3 New Orchids - Help

[LAorchid12]

I am new to orchids and impulsively ordered 3 new orchids which arrived today.

1. The first 3 pictures are Den. farmeri. This one is a little pale looking and does not look as robust as the other two The potting medium is moss and is really dense, wet, and has some algae and other growth. That being said there are a ton of good looking roots. Anything special I need to do for this one?

2. Picture 4 is Epi. floribundum. . Is potted in moss as well but I suspect it was a recent repot because it’s in a large pot with loose moss and not many visible roots.

3. Picture 5 is Den auriculatum. I can’t really tell what medium it is in because the root growth is so dense

I’ve been doing my research but any advice would be appreciated (especially for the den. farmeri

Thanks!

[SaraJean]

I can only help out with the Den. farmeri, it’s the only one out of those 3 that I grow. This is from the Dendrobium Section Callista. Research that for care instructions. It’s my favorite section of Dendrobiums.

Not sure what your conditions are, if you are growing indoors or out, or if you are in L.A. or LA, but the care for these is pretty simple. First, that plant looks good. These have taller cube like canes that are slightly groved, thin at the base of the plant, even when hydrated.

Spring and summer: They love to be watered heavily, very frequently, (daily is best), in the warmer months when they are growing but want to dry fast. That makes them do great for baskets or mounts, or at least in a clay pot with some chunky media. Also give them nice bright light. It will be pretty happy in direct morning sun and filtered afternoon sun.

Mid/late Fall and Winter: When the weather cools down, the growths should be mature, cut back on the fertilizer and you can start to cut back on the water.. I stop fertilizer by the beginning of October. This is when I put my Den. farmeri in as much direct sun as I can, without burning it, for the rest of the winter (this is key to blooming). If it gets rained on, that’s fine, but I will only bother with watering it once every few weeks (again, with plain water, no fertilizer) so that it doesn’t get too shriveled. Some shriveling is fine, the pseudobulbs/canes will plump back up when you resume spring watering. Let them get cool nights. If the media is bone dry, they can get cold nights down into the low 40’s. Don’t let it freeze
That’s it. It should bloom in February or March.

I edited it to make it a little more clear between the summer and winter care

[Leafmite]

Den auriculatum is an easy one. It likes to be kept damp, warm, and is quite tolerant otherwise. It even tolerates my cooler winter temperatures. The blooms are nicely fragrant and it will bloom off both leafy and leafless canes, throughout the year. I have mine potted in a mix of lava rock and a good quality NZ sphagnum moss with a basket pot as my winter conditions are cool so it needs a little more air to the roots to prevent fungus issues. I am not sure you can over-water this one, though.