Was this good Phal info for beginners?

[blackvine]

Growing for only about 2 years, I second guess myself. A LOT! I have friends on Facebook who LOVE my orchid photos and actually, I've been really successful blooming several genera, Phals being one. So, I'd LOVE for them to go to a big box and pick up a nice NoID phal and . . . REBLOOM IT! I posted the following instructions for absolute beginners. Do you think they are accurate? Again, I second guess myself, so just thought I'd throw it out to you guys . . .

I want ALL my friends to know the joy of blooming orchids! Here are 3 easy steps to re-bloom Phalaenopsis orchids you buy in stores. The only one that takes a little time is the 1st, but it is not complicated. Just a little time-consuming. Once you get the light right, the rest is cake.

1. Place in a BRIGHT window. Even full sun is OK, if acclimated to that over a couple of weeks, ie, a bit closer to the light source every day. With orchids (actually, most plants), the trick to blooming it is to get the plant to the upper edge of light tolerance, just below sunburn. A Phalaenopsis leaf will generally turn a bit purplish in a lot of light. That’s GOOD. If a leaf begins to brown in spots, pull it back from the light source a bit. Keep up this trial and error over a month or two and you will soon find its upper tolerance – the sweet spot.
   
2. Water only when medium is ALMOST dry. Don’t be afraid – stick your finger in the pot. When watering, drench it for about 10 or 15 seconds. Remember – almost dry. Even dry a couple days is OK. Do not overwater.
   
3. Get an orchid fertilizer at any store that sells orchids and feed it weekly at HALF the strength recommended on the box.

That’s it. Seriously! If you do this, you WILL have blooms at least once a year. I promise. Disclaimer: This advice only applies to the Phalaenopsis orchids found in every big box – they are hybrids and very easy. Other genera and species differ.

[Ray]

Originally Posted by blackvine

I want ALL my friends to know the joy of blooming orchids! Here are 3 easy steps to re-bloom Phalaenopsis orchids you buy in stores. The only one that takes a little time is the 1st, but it is not complicated. Just a little time-consuming. Once you get the light right, the rest is cake.

1. Place in a BRIGHT window. Even full sun is OK, if acclimated to that over a couple of weeks, ie, a bit closer to the light source every day. With orchids (actually, most plants), the trick to blooming it is to get the plant to the upper edge of light tolerance, just below sunburn. A Phalaenopsis leaf will generally turn a bit purplish in a lot of light. That’s GOOD. If a leaf begins to brown in spots, pull it back from the light source a bit. Keep up this trial and error over a month or two and you will soon find its upper tolerance – the sweet spot.
   
2. Water only when medium is ALMOST dry. Don’t be afraid – stick your finger in the pot. When watering, drench it for about 10 or 15 seconds. Remember – almost dry. Even dry a couple days is OK. Do not overwater.
   
3. Get an orchid fertilizer at any store that sells orchids and feed it weekly at HALF the strength recommended on the box.

The primary issue I have with that advice is its rigidity in the face of widely-varying conditions.

Full sun is NOT what phals need. For one, "full sun" in Desplaines IL is a lot less intense than it might be Houston - or even here in southeastern PA. Secondly, phals actually do better with lower light levels. I won't go into specifics, but there are lots of biochemical processes going on within the plant, and some are stifled by the heat that comes with more sunlight. If two identical phals are grown in bright sun and 50% shaded, the shaded one will bloom better. (I am not saying that 50% shade is ideal; its just an example.)

Water is not the cause of root rot issues - suffocation is. While your watering advice "OK" as it stands, it ignores situations like the fact that overly-soppy moss may take a long time to dry out after watering - long enough that it can suffocate and damage the roots.

The fertilizer recommendation hit my "pet peeve" trigger: "feed weekly at HALF the strength..." Half of what? Please remember that if you're buying a mass-marketed brand, their goal is to sell you fertilizer, not to help you have healthy plants. I have seen both a 30-10-10 and 15-30-15 be "recommended" at a tablespoon per gallon. If you fed your plants at even half that rate weekly, you'd be overfeeding the daylights out of them. Orchids are very undemanding of nutrition - even the "heavy feeders" pale in comparison to the high-volume crops manufacturers target.

If you want to be a bit clearer and more correct on your recommendations to your friends, I would offer the following:

Light: Place your hand between the plant and the light source. If you can just barely discern a shadow, that's a good level.

Water: As I said, your recommendation is OK, but add the fact that orchids do the vast majority of their gas exchange through the roots, so you are assuming they have a nice, open, airy potting medium.

Food: No matter what the formula, for weekly feeding, I'd recommend dividing 6 by the %N on the label. The result is the teaspoons per gallon to use for 75 ppm N. (I feed at every watering, 2 or 3 times a week, at 25-30 ppm N)

[Bulbofett]

Originally Posted by blackvine

Growing for only about 2 years, I second guess myself. A LOT! I have friends on Facebook who LOVE my orchid photos and actually, I've been really successful blooming several genera, Phals being one. So, I'd LOVE for them to go to a big box and pick up a nice NoID phal and . . . REBLOOM IT! I posted the following instructions for absolute beginners. Do you think they are accurate? Again, I second guess myself, so just thought I'd throw it out to you guys . . .

Why would you want them to go to a place that doesn't give two pickles whether or not their plants live or die? I wish I had, had a friend who was into plants when I first started. Then they could have told me about the local orchid nurseries, and the difference in quality and care. As a first time plant I'd go with a quality raised orchid.

Not to mention, I'm sure most people think that the only orchid out there is the Phalaenopsis. Taking someone to a nursery can open them up to a myriad of genera that suit them better than a Phal.

[Orchid Whisperer]

@ Blackvine - I agree with Ray on the light & fertilizer issues.

I used to provide fertilizer at 1/4 of the strength recommended on the package, regardless of percentages, every week. I now provide much less than that; maybe 1/4 teaspoon/gal once or twice a month of 30-10-10 during active growth, or reducing to 1/8 teaspoon if I am giving fertilizer more often.

For Phals, I think your watering suggestion is fine, but maybe also add in a growing medium/potting recommendation. Any medium that is not open enough to dry out in 2-3 days without watering should be replaced. IMO this includes sphagnum (unless you have the rigid self-discipline to grow plants with it) and bark that is starting to look like potting soil. If you are growing with an inorganic material such as medium to coarse scoria (lava rock), you could water nearly every day if you wanted to. A pot of any kind should have excellent drainage; the decorative cache pots in which orchids are frequently sold impair drainage, I get rid of these or use them for something that likes "soggy feet".

@ Keris - You can get decent quality Phals at big box stores, especially Phals of sufficient quality for a beginner's first orchid. Many beginners make their first orchid purchase at the grocery store or home improvement center when they see a plant they like, & nothing wrong with that. You just need to get the plants while they are fresh and in good condition. I have purchased such plants & they have been properly tagged, have great roots, no bugs, etc. If you get that same plant after 2 months on the shelf with no water or other care, different story. I try to re-pot any big box purchases as soon as possible after I bring them home.

[Bulbofett]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

@ Keris - You can get decent quality Phals at big box stores, especially Phals of sufficient quality for a beginner's first orchid. Many beginners make their first orchid purchase at the grocery store or home improvement center when they see a plant they like, & nothing wrong with that. You just need to get the plants while they are fresh and in good condition. I have purchased such plants & they have been properly tagged, have great roots, no bugs, etc. If you get that same plant after 2 months on the shelf with no water or other care, different story. I try to re-pot any big box purchases as soon as possible after I bring them home.

Are you saying there is no difference in quality between a box store orchid and an orchid from a nursery? Because I must disagree with you on that one.

I'm not saying you can't buy nice plants from a box store. The only ones I have ever bought from Lowe's were mostly dead, though so I can't attest for their healthy plants, but I have seen them there. I'm just saying that a healthy box store orchid, and a healthy nursery orchid are two different animals.

Here's a good way to put it in perspective. Kind of like if someone who has never seen a movie before asks you what they're like. Are you going to show them Sharknado, or are you going to show them Shawshank Redemption?

[Orchid Whisperer]

Originally Posted by Bulbofett

Are you saying there is no difference in quality between a box store orchid and an orchid from a nursery? Because I must disagree with you on that one.

Read what I said again. I never suggested there was no difference between plants from a big-box store and those from an orchid nursery. What I did say is that you can get decent-quality plants from big-box stores, and they can be perfectly suitable for beginners. I can walk into my local Lowes or Krogers today and buy a Phal that is perfectly fine for a beginner. It will not be of the quality of what I might buy from Big Leaf Orchids or Carter & Holmes, but could perform perfectly well for years or even decades, and it will cost less for that entry-level orchid enthusiast.

Originally Posted by Bulbofett

I'm not saying you can't buy nice plants from a box store. The only ones I have ever bought from Lowe's were mostly dead, though so I can't attest for their healthy plants, but I have seen them there. I'm just saying that a healthy box store orchid, and a healthy nursery orchid are two different animals.

I would never recommend that a beginner start with a nearly-dead plant from any vendor. If it is in bad shape, it's probably best to not buy it at all. You can buy a fresh plant in good condition at big box stores; just like buying bananas, avoid the ones that are soft & spotty and have been in the store a long time, go for the fresh ones instead.

Originally Posted by Bulbofett

Here's a good way to put it in perspective. Kind of like if someone who has never seen a movie before asks you what they're like. Are you going to show them Sharknado, or are you going to show them Shawshank Redemption?

I totally agree. Shawshank Redemption is certainly an OK movie, but can't match the awesome-awesomeness of Sharknado, or Sharknado 2: The Second One. Hardly even a fair comparison.

[Leafmite]

Let us not be too hard on Blackvine. I applaud her for getting others hooked on orchids. I try to do it, too. It is very nice to share a hobby with friends.
I buy quite a few phals as gifts for people who have no other plants and these always come from big box stores. Many people have told me years later (after I forgot that I had gotten them one) that their phals are blooming and doing well. I think the box store phals are good starter plants. The Justaddice orchids are certainly bred to be very tough and tolerant and I highly recommend them as gifts.
Before giving the orchids, I usually repot them, using the same pot, into small lava rock. I know that it would never occur to these people that they might need new mediia. Here is then, basically, what I tell/write down for them:
1) Bright, indirect light
2) water until visible roots turn green, drain completely, don't let water sit between the leaves
3) fertilize with a small pinch of fertilizer added to the water when you remember (I usually give them a bag of it since they grow nothing else)
4) keep them in temperatures that are comfortable for you
5) to get them to bloom, let them get a little cooler in the fall for a few days, perhaps by leaving the window cracked or putting in a cooler room. Don't let them go below fifty degrees.
6) Once in a while, let water run though the pot for a minute or two to clean out the mediium

Remember, I give these as gifts to people who do not garden and have never had a houseplant. In the long distant past, I have, on occasion, given people who grow things a cattleya or some other nice orchid only to find later that they have killed them. I prefer now to give away the hardy, tough big-box store phals.

[blackvine]

Hey all - thanks for the feedback. My power is out now - storms in Chicago - and I can't type on this dang phone, so will properly respond tomorrow!

[blackvine]

Ray, I fully appreciate your knowledge and experience. There are a few points on which I disagree (I may be wrong. I’m new. If so, I’ll learn by doing.) and most on which I agree:

Originally Posted by Ray

Full sun is NOT what phals need. For one, "full sun" in Desplaines IL is a lot less intense than it might be Houston - or even here in southeastern PA. Secondly, phals actually do better with lower light levels.

Ray, “full sun in Des Plaines, IL is a lot less intense than it might be in Houston” is exactly WHY Phals absolutely CAN be placed in a window that gets a few – 2 or 3 hours of direct sun – including in the summer. I’ve seen it.

Originally Posted by Ray

While your watering advice "OK" as it stands, it ignores situations like the fact that overly-soppy moss may take a long time to dry out after watering - long enough that it can suffocate and damage the roots.

Yep, that’s true.

Originally Posted by Ray

The fertilizer recommendation hit my "pet peeve" trigger: "feed weekly at HALF the strength..." Half of what?

I did say half the strength on the box

Originally Posted by Ray

Please remember that if you're buying a mass-marketed brand, their goal is to sell you fertilizer, not to help you have healthy plants. I have seen both a 30-10-10 and 15-30-15 be "recommended" at a tablespoon per gallon. If you fed your plants at even half that rate weekly, you'd be overfeeding the daylights out of them. Orchids are very undemanding of nutrition - even the "heavy feeders" pale in comparison to the high-volume crops manufacturers target.

TOTALLY AGREE! But . . . for a beginner, weekly/weakly of a big box fert will work to at least bloom the darn thing once. I wanted to keep it EASY.

Originally Posted by Ray

Light: Place your hand between the plant and the light source. If you can just barely discern a shadow, that's a good level.

OK, this is where I COMPLETELY disagree. It doesn’t work because it doesn’t take into account the ambient light. If you put your hand between a flashlight and an orchid in a dark room, you will certainly see a distinct shadow, but it’s a dark room! No, no, no – beginners MUST learn to WATCH their plant. The plant will tell you when it’s reached the upper level of tolerance of light. That is where it needs to be.

As I said, Ray – I value your opinion A LOT. But, while I could be wrong as dirt, that light thing – I just really disagree with that method. Thanks, Ray!

---------- Post added at 11:41 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:38 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Bulbofett

Why would you want them to go to a place that doesn't give two pickles whether or not their plants live or die?

Because that’s where most folks get their first orchids from and they are decent orchids.

---------- Post added at 11:44 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:41 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

@ Blackvine - I agree with Ray on the light & fertilizer issues.

I used to provide fertilizer at 1/4 of the strength recommended on the package, regardless of percentages, every week. I now provide much less than that; maybe 1/4 teaspoon/gal once or twice a month of 30-10-10 during active growth, or reducing to 1/8 teaspoon if I am giving fertilizer more often.

Yep, you and Ray are likely right. I just wanted to keep it easy and while I do not like the mass market orchid ferts much, they’re not horrific and they’re easy to get. Actually, I’ve been doing a teeny bit of fish emulsion for a few months and my orchids are smiling! Thanks, Orchid Whisperer!

---------- Post added at 11:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 11:44 AM ----------

Originally Posted by Leafmite

Let us not be too hard on Blackvine. I applaud her for getting others hooked on orchids. I try to do it, too. It is very nice to share a hobby with friends.
I buy quite a few phals as gifts for people who have no other plants and these always come from big box stores. Many people have told me years later (after I forgot that I had gotten them one) that their phals are blooming and doing well. I think the box store phals are good starter plants. The Justaddice orchids are certainly bred to be very tough and tolerant and I highly recommend them as gifts.
Before giving the orchids, I usually repot them, using the same pot, into small lava rock. I know that it would never occur to these people that they might need new mediia. Here is then, basically, what I tell/write down for them:
1) Bright, indirect light
2) water until visible roots turn green, drain completely, don't let water sit between the leaves
3) fertilize with a small pinch of fertilizer added to the water when you remember (I usually give them a bag of it since they grow nothing else)
4) keep them in temperatures that are comfortable for you
5) to get them to bloom, let them get a little cooler in the fall for a few days, perhaps by leaving the window cracked or putting in a cooler room. Don't let them go below fifty degrees.
6) Once in a while, let water run though the pot for a minute or two to clean out the mediium

Remember, I give these as gifts to people who do not garden and have never had a houseplant. In the long distant past, I have, on occasion, given people who grow things a cattleya or some other nice orchid only to find later that they have killed them. I prefer now to give away the hardy, tough big-box store phals.

Leafmite, that is sooo nice that you give folks Phals as gifts!! Kudos to you! Your advice is good, too.

[blackvine]

Originally Posted by Orchid Whisperer

I totally agree. Shawshank Redemption is certainly an OK movie, but can't match the awesome-awesomeness of Sharknado, or Sharknado 2: The Second One. Hardly even a fair comparison.

But . . . I LOVED Shawshank Redemption. Just sayin'!