Need some beginner advice

[Rinzo]

sweet orchid to get as a first haha don't worry too much about it, if you try too hard, you might kill it. The majority of orchids are not too hard to take care of!

[lord_tobias]

Well, they arrived last night and aren't dead yet. The pot it is in is quite small. Is that ok for orchids, or should I look into replanting it? I'll post some pics soon, probably tonight if I can find a camera.

[Rinzo]

how big is the plant height? number of pseudo bulbs? what is the potting media?

[Rinzo]

just by going off what the this species of orchid likes, you would probably be best off planting it in a 4 or 6 inch basket with sphagnum moss. Also i think this orchid is deciduous (it drops it leaves in a certain season)

[ClaireC]

Hi,

I have a question about the light requirements. From all the reading I've done, it would seem that a northern exposure is not adequate for a phalaenopsis. I live in Singapore so I have just about all the optimal conditions required to raise a phal naturally (80-90% humidity, day temps of 31C and night temps of 25C and about 12 hours day light all year round) but my apartment only has northern windows. My phal was purchased in a clear plastic sleeve and over stuffed with spagnum moss. I have a tendency to overwater so I repotted into the same sleeve (trimmed off the rotted roots...there were quite a few) using Hydroleca.

Living in a tropical country with very little variation in length of day, will my phal receive enough light in this northern window? My iPhone app says that it's receiving over 1000FC (I wonder about the accuracy). I can't say much for the roots although I spy a new one just peeping through and I've also noticed the very beginnings of a new leaf so I can only assume its current position is suitable.

[Paul Mc]

Well, the usually quoted 1500fc's in nature would be the optimum light exposure at midday. I have some in about that much light, though at certain points of the day they do get a bit more.

[ClaireC]

Well I guess if it's about to spring a new root (that I can see) and a new leaf, then I'll just leave it where it is for now. It's in hydroleca right now and I tucked a little spag underneath to stop all the balls falling out the large drainage hole. I looks like it'll need a watering twice weekly. I'm using Aquasol at 1/4 strength once a week. I have another question. When I purchase it, one spike was in full bloom and showed signs of a secondary spike. There was also another primary spike which was just starting to grow. At this stage, all but one of the blooms has fallen but the secondary spike looks a little dry and the other primary spike seems to have stalled grow. I'm just curious as to why this happened.

[Paul Mc]

Well, if you repotted into a different medium then the roots may be saying, "Hey now, wait a minute. We were accustomed to getting fed one way and now we've got to devote energy to figuring out this new stuff."

Sometimes orchid spikes stall after repotting and after getting into their new home. They also can drop their flowers as they adjust.

[ClaireC]

Thank you for information! I figured that the blooms would probably wilt but I didn't want to keep the phal in spagnum and was willing to sacrifice the blooms. I guess it's just a wait and see tactic from now on. We're going through our annual monsoon season and I keep the window open so the phal can get the cool breezes. Supposedly the drop in temp should set off spikes but I think my phal needs adjusting. Maybe next year

Thank you Paul for advice!

[Paul Mc]

You're welcome! Just an FYI, if your Phal has already bloomed then chances are good you will have to wait until next blooming season for it to respike.