were watering them with the tap water. i saw lots of spots and calcium on the leaves when i got them. one of the first things i did was wipe the leaves off. they had a good film on them. they are sending roots out everywhere. as well as new leaves on each. just no flower stems yet. i'm happy with that because that means they are fairly healthy. most of the roots seemed fine. a couple had squishy roots and it seemed they were the ones planted in moss and left that way. the ones that were planted in bark looked very good. so i just changed their mix. they are all in the same mix now. I also have them under a ceiling fan which i keep on most of the time. we had to move around my whole dinning room just to make room for my new flowers. i have 14 all together. 1 slipper, 2 ocidiums and 11 phals. i guess you could say i jumped into this not knowing a thing. Im doing all the study i can. but there is much mixed information out there.

[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.