How do you know when you are not a "newbie" anymore?

[Jenn4a]

Originally Posted by terracotta7

WOW! I never even heard of Oberonia! I will have to look that up!

@Jenn... Yes! Your cattleya will require different care than your phal! Besides the information here on OB you will find great information at aos.org. Go to the "All About Orchids" tab and look for AOS Culture Sheets. You can print them off from there and keep them for a handy reference. I have had a hard time with cattleyas myself, but through experimentation and dogged determination I have found that they like a certain window in my house that faces South and gets very good sunlight. That location is also pretty cool at night and thet really seem to like it there.

If you have the time also explore "monopodial" vs. "sympodial".

I am eager to hear how you do with your orchids! Keep the questions coming on OB...that's one of the reasons it exists!!!!!

I've internet researched quite a bit,
I think I have one bifoilate Catt (lc final blue "royal blue")
And I think the 2 younger ones have only one leaf per pseudobulb. (Mari's song)

I stayed up all night researching common problems, and how to repot Catts., which is what I'm focusing on.
Gotta say I've checked out about 15 different sites with AOS being pretty helpful in how to repot, esp with how to place the rhizome properly. I even ordered some rooting hormone and a fertilizer that would be better suited for LECA clay

Monopodial would be like a paphiopedilum, Vanda, and Phalaenopsis, .... and Catts, onc. [and dendrobium?] Would be sympodial if I'm correct?
(I don't know that much about dendrobiums or any orchid for that matter lol)

I've been frantically searching for appropriate pots as I hope to make it in time to repot **I have green tips or new green roots coming from the pseudobulbs. I will have to post photos of them later I guess.
I have no idea what size is appropriate,
2 Mari songs in 2" pots. (Was thinking of cutting up a 1L bottle and adding slots and drainage. ) the width will be around 3"-3.25"
The Mari songs have closer growths.
The final blue is in a 4" pot but the pseudobulbs grow farther apart. (I have 5" slotted clear pots already, so was thinking it would be perfect with LECA clay.)

My bottom line for potting is that it has to be clear so I can see roots, or a hydroponic mesh type... for my Catts I really want to use LECA clay, and have a 10L bag of it already.

I do hours of information loading, but of course I lack the experience to know exactly what to do, when to do it, and how to.

[tropterrarium]

Re "right" pots, one thing that took me a while to realize is, that pot/medium and culture conditions are tightly linked.
Example:
Some grow phals in moss, but then only water them every other week (deep soak).
Others grow phals in bark, but water more frequently (say every 5 days or one week)
Some even grow them mounted (they are epiphytes in their natural environment), and then you can water them close to every day.

Now, if you water a moss-Phal every day, you get root rot. If you water a mounted Phal every two weeks, it will dry out.

If you have multiple plants, you can decide how you want to proceed. Either have the same watering regime for all, and adjust pots/medium accordingly. Or have similar media and adjust watering. [There are limits, say a Dracula in moss vs. a Dendrobium with dry rest requirement are never going to work with the one medium or one watering schedule approach].

Watering then also depends on temperature (hot more water, cold little water) and sun exposure.

Sorry that I can't help with your Cat question, don't grow those. I just wanted to highlight that the perfect pot does not exist, as it depends on your culture conditions.

[terracotta7]

Sounds like you are diving right in!! I have heard that Mari's Song is a great cattleya to begin with and that it does well in the home. I looked up the Lc Final Blue and that looks like it will be a beautiful one as well.

I like the clear pots as well! It is nice to be able to check the roots. I have not tried the LECA clay. Mine are all in larger Orchiata. I know many folks here like the LECA, though.

I know that some cattleyas are very sensitive to when they are repotted, but again, I am not experienced enough to know which ones. That is a good question to "search" on OB or to ask in the forums. Someone out there will know what to do. Each time you do something new you will become more confident...

Yes! Post some pics when you can. I will watch for them.

[Jenn4a]

Originally Posted by tropterrarium

Re "right" pots, one thing that took me a while to realize is, that pot/medium and culture conditions are tightly linked.
Example:
Some grow phals in moss, but then only water them every other week (deep soak).
Others grow phals in bark, but water more frequently (say every 5 days or one week)
Some even grow them mounted (they are epiphytes in their natural environment), and then you can water them close to every day.

Now, if you water a moss-Phal every day, you get root rot. If you water a mounted Phal every two weeks, it will dry out.

If you have multiple plants, you can decide how you want to proceed. Either have the same watering regime for all, and adjust pots/medium accordingly. Or have similar media and adjust watering. [There are limits, say a Dracula in moss vs. a Dendrobium with dry rest requirement are never going to work with the one medium or one watering schedule approach].

Watering then also depends on temperature (hot more water, cold little water) and sun exposure.

Sorry that I can't help with your Cat question, don't grow those. I just wanted to highlight that the perfect pot does not exist, as it depends on your culture conditions.

Very true, I also would like to point out that aeration changes the equation.
My poor phal arrived in basically 3 pots (or 2 with a plastic covering.
There was no way for the roots to get air, and the bark medium was very damp. Of course the inner most pot had drainage on the bottom but I didn't realize that it was double potted.
I'd say that I didn't water it for 10 days the first time.

Now I a small fan to use by my phal, the air isn't still anymore and the pot gets the appropriate amount of air it also only takes 5-8 days to completely dry out.
** I realized it was truly dried out because the buds stopped increasing in size and became more droopy; the day after I watered the buds started growing again.

Oh darn, I should have gotten a couple of paphs or dendrobiums instead

My orchid cravings grow stronger! The biggest reason I'm holding back from getting more at the moment is the fact that I may have to deal with a pest problem + little to no space for new ones ( isolation areas)

---------- Post added at 11:07 AM ---------- Previous post was at 10:33 AM ----------

Originally Posted by terracotta7

Sounds like you are diving right in!! I have heard that Mari's Song is a great cattleya to begin with and that it does well in the home. I looked up the Lc Final Blue and that looks like it will be a beautiful one as well.

I like the clear pots as well! It is nice to be able to check the roots. I have not tried the LECA clay. Mine are all in larger Orchiata. I know many folks here like the LECA, though.

I know that some cattleyas are very sensitive to when they are repotted, but again, I am not experienced enough to know which ones. That is a good question to "search" on OB or to ask in the forums. Someone out there will know what to do. Each time you do something new you will become more confident...

Yes! Post some pics when you can. I will watch for them.

I am pretty tired since I've stayed up all night But since you all are so wonderful I did post an album on Flickr of the photos of and right after shipment!

*The orchids were together until I saw a bug/mite crawling around on the Mari's Song #2, the middle size orchid out of the 3.
*Ignore my unkempt nail polish.
*These were taken before I trimmed the damaged roots, and some of the photos show the orchids with taped down pots.

Here is the Album link. Will try to add more ASAP, but will likely fall asleep soon.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/222877...7649825028872/

[ddivey36]

I feel like I will be an experienced indoor growing newbie until one day I can have a real greenhouse....

[PaphMadMan]

Originally Posted by Jenn4a

Monopodial would be like a paphiopedilum, Vanda, and Phalaenopsis, .... and Catts, onc. [and dendrobium?] Would be sympodial if I'm correct?
(I don't know that much about dendrobiums or any orchid for that matter lol)

Paphs are sympodial, otherwise you have it right. Don't get hung up on pseudobulbs or leaves when distinguishing monopodial vs. sympodial. If annual (sometimes more often) new growth comes from the base of the plant, sympodial. If side growths from the base are fairly rare, and it keeps elongating from the top indefinitely, monopodial.

[bil]

Originally Posted by Raqsharqi

My name is Raqsharqi and I'm an orchid addict.


I think this is a bit like asking someone if they are fluent in a language. We all think we are, but there are always words we don't know, and few of us are conversant in the specialized language of law, math, or science. Just like with language, I think there is never really a point where you have all the answers and are 100% successful.

Now that nails it. I have always said that learning languages is like Zeno's tortoise. You can never catch it because it is always just out of reach, no matter how you run.
In a way that isn't a bad thing. It gives you a long lasting hobby.

[AnonYMouse]

Originally Posted by katrina

IMHO, you've left newbie-land when you have successfully taken an orchid through an entire growing cycle. Meaning...you've grown that plant for at least a year (a full growing cycle) and it's doing well. And, ideally, you have rebloomed it. Growing them is one thing...if you can rebloom/bloom them then you have definitely left newbie land. At least for that plant.

I have a Den. hemimelanoglossum that I've had for a couple of years that just screws with me. I know intellectually it is doing well; has plump pbulbs, just flowered on a pbulb I was responsible for, a new growth starting, etc. Being deciduous, I think it requires a certain amount of faith and that is where I start faltering.

I'll have to see if the other deciduous orchids have the same "feel".

[Optimist]

I don't think I will ever know everything. I still kill plants due to stupid mistakes. My flowers are never as big as they should be (except dend-phals). Ect., I'm still a newbie.

On the other hand, I stopped killing phals, my primary reason for joining this board, but now I seem to kill oncidium alliance plants instead.

[terracotta7]

One alliance at a time, Optimist! I had a harder time with phals, actually...until I figured out that the way I was watering was giving them crown rot. My oncidiums are a lot more forgiving. This year I am hoping to get their watering and humidity just right so that the new growths don't wrinkle. It is nicer when the plant looks good overall, I think!

In a way, it's good to be able to say I am still a "newbie"...one size fits all excuse when things go wrong! Haha