Orchids arriving in the mail

[vlhart]

Hi--

I'm new to orchids and I've got two arriving in the mail. Vanda coerulea supra and Tolumnia variegata.

I'm guessing they'll be pretty stressed after the travel. Any tips that might differ from the typical care for these guys or for orchids in general that've been on the road? Repot right away or not?

Thanks for any advice!

[Raqsharqi]

Most reputable growers seem to prefer that you leave them as they are for a while. It's enough of a shock to be shipped, and in some cases, they haven't been in the pot very long. At least the people I have ordered from suggest that...unless they were shipped bare root, of course.

[RandomGemini]

For the most part, you leave them alone.

I tend to open the box in my laundry room (only room in the house that doesn't get natural daylight) and set them on the counter for a day or two, to give them time to acclimate to my conditions in my house, then I will move them into their quarantine location away from the windows. While they are in quarantine, I will move them gradually closer to the windows over about six weeks, and once I've determined that they are pest and disease free, I'll take them up to join my orchids on the orchid shelf.

Hope this helps!

[Paul]

They coming to you potted then, I take it? (Some vendors will send plants bareroot.)

If yes, then my advice is the complete opposite of Raq's. I would most definitely unpot them and check the roots and media.

If it should so happen that the roots are not in good shape (brown/black and squishy/soft) it is better to find out now so the seller can be notified and/or treatment started. If the roots are in good shape, then that is one possible worry to cross off your list.

Unpotting also gives you the opportunity to check the media. Do not assume that the vendor repotted it in fresh mix before sending it out. They may or may not have done so. If the mix seems to be badly broken down/decayed, then you most certainly will want to repot with fresh mix. If the mix seems new, then, again, there's a concern to cross off your list.

If you are a beginner, this next point will be rather moot. As one becomes more experienced with growing orchids, one develops a good idea of just what types of media work best in one's growing conditions. If a plant arrives in a media that you know does NOT work for you, this is the best time to repot. (For example, a friend of mine from whom I occasionally procured orchids used Promix for almost all of his plants. It worked spectacularly for him under his greenhouse growing conditions. However, I quickly learned that it was a death sentence for plants grown under my indoor conditions. So I learned that if I got a plant from him, I needed to repot it pronto once I got it home.)

Unpotting may also reveal if any undesirable stowaways are present in the pots.

Finally, something that has nothing to potting --ISOLATE THE NEW PLANTS. Even plants from reputable growers may have issues with various fungi, or mealybugs and other pests.

[vlhart]

They just arrived and the Vanda is potted in new media, but from what I can see the roots are a bit spotted and the tips of most of the leaves are missing with the same pattern (like a hole punch was taken to them). Some of the other leaves have dried edges. Any ideas what this might be about?

The tolumnia arrived mounted and looks great--good roots with new growth, no spots to the leaves.

I will definitely quarantine--thanks!