Venting (with a brown paper bag)

[Leafmite]

I usually prefer the young plants because they have time to adapt and become well-rooted in my lava rock before they bloom. Sometimes, though, I don't have a choice so I end up buying the blooming-size. The main advantage of buying an orchid that has already bloomed is that there is no guessing on whether you have the right orchid, how the bloom will look, and whether the bloom is fragrant. Seedlings, though, are more fun and rewarding, in my opinion.

[Orchid Whisperer]

After 15 lost plants, I would offer the following:
1. Take stock of the plants you have left. Which are doing well? Specifically, what types are doing well (are they all Cattleyas, for example, no Phals survive).

2. Think the same way about your lost plants. What do they have in common (single plants from 15 genera? Or a bunch of plants from one or two genera?)

3. I have certain types of plants that grow well for me (Cattleyas great, Phals good but not show-stoppers, Oncidiums good, Cymbidium good). I usually kill Tolumnia, Vandas, a few others.

4. Think about questions 1 through 3 above, and for now, just focus on caring for your survivors. Think about what your survivors have in common. Does that suggest you should stick to one or two types for now?

5. Take a break from buying new plants. Focus on growing what you have really well, and know WHY they do well for you.

6. After you figure out what you grow well, if you like you can expand the types you grow. Maybe try one plant of a new genus that might work well with your growing conditions and care style. For example, for me, I probably would stay away from cold-loving Masdevallias, but Laelias might be fine.

No need to give up, but this is a good time to take stock of what you know, and what you need to do next.

[jcec1]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

After 15 lost plants, I would offer the following:
1. Take stock of the plants you have left. Which are doing well? Specifically, what types are doing well (are they all Cattleyas, for example, no Phals survive).

2. Think the same way about your lost plants. What do they have in common (single plants from 15 genera? Or a bunch of plants from one or two genera?)

3. I have certain types of plants that grow well for me (Cattleyas great, Phals good but not show-stoppers, Oncidiums good, Cymbidium good). I usually kill Tolumnia, Vandas, a few others.

4. Think about questions 1 through 3 above, and for now, just focus on caring for your survivors. Think about what your survivors have in common. Does that suggest you should stick to one or two types for now?

5. Take a break from buying new plants. Focus on growing what you have really well, and know WHY they do well for you.

6. After you figure out what you grow well, if you like you can expand the types you grow. Maybe try one plant of a new genus that might work well with your growing conditions and care style. For example, for me, I probably would stay away from cold-loving Masdevallias, but Laelias might be fine.

No need to give up, but this is a good time to take stock of what you know, and what you need to do next.

Great advice

[rbarata]

I have a slightly different approach... I've started with Cymbs and when I was sure that they grow well under my conditions I got a Phal as a gift. Once again, I didn't change anything in my environment and when I knew I could grow them I got a Den nobile.
Once again, didn't change anything and, as it was growing fine, I got a Miltassia. Once again....well, you know, didn't change anything again.
I could go on and on but it's not necessary...today I also grow Onc, Stan, Catts, Laelias, Zigos as well as some other that I still don't know what they are.

Know your conditions well, even inside the same room you will find different environments, see which might grow well in each one.... and jump into the unknown (and be prepared to lose some of them).

[Optimist]

One strategy that I found does not work is simply buying orchids based on the way they look, or on their popularity or something other than your conditions.
Also, don't spend 100 on a box or random orchids that you know nothing about. So far I have a 100% kill rate on vandacious orchids, so it would not be logical to buy a box or random vandas (a Carmela on-line special), but if I lived in Florida and could put them outside, I would jump on that purchase.

I think planning your purchases, and reading up on their care, and preparing a place for them beforehand is more logical, and will result in a higher survival rate. Getting a light meter, and a humidity/temperature gauge is the next step, as well as a cool steam mister, and perhaps some lights.

[AnonYMouse]

If ever you out bid me on an ebay item, this kinda pisses me off (not really since I rarely bid more than the opening bid).

If I got plants I can easily grow and not what I liked, I wouldn't be in this hobby. I'm willing to lose plants to challenge myself. Sometimes unlikely plants have surprised me. So, don't despair.

You have to do your own analysis and find the commonalities. We can yammer on about your environment and habits but we really don't know where/how you grow. The environment is a big factor but it can be overcome (Naoki grows in Alaska!). Habits can also be overcome but they are harder to identify because of their subjectivity.

Take a break (it's a good time since not much growing is going on), clean out your grow area and do some image browsing and researching. See what Spring does with the remaining collection. Just don't make any hasty decisions.

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Paul

Phals tend to desire a 10-15F degree drop between day and night temps to initiate flower spikes. Temps of 64-68 all winter -- and I'm reading that as your day and night temp -- is low for phals. They like it warm. (No idea about the neos temp preference.) There is also the question of just how low your "low light" level is. Might be too low.

Contrary to popular belief, Phals don't need a difference between night and day temps in order to induce blooming. What they need is a general cooling down of both day and night temperatures. This old AOS article explains it very well how commercial growers control Phal growth and flowering through temperature.

http://www.aos.org/AOS/media/Content...halsPart_3.pdf

[Paul]

Thanks, Camille! Interesting read that was!

[estación seca]

Just recalling your posts, it seems to me a lot of trouble was likely related to plants being too cool, or too cool and wet.

Many large-flowered Vandas can tolerate cooler temperatures for a while, so long as they don't get below 55 F / 13C. However, they tolerate this a lot better if it's interspersed with some warm and sunny days, into the 80s F / 26+ C. Just a few hours to 50 F / 10C or under often causes severe Vanda damage, and might be fatal. One night too close to a window during a winter cold spell can do it.

Neos have a different watering and temperature rhythm than many other orchids. Once you figure it out, they should be easy for you to grow. The main thing is that it takes weeks or months to kill one in the winter with too little water, and only one night with cold temperatures and wet medium. They tolerate very low winter temperatures when they're dry.

Talk to the people at the local orchid society. Find out who grows like you do - on the windowsill, not with supplemental light, not with a greenhouse, house temperatures like yours. What orchids do they find easy to grow?

I'm guessing you should succeed with intermediate-growing orchids like Oncidium intergenerics. I think your previous problems with these were related to not watering enough when they were pushing new growths.

[SundayGardener]

You had the orchid for 17 months, is that correct? Do you mind my asking what might have happened, or changed?

As someone who has been doggedly trying to grow things with mixed results for decades, I would say that the number of losses is relative, and it is a learning process that can take years. If you have 100 orchids and lose 15, that's just 15% with 85% alive. Now granted if you have 30, 15 is half of your collection but what is it relative to everything else you've tried?

I would say my failure rate with succulents is 95%. Doesn't matter if I ignore them, they're doomed the minute I bring them home.I live close to an excellent source of wide variety of alpine garden plants, including succulents, and I have decent outdoor rock garden conditions, but no. I just stay out of the alpine garden tents now when browsing.

Sometimes it helps to be prepared for attrition. I really had the bug bad last year and I planted several hundred bulbs. I think I'll be lucky to see 50 bloom. That's accounting for chipmunks, squirrels, rabbits, winter melt possibly causing rot, and overall unhelpful weather with rapid cycling from deep freezes to thaws, and also early on there wasn't sufficient snow cover to prevent soil heaving. Honestly, it was not cheap and it was a ton of work to plant them. but if I get a few years of spring blooms it will make the months of April and May so much better for me.

Congratulations also on your orchids that are doing well!