Orchid Care - Page 4 - Orchid Board

kiki-do · #31 11-07-2007, 08:28 AM

Hey Jamminjoe, good morning! We have a rather large log home with a woodstove in the livingroom and an old kitchen cookstove in the kitchen. The kitchen one only runs this time of year and I have a mini-stove fan on that circulates air and heat throughout the house. (We originally heated with wood only years ago). My orchids in the kitchen are away from the direct heat in a kitchen nook area of three walls with four nice big windows plus a skylight facing south. Underneath that nook area (basement) is a root cellar, so that makes my nook area a little cooler yet nice and sunny. When we run the livingroom stove, my plants are quite a ways away from direct heat, plus a fan, plus I mist daily. I also have a humidifier going all winter. With the new heated sunroom off the kitchen, most of my orchids are out there. I have maybe 8 orchids in the kitchen, 4 in the livingroom, and 3 (catts) in each of my three bedrooms. Two of my upstair bedrooms have rather large dormer windows facing south also. Catts thrive up there. Again, it is cooler up there too, but never cold. I try to remember to run a fan up there for a few hours every day but not as faithful as I should be. Everyone gets misted daily and I think that is key to all my plants here in Maine...summer and winter. The only plants that I can't seem to make blossom is two Paphiopedilums, and two Masdevallias. They look very healthy...just no signs of blooms and it's been a year. Those are out in the sunroom that gets 60 degrees at night, and they are at the north window so just somewhat bright, not sunny.
Sorry for rambling on. Think I just wrote a novel!

kiki-do

caseydoll · #32 11-07-2007, 06:54 PM

This is a good thread! I love reading about everyones setups and watering habits, etc.

I grow all my orchids (i have around 50 i think) in 2 large east facing windows. They get a good amount of morning sun (if it's out!) and it's pretty bright the rest of the day. Last year I had them all in a big north window and nothing was going on with them. I had at the time all phals but they needed more light. I'm still not happy with the amount of light I get but can't do much about that right now!

I generally water about once a week, on Saturday and Sunday mornings. On Wednesday I usually water a few too but I do that when I get home from work (about 3:30). I don't have much time in the morning because I have to get up so early.

I do dunk a couple of my mounts every morning and mist a few as well. For most I water with tap water first and then after a few minutes I go back and water with distilled mixed with MSU fertilizer. All my small and more delicate chids are in plastic slotted pots and those I water with just distilled w/ MSU. I use a small tupperware and let them sit in the water for 10 minutes and then pour the excess over the bark mix. I'm quite sure I'm doing stuff wrong but so far nothing horrible has happened! Oh, I have quite a few of mine in s/h and that makes watering super easy. I too have to take them one by one to the sink. I get yelled at quite a bit by the OH about not having a place to wash your hands, rinse out a bowl, etc. lol

But still no blooms on anything but I'm waiting! I've had orchids for almost 10 years but they have been neglected a lot. It wasn't til I moved them to their new window that I really became serious. The orginal orchids (phals) I have haven't bloomed in sooo long. But in my defense, several years ago they were put outside on a deck in full sun for several days by my good for nothing ex-husband. I rescued them just in time but they have been in recovery ever since.

I think this is their year though! (fingers crossed) Sorry this got so long! I get going sometimes!

Ross · #33 11-07-2007, 07:09 PM

Sarah, just a bet here, I'll bet if you increase the light (say, south window or supplemental artificle lights) you'll see more blooms. I'm not very far from you (probably worse on light) and have no problem blooming most of my 'chids. Mine are in south window (I know! No sunlight

) Just a thought/suggestion!

JAMMINJOE · #34 11-07-2007, 08:11 PM

Can anyone tell me what misting is supposed to accomplish?
Jamminjoe

Ross · #35 11-07-2007, 08:22 PM

Joe, some folks think misting adds humidity. Many don't agree, however.

quiltergal · #36 11-07-2007, 08:25 PM

Sarah, I moved my plants last year to a south facing bay window with blinds. I bought one of those nicer looking metal shelving units at Lowes. It's painted white to match the window trim so it doesn't look too tacky. The plants growth improved quite a bit after moving. Then about 3 weeks ago I put up 4 T5 flouros and I'm blown away by the change in my plants. Buds are popping out everywhere, I'm seeing new root and leaf growth. Helloo! It's fall you're not supposed to be growing! LOL In a nutshell Ross is right nutrition and light make the winning combo. The metal shelf was under $100, and the lighting cost me about $105 but I bought from my son who works at a hydroponics shop and gets a 25% discount. Still, even at full price I'd say they are definately worth the money.

caseydoll · #37 11-07-2007, 09:04 PM

Thank you Ross and Terri! Unfortunately I do not have any south facing windows!

Even if I did it would be unsuitable because it faces another house and about a zillion oak and pine trees. Just my luck! I am working on the artifical light situation. Terri, I am in the market for a stand but haven't seen anything that wasn't to gawdy looking. Painting the stand is a great idea! What sort of paint would I use for that? How did you attach your lights to it? Or did you mount them on the ceiling? Any advice would be great because most of mine are in the dining room and the rest are in the kitchen. So I basically need to make the set-up look kind of nice.

My boyfriend (who is being very tolerant of my little hobby btw) is fine with lights and new stands as long as it doesn't look hokey. I also wanted to add since I talked about it previously, that I just received my new Exo Terra that I have been wanting! I think my boyfriend was sick of me talking about it so he ordered it online.

So at least some of my chids now will have a suitable home (once i figure out how the heck i'm going to set it up!).

kiki-do · #38 11-07-2007, 11:12 PM

Oh my goodness Sarah, you want to see hokey you should see all my plant stands! I have confiscated every piece of furniture that has a flat surface to put my orchids on. I have old bar stools, patio stools, outdoor lawn tables, and two bistro tables I hauled into the house for the winter. I have two tall stools with a piece of pressboard holding orchids (I put a nice table runner down to dress it up)

It's so bad I get teased about it. My husband built me a ???? well, looks like mini bleachers for my sunroom and it holds alot of orchids (which he thought would do it).

I have orchids hanging from the skylights on nailed-up sticks I found in the woods. I do get positive remarks on my ingenuity.

Last year we had to stop using our kitchen table and eat at the center island because my table was where the right light was for my Catts. Good thing it's just the two of us now. Funny, but the orchids dress up any ol flat surface. Some call me obsessive.....imagine that

! I had a coat rack in the basement......yup, you guessed it.....hanging orchids on it. Nothing is safe!

I've been eyeing my husband's workbench in the basement, too. AND! His fluorescent lights that hang overhead.......

No such thing as tacky when it comes to orchids.

I thought I was going a little overboard for a minute there, but then I realized I wasn't!!

kiki-do

Undergrounder · #39 11-08-2007, 01:23 AM

Ummm we have water restrictions, so i only water on Sunday and Wednesday. We don't have a run-off tank but i hope ot get one soon.

Since its summer at the moment everything outside gets tapwater+Hi-N fertiliser apart from the few that are flowering, which get Hi-k ferts. I use a 9L pump action sprayer with the little nozzle so i can get the watering accurate. 9L usually does all the outside plants.

The indoor plants get watered on Sunday as well, although i wing it more, since they're inside they dry out slower so i baby them more.

On Wednesdays i water all the orchids outside again with plain 9L tap water. I check the inside ones and top up the smaller pots.

If the temperature gets to +30degs i drop all my plants that are hanging below the shadecloth and give a light spraying occasionally through the day if i'm home or in the morning or afternoon when i get home.

If its humid or overcast i tend to only water the small pots and leave the big ones to dry out.

All the orchids in the garden that are naturalised just get watered like the rest of the garden.

So far this sytem is working well with the outdoor Cattleyas, Native Dends, Softcane Dends and Cyms, but the Indoor plants seem to be super-sensitive to rot so i'm still experimenting with the best routine for them.

Tommyr · #40 11-08-2007, 10:30 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by rsfrid

Joe, some folks think misting adds humidity. Many don't agree, however.

Misting by hand doesn't do anything for humidity UNLESS you're going to do it every 10 minutes 24 hours a day. It evaporates too quickly. I prefer a humidifier. I use a Air O Swiss, works great.