Newbie from New York

[DeaC]

neighbor-glad you found this forum. We were all beginners and I'm still learning,failing and succeeding. Age plus waiting for the hard work to pay off has driven the patience curve upward.

[nzadro]

Hi, neighbor!

I am a newb living in Brooklyn. Consistently getting orchids and winging it, with lots of stress & with LOTS LOTS LOTS of help from this board.

Welcome, the addiction only gets worse from here.

Natalie

[ColorStruck]

Wow, 60 orchids in three years!! I can totally see how that can happen. BTW, how are you plants doing?

[realoldbeachbum]

Originally Posted by ColorStruck

Wow, 60 orchids in three years!! I can totally see how that can happen. BTW, how are you plants doing?

Hello ColorStruck. Thanks for asking. All 60 are alive! However, I do have 2 in ICU (under humidity domes) but they are doing very well. I can see root growth through the clear pots. Sadly though, I have one Milt that just refuses to live. I still have him under a humidity dome, but have ceased all life support. I suppose it is bound to happen sooner or later.

[ColorStruck]

That is a really good batting average! Hope I can say something similar after three years. So far everything is still living but it is early. The plants seem to like the greenhouse. My backyard has a lot of shade and I have shade cloth. I have one Oncidium that must be part vampire! The minute the sun hits it the flowers start to scorch!! Also, I know it Sounds Crazy but the Phalaenopsis look like they are actually sweating when the are 🥵 subject to too much heat and sun! Light and watering are my big challenges at the moment. I am waiting until the flowers drop to repot. Although I had two plants that where so potbound that I had to do something. So I am came up with what I hope will be a successful temporary solution. After very carefully cutting the pot away I wrapped the roots and planting medium in a layer of Sphagnum moss and replanted in a mesh pot. I am gambling that the mesh will allow the moss to dry out quick enough so as to not rot the roots. Both plants are Oncidium Intergentics and one is ready to repot so we shall see what the roots look like very soon! Forgive my blathering on, it is hard to stop talking about these plants sometimes.

[Ray]

Colorstruck - a very basic, but critical tenet to grasp is that orchids need air to the roots in addition to water.

Unlike terrestrial plants, which do their gas exchange processes almost exclusively through their leaves, orchids have evolve to shift much of that to their roots as an evolutionary shift to reduce water loss through the leaves.

Put another way, overwatering does not cause root rot; "underairing" does.

When we water, most pours right through the medium, some is immediately absorbed by the plant and medium, and some is held by surface tension in the voids in the medium - the smaller the spaces, the stronger it is held. If the medium is too fine, too compressed, or has decomposed and become too compact, the voids are all very small, so are easily filled with water, cutting off the air flow pathways to the roots, suffocating them. They die, then rot.

So, you have three options, either (1) use a medium that is coarse enough that, even saturated, still has open gas exchange pathways, (2) only moisten the medium lightly and frequently, or (3) let the medium substantially dry out between waterings, as that reopens those air flow pathways.

Choice (1) is best, as flooding the pot waters and flushes residues from the pot. Choice (2) is next, as it provides water but does not flushing. Choice (3) is the most common, but that is too much like choking the critter for a while then letting it breathe again, for my liking.

[ColorStruck]

I will definitely remember this:

“overwatering does not cause root rot; "underairing" does.”

Great quote and thanks for the advice. I will repot the plant that has dropped the flowers to see what is going on and check the roots on the second plant immediately.

I knew this was a risk when I tried it and you have explained why it was. The reason I tried this method of potting was my way of resolving conflicting advice I came across. Every thing I read on online was inline with what you are saying in regards to potting medium. Books also seemed to agree. Then one day I went to an Orchid Greenhouse, the only thing they sell are orchids, to purchase potting medium. The gardener there told me the only thing orchids need to grow in is sphagnum moss. He attributed all other advice to grow in different mediums as advice from charlatans. I did not wholeheartedly believe what he said. Yet, I realize there can be many paths to the same destination, so I kept on researching. Then I came upon the Kokedama method of pot less planing. The core of the medium is not water retentive, allowing water to flow through. The outer layer of the medium is surrounded by moss that is secured by wrapping a string around it. Instead of a pot you have what looks like a ball of moss. I tried this with two mini moth orchids and it worked well. So I decided to try a variation of this method on the potbound plant and see if the flowers would drop early. So far, so good. As for how the roots are fairing, I will see.

BTW, I use the first watering method. The water flows through.

[rbarata]

Welcome, jeanine.

[ColorStruck]

Thank-you!

[Ray]

That grower you visited either didn't know what he was talking about, or failed (like most people) to say "this works for my plants in my growing conditions."

Another concept to grasp:

1) What works for one grower may not work for another.

2) What works for one type of plant may not work for another.

Before I retired and moved to a much smaller house and no greenhouse, I had upwards of a thousand orchids. Some were in sphagnum. Some were in bark. Some were mounted on cork bark slabs. Some were growing in semi-hydroponics. Some were in wooden or plastic slat baskets with no potting medium whatsoever. Others were in hybrids of those - mixtures of this and that.

The idea is to find the right combination of container and potting medium that works well with your growing conditions and your personal tendencies (i.e., do you like to 'mess with" your plants or prefer to admire them from afar with little interaction) to meet the requirements of the particular plant.

If you have some free time, head over here, where you'll find a wide range of articles that may be helpful.