Starter Orchids - Orchid Board

Chlorophile · #1 03-24-2018, 04:12 PM

After looking up information on my impulse buy M. tenuifolia, I am seeing so many other orchids that I would love to have. This time however, I would like to have much more information beforehand. I think I will be going to the Long Island orchid show in June and I'd like a list of some starter orchids I should look for.

I live in a small apartment in the NE USA. I have a southern facing window and a Northern facing window, the S. window I have a shelf about 10 feet away that I can put plants on. I can't really put anything on the window sill. The N. window I can put a few plants on the sill.

In the summer the apartment may get up to 80 F and its around 70 at night. In the Winter it stays around 70 F.

I have a humidifier for my other plants but I'm not sure what the humidity level actually is.

With that information, what are some good starter orchids I should look out for?

jcec1 · #2 03-24-2018, 04:40 PM

Phalaenopsis, phalaenopsis, phalaenopsis!

Ten feet from a window to a human and the light will seem quite bright, however to a plant that is quite low level, given the low light levels and your temperatures, this would be an ideal situation for phalaenopsis - there are plenty of hybrids and species that are quite unlike the ones that you find in grocery stores.

JScott · #3 03-24-2018, 04:41 PM

Oncidium and intergeneric hybrids of Oncidium are a good choice for beginners. The intergeneric hybrids have genus names that include Aliceara, Beallara, Degarmoara, Vuylstekeara, Wilsonara, and a few others (although there have been major changes to the Oncidium alliance, and some of these names are now obsolete as some plants formerly considered separate genera are now considered Oncidium, but many growers are still using the old names, and you will probably still see plants labeled using the old names). They are hybrids involving Oncidium and other closely related genera, such as Odontoglossum, Miltonia, Miltoniopsis, and Brassia. They are tolerant of a wide range of conditions and are easy to grow in the home, will bloom well in relatively low light, and they come in an assortment of colors and sizes, and many of them bloom more than once a year. Your shelf near your south window would probably be perfect for these.

Roberta · #4 03-24-2018, 05:09 PM

Mini-Catts. Many of them bloom more than once a year, and don't take up a lot of space, tolerant of a wide range of temperatures, not particular about humidity. And often have brilliant colors - red, yellow, orange, some splash petals. They're bred for windowsill growing.

Optimist · #5 03-24-2018, 05:54 PM

Maudia Paphiopedilum-- this is an apartment friendly orchid, with approximately the same light requirements as a phalaenopsis, and a good first terrestrial orchid. As with any orchid, read up on it before getting it.

Paphiopedilums do not come in many colors. They seem to run in colors brown, white, green, yellow, and a light pink, most just "touches" of light pink. The vinicolor is a deep wine-color. What they lack in color, they make up in spectacular stripes, spots, "warts" and hairs, as well as some that have long tendrils that are many feet long. The Maudia Vinicolor is a really spectacular plant--considered to be so deep red that it seems almost "black."

Ray · #6 03-24-2018, 06:35 PM

Light coming from a window 10 feet away from the plants won't be a bright as you may think. The light doesn't actually "pass through" the windows, but is actually absorbed and reradiated, so as far as the plants are concerned, the window is the light source, so the inverse-square rule of light intensity depletion plays a big role.

Also, as summer approaches, the angle of light will become higher, and more reflected off the glass, rather than transmitted.

That is info you can deal with. What you should deal with is the urge to buy a bunch of plants having different needs....DONT DO IT!!! Get comfortable growing one or two kinds before ranging out.

Chlorophile · #7 03-25-2018, 09:22 AM

Thank you guys. I am leaning toward paphiopedilum, I really like their flowers. It seems like maybe paphs have interesting foliage as well so still look nice even when not in bloom.

Oncidiums looks really interesting but when you read up on them, it seems like I probably don't have enough light for them. That's part of why I feel like orchids can be difficult to get into-everywhere you look and everyone you talk to has a different opinion. Some sources say they will bloom in low light, some say you need cattleya level light and I definitely do not have that.

Optimist · #8 03-25-2018, 09:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ray

Light coming from a window 10 feet away from the plants won't be a bright as you may think. The light doesn't actually "pass through" the windows, but is actually absorbed and reradiated, so as far as the plants are concerned, the window is the light source, so the inverse-square rule of light intensity depletion plays a big role.

Also, as summer approaches, the angle of light will become higher, and more reflected off the glass, rather than transmitted.

That is info you can deal with. What you should deal with is the urge to buy a bunch of plants having different needs....DONT DO IT!!! Get comfortable growing one or two kinds before ranging out.

This is absolutely the best advice ever. I know that when people first catch the orchid bug (myself included) they begin to get anything "pretty" that they see. Resist the urge. I have wasted hundreds of dollars on plants I should not have gotten. If you can spend some money, get a light meter, and find out exactly how much light you have, and also get some auxiliary grow lights for winter. Also, check your other parameters. Get a humidifier if not in a humid state (like Georgia). People seem to think that humidity does not matter, but the onion-skin-like sheaths on some orchids will get hard and dry and not allow roots or buds to pierce through, and humidity is necessary for the flowers to open correctly. Also, make sure you know how big your plant will get when it has grown several years. You might get something in a 2-inch pot, and in a few years struggle to find a place for it because it is now in a 10-inch pot.

Buy your plants to suit the needs of your environment. Light is the hardest parameter to duplicate. There are dozens of phal-light (800fc to 1500fc) orchids. Even these need more light than the average house has. The light outside in the summer on a perfectly cloudless day is about 10,000 fc. The interior of the average house runs from 200fc to about 1,500fc (right near the window, and depending on how many windows and in what direction they are placed).

Mountaineer370 · #9 03-25-2018, 10:07 AM

Another vote for Phalaenopsis. I've only been growing orchids for about three years, but my Phals are the only ones so far that have rebloomed in my care. I think there are good reasons why they are seen so abundantly in the stores.

Paphiopedilum is certainly another option. I have a few, but they are new enough they are not due to rebloom yet.

I'm not having any luck with Oncidium types. I'm starting to think I should rehome them as I probably don't have enough light. Ditto for my one Cattleya.

Great advice from Ray to start slowly with just one or two different types and see how they do in your conditions before just going out and buying a whole bunch of different ones.

estación seca · #10 03-25-2018, 02:20 PM

Many intergeneric Oncidiums get very large. You might consider a Twinkle or Tsiku Marguerite on the north windowsill. They are somewhat smaller.

Paphs should do well too.

Your light is low for many orchids. Do you know the humidity in your apartment? If it's over 50% or so there are a lot of orchids in the Pleurothallid alliance that might do well for you - Masdevallia, Pleurothallis, Octomeria. Many of these are small plants.