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  #1  
Old 06-19-2016, 12:41 AM
Dri312 Dri312 is offline
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My set up. My challenges!
Default My set up. My challenges!

Hi! I would like to share my set up with you guys to see if I'm going to the right direction. I'm a beginner that read all the pages of the sticker "the abuse of Phal ends here". My Phals are located near to an east facing window, with a ceiling fan 24/7 on medium velocity (around 10ft from plant stand). I placed a new humidifier (germ free humidification- cool moisture) that also has a fan inside to help with air circulation.
I'm using the wood stick method to check when it's ok to water them. Usually I'm watering every two to three days (soaking for an hour in distilled water). The larger pots takes longer to get dry so I'm watering according to the need. I used the Kelpmax once or twice (1tsp/ gal) and used 20-14-13 Orchid Plus very weakly on every soaking.
Temperature inside the house is around 78 with AC on. Humidity is never higher than 50, indoors (I live in Bakersfield, CA. Desert weather!) It only gets higher if I spray distilled water in the air, around the plants.
This is the set up:
My set up. My challenges!-image1466305562-337805-jpg

This is my "old" Phal that I transplanted from semi-hydroponic to bark (orchid mix - fir bark, coarse perlite, charcoal and chunky peat) recently. I can see some new root growth but yesterday, it lost 2 of its lower leaves.
My set up. My challenges!-image1466305962-643738-jpg
My set up. My challenges!-image1466305974-444761-jpg

Most of these Phals (8 of them) are rescued from a generous manager of a hotel on May, 27. Some came in soaked wet vases. Some in better condition but, definitely, all of them in moss. I have one that I thought the sphag in bag method would help. I did according to Ray's website. I soaked first with Kelpmax and placed inside the ziplock bag with a damp paper towel without touching the plant. Here is the pic. I was wondering if I chose the right amount of light though... Maybe I should place in a darker area?!
My set up. My challenges!-image1466306350-305022-jpgMy set up. My challenges!-image1466306366-018285-jpg

I would like to have your opinion about how I placed my plants. So far, I'm a little disappointed because I expected more development. I'm anxious to see if I'm doing everything I possibly can to make them thrive. I believe my problem is the humidity. I would love to keep my plants indoors without the need to purchase a green house.

I'm still confused about using KelpMax and the fertilizer. I never used both together with the distilled water. Either I use one or the other. Am I doing it correctly?

Here are some more pictures
My set up. My challenges!-image1466307414-140165-jpgMy set up. My challenges!-image1466307425-740149-jpgMy set up. My challenges!-image1466307431-990983-jpgMy set up. My challenges!-image1466307446-225010-jpg

Also, do you think I made too many holes in the pots? In one of the plants, the wood stick came out moldy. I rechecked the roots and took out the dead ones. Repotted with new bark mix.

Sorry guys for all the information and pictures. I just would like some assurance that I'm doing the right thing.
Thank you so much for your time. Really appreciated!
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  #2  
Old 06-19-2016, 03:32 AM
Lady Oscar's Avatar
Lady Oscar Lady Oscar is offline
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Location: Honolulu
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My set up. My challenges! Female
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I am a total newbie, so I don't have advice to give, but I wanted to say that I am entirely impressed that you are keeping orchids alive in Bakersfield! When I lived in Los Angeles, my couple of attempts ended very badly, very quickly. ^^;
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  #3  
Old 06-19-2016, 04:15 AM
estación seca's Avatar
estación seca estación seca is offline
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Location: Phoenix AZ - Lower Sonoran Desert
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You're doing very well. Orchids grow very slowly compared to a lot of other plants. You need to be patient.

I suspect reverse osmosis water is cheaper than distilled? Often you can buy RO water at an aquarium shop if you bring your own bucket or jug. You can also install a reverse osmosis unit below one of your sinks.

Many people use KelpMax about once a week when rerooting plants, and about once a month for established plants. My bottle label recommends 2 teaspoons / 10ml per gallon / 3.78 liters of water for use as a drench.

"Very weakly" is hard for me to interpret. People who fertilize at each watering often dilute fertilizer to yield a nitrogen concentration between 15 and 125 parts per million, depending on how often they water. There is a calculator you can use to figure out dilutions. It is on the Web site of the man who sells KelpMax, Ray Barkalow:
Nitrogen Management Calculator - First Rays LLC

50% relative humidity is fine for Phal hybrids. Lower is not much of a problem, either. Not many homes with resident mammals go much below 30%. I would not worry more about humidity.

It is possible to have too much air circulation. Phals are not adapted to flapping in the breeze, the way seashore orchids, like Tolumnia, are, or treetop orchids, like many Cattleya. Increased air circulation at relatively low humidity will cause increased transpiration (water loss) from the plants' leaves. This is not a problem for a plant with a healthy root system, and an owner who waters properly, but a plant with few roots may struggle to keep up with water losses. That is why people recommend trying to root plants in enclosed spaces.

The orchid transplanted from S/H to the bark mix will not get as much water as it did in S/H, and the existing roots are adapted to S/H. Whenever a plant transitions to, or from, S/H, it will lose all the existing roots, because they were adapted to the previous method of culture. It will grow a new set of roots adapted to the new method of culture. That plant won't look happy for some time, until it grows new roots, but it will eventually adapt, grow and bloom.

The plant in sphag and bag can go in light appropriate for the other plants.

Most people use kelp at a different time than fertilizing. However, Ray sells (sold?) a product containing both fertilizer and KelpMax, intended for those who don't want to mix multiple solutions.

More holes in the pots is better. The faster the medium dries out, the less chance the roots will sit wet long enough to rot.

As mentioned at the top, you're doing very well. I expect you to post flower photos next winter/spring when your Phals bloom.
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Last edited by estación seca; 06-19-2016 at 04:18 AM..
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  #4  
Old 06-19-2016, 05:21 PM
Dri312 Dri312 is offline
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Thank you Lady Oscar! This is my second attempt to keep couple of Phals alive. Hopefully with more knowledge, I will see some blooms someday!

Thank you so much estación seca!! You just gave me a boost to keep going and relax a little!
I'm used to have houseplants that every week give me new leaves... Very different scenario with the orchids.

I didn't know you can buy RO water at aquarium shop. I will see the costs to install the unit under the sink. Usually I pay around $1 for a gallon of distilled water. And looks like I will have to water these babies very often while summer is hitting us with triple digits!

I've read about the fertilizer calculator at Ray's site before. I knew I was forgetting something! I gonna go back and check it out.

I appreciate the time u spent answering my post. Hopefully I will be rewarded with some blooms.. And each of them will be a surprise because I haven't see the colors before! For sure I'll be sharing here. Fingers crossed!!
You guys have a great day! Thank u


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  #5  
Old 06-19-2016, 05:25 PM
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estación seca estación seca is offline
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RO under your sink is cents per gallon over the life of the unit. It is 4 cents a gallon at the aquarium shop here.

First Ray's sells reverse osmosis units. So does Costco.
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  #6  
Old 06-20-2016, 01:21 AM
Dri312 Dri312 is offline
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Wow! $4 cents a gallon?!? Definitely I will go search about it. Thanks for the info!!


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  #7  
Old 06-20-2016, 09:16 PM
Reeses Reeses is offline
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For a newbie you're doing fantastic! I've been growing for almost three years and I think you've gotten a better grasp of it than I have. I will say they do grow very slowly--I have one that sort of went dormant for about a year because it was in really bad shape when I got it. But now I see a new leaf and new roots!

One other thing I may suggest is lighting. An east facing window is great (I wish I had one in my home!) but how far away is your plant stand? You may consider just getting a small lamp to give a bit more light. I recently added another light above my orchid shelf (LED from Ray) and the growth has taken off!
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  #8  
Old 06-21-2016, 05:49 PM
Dri312 Dri312 is offline
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Thank you Reeses! My passion for orchids started on 2014 when I got my first one as a gift. Unfortunately I lost that one and some more due lack of knowledge. I almost gave up thinking that the weather here isn't appropriate for orchids at all. But here I'm, asking, reading and absorbing all the info I can get!
My stand has wheels and I can move then closer to the east facing window if I wish. I will try your suggestion!
Currently, I have 2 of my Phals on bare root method. I tried the sphag-in-bag and it just got moldy around the old spike and the roots started to rot. I removed from bags and I'm trying to elevate humidity by covering it with a cake glassware cover, plus giving a good soak with Keeplmax daily. Hopefully they will take off one day!
Here is a pic from my east facing window when the sun hits (no more than an hour daily). I'm always careful not to let the sun hit the Phals directly. All my other houseplants love this location.
My set up. My challenges!-image1466541822-633246-jpg
Have a great day everyone!


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