Two turtles to identify (should be easy I think)

[Corwin]

No I'm kidding... 2 Orchids to identify of course

The first one is a Phal. (schilleriana ?). The flowers are 10cm (4") big and the stem 50cm (20") long

The second a Dendrobium (biggibum var. compactum?). The flowers are 5cm (2") big and the cane is 42.5cm (17") long. I just lost a bud (hopefully because of poor lighting, not because of root rot)

Thanks in advance

[vmax3000]

Your phal looks to be a hybrid. schillerianna has very mottled foliage. It's pretty, who ever it is.

[Corwin]

A close-up of the Phal

[RosieC]

Hi Corwin,

As I said on your indroduction thread, unfortuanately both Phals and Dens have so many hubrids with many looking similar to others, that it can be almost imposible to identify them.

Don't worry though, NOIDs as we call them, are still really pretty.

You said on your intro that they were quite new. Do you still have the lables/tags? A trick which sometimes works to find the ID of an orchid is to go to the website of the grower if that is shown on the tag. Most growers will only have specific hybrids and so if you can find one on their site which looks like yours you can be fairly sure that's what it is.

That worked for my Paph (in my avatar) as the grower only actually grows the one Paph so now it's my only orchid which actually has an ID.

Anyway your orchids are really pretty I love the delicate pink of the Phal and the deaper pink of the Den.

[Corwin]

Well... the labels were... very unhelpful

It was just written Dendrobium or Phalaenopsis on them, with a (very) short "How to" and... a small picture of some orchid.

But well, if I was to know the general care (light-watering-fertiliser-etc) of both of them, it would be helpful (those are my first orchids, I want to do everything right )

Just some pointers, mind you, like "treat this one as an Orchid ofsomesort"

[RosieC]

Hi Corwin,

The Phal will be the easiest to give instructions for. Most Phal Hybrids are fairly similar to look after. Here is the Phal care sheet which should help.

Phalaenopsis - Orchid Board

My big tip for Phals is to put them in a clear pot (if not already) so that you can see the roots right down at the bottom. Then only water only when the roots go grey/silver. If the roots are still green then it's not time to water yet.

The dendrobium is a bit more complex, because there are so many different types. Here is the Dendrobium care sheet for general care of them.

Dendrobium - Orchid Board

Dendrobiums fall into several different categories. Some of which should be given winter rest, some of which are deciduous and some of which do not need a rest and keep their leaves all year.

I had the same problem with my Den in not knowing which of the groups it fell in to because I did not know it's ID. Someone else may be able to give you an idea of the general type if you post a picture of the whole plant, that's what someone did for me.

[RosieC]

Here are a couple of other Dendrobium links I was pointed to when I got my first Den. They explain more about the different types of Dendrobium.

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...endrobium.html
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...endrobe-1-.pdf
http://www.orchidboard.com/community...-dendrobe2.pdf

[Corwin]

I do suppose, because I bought those orchids in a supermarket, that they are of the type that is easy to grow for the average "help! my thumb isn't green" person. That's why I thought that the Dendro was of the "phalaenopsis" species (that's the same as biggibum?)

(thanks for the links )

[vmax3000]

Hey Corwin,
The "phal" type dendrobs usually take a little more sun than the phalaenopsis genus. Mine have summered out on the porch where they receive bright indirect light (a portion of my back porch that has some trees perched above it). I live in the USA, in central Texas and they have bloomed reliably for me. Mine have been relatively tolerant of cold, even down into the mid to high teens (Celsius).

Phalaenopsis care - if you are comfortable in a room, these plants would probably like a little more humidity, but moderate temps are best with no drafts of cold air.

If they get too hot, they behave very strangely...
putting off what looks to be a leaf-like growth on a node of the bloom spike.