What are good orchids for beginners?

[Arizona Jeanie]

OK, someone has to stand up for the Phals! My first one was a gift, totally neglected on the back of the plant shelf and me just waiting for it to die before I threw it out. A year later I noticed it was still alive, so I thought maybe I should look into this orchid business, and here I am. That original one has been blooming since March, has been joined by several others, and most of the other houseplants have moved on to other homes. Needless to say, Phals need some attention and care, but really don't seem to be that picky. All but one have re-bloomed every year--bigger, better and longer each time. Conditions here are less than ideal, with low light (tinted windows), really low humidity (9% right now), a house that's not closely climate controlled (hot in summer, cool in winter), and a caregiver (me) who can be a little slap-dash about details such as water and fertilizer. I don't have a lot of room, and I feel like I really get a lot of bang for my buck with Phals. They're inexpensive, readily available, and not something I would have picked as having a good chance of success. So try what you like, learn everything you can, and enjoy!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Honestly, the only Phals I can recommend to those with very little experience, (but not to total newbies who've never grown an orchid before), would be Phalaenopsis equestris and Phalaenopsis pulcherrima.

Too many people mess up too often with Phalaenopsis. I will say though, that the two species I mentioned above are pretty strong and fairly forgiving for Phalaenopsis.

Try growing Dendrobium normanbyense, neglect watering this guy for almost 1 - 2 weeks at a time on occasion, and putting it in a bright enough location in intermediate to warm conditions and you will see what I mean. This plant will come back easily and not drop any leaves.

[Arizona Jeanie]

Hey, you are the King, I'm just a retired minion enjoying my flowers!

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

a house that's not closely climate controlled (hot in summer, cool in winter), and a caregiver (me) who can be a little slap-dash about details such as water and fertilizer.

You get several extra points for using the term "slap-dash". That's fantastic.

My guess is that the points that I left in the quote above actually work in your favor. I think over watering and over fertilizing are some of the common reasons why many people kill orchids.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Honestly, the only Phals I can recommend to those with very little experience, (but not to total newbies who've never grown an orchid before), would be Phalaenopsis equestris and Phalaenopsis pulcherrima.

Too many people mess up too often with Phalaenopsis. I will say though, that the two species I mentioned above are pretty strong and fairly forgiving for Phalaenopsis.

Try growing Dendrobium normanbyense, neglect watering this guy for almost 1 - 2 weeks at a time on occasion, and putting it in a bright enough location in intermediate to warm conditions and you will see what I mean. This plant will come back easily and not drop any leaves.

Philip, this is good additional info. Thanks

Originally Posted by Arizona Jeanie

Hey, you are the King, I'm just a retired minion enjoying my flowers!

I'm not sure why, but any time I see his name, I picture him in a spangly white jumpsuit, ala, Elvis. I'm guessing he didn't intend to be that sort of "king".

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by nogreenthumbs

I'm not sure why, but any time I see his name, I picture him in a spangly white jumpsuit, ala, Elvis. I'm guessing he didn't intend to be that sort of "king".

Well...

I was an actor. I did play the role of Elvis impersonators twice.

One was for an independent film.

The other time was for the Bon Jovi music video of the song "It's My Life". I was the one wearing the black jumpsuit.

Bon Jovi - It's My Life - YouTube

Enjoy.

[Orchid Whisperer]

The first orchid I recommend (or give) to someone that is a first-time orchid grower is still the grocery store NOID Phalaenopsis. With such plants, you can be assured you are not wrecking an heirloom or treasured species if something goes wrong. The plants are generally forgiving, but you can learn a lot about orchids as you make mistakes and recover from them. Much of the care for Phals can be generalized or modified to suit other orchids.

[Dollythehun]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Well...

I was an actor. I did play the role of Elvis impersonators twice.

One was for an independent film.

The other time was for the Bon Jovi music video of the song "It's My Life". I was the one wearing the black jumpsuit.

Bon Jovi - It's My Life - YouTube

Enjoy.

Really? Words fail me...look for minute 1:36, Philip is on the left.

[rbarata]

I started with a gift phal, one from a big store. After that, I started to collect different genera but only after knowing my environmental conditions.
Today, when I think about buying a new one, I already know approx if I can be sucessful or not just by reading a care sheet.
I also think you should start by a phal.

[nogreenthumbs]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Well...

I was an actor. I did play the role of Elvis impersonators twice.

One was for an independent film.

The other time was for the Bon Jovi music video of the song "It's My Life". I was the one wearing the black jumpsuit.

Bon Jovi - It's My Life - YouTube

Enjoy.

Nice!

---------- Post added at 09:11 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:56 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

The first orchid I recommend (or give) to someone that is a first-time orchid grower is still the grocery store NOID Phalaenopsis. With such plants, you can be assured you are not wrecking an heirloom or treasured species if something goes wrong. The plants are generally forgiving, but you can learn a lot about orchids as you make mistakes and recover from them. Much of the care for Phals can be generalized or modified to suit other orchids.

Interesting, and it seems like valid points. The interesting thing is that Phals seem to mostly be similar to any other of the common orchids, epiphytes that don't like too much water, but maybe a bit less light (at least than the other orchids that I've got).

Originally Posted by rbarata

I started with a gift phal, one from a big store. After that, I started to collect different genera but only after knowing my environmental conditions.
Today, when I think about buying a new one, I already know approx if I can be sucessful or not just by reading a care sheet.
I also think you should start by a phal.

I think a lot of folks start with them because they are so ubiquitous. I think the real problem is that most folks end up killing them because they don't really understand them. Many/most folks probably compare them to other house plants, and many/most folks probably don't repot (and we all know the evils of hard packed sphag! )

[ShadePlant]

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Well...

I was an actor. I did play the role of Elvis impersonators twice.

One was for an independent film.

The other time was for the Bon Jovi music video of the song "It's My Life". I was the one wearing the black jumpsuit.

Bon Jovi - It's My Life - YouTube

Enjoy.

You really ARE the King!