Helllllllllllllllllllo OB!

[PolvoPelusa]

Thank you all for having me. I stumbled upon this board due to some concern with my orchid. I've had it for almost 2 years and I can't seem to get it to bloom again. Hopefully, I'll be able to stumble upon some tips and tricks to get this monster to flower again.

See you 'round!


edit: PS. I know VERY VERY VERY little about orchids. My grandmother got me a book and said to water regularly and keep it in the sun. ...hrmmmm, wonder where that book is....

[kiki-do]

Hello Palvo! Welcome to OB! What kind of orchid do you have? There are too many different kinds of orchids to help you out without knowing what type. Give us a name and we can direct you to the correct information. A picture is always helpful too, but we can start with a name. Thanks!

[PolvoPelusa]

Originally Posted by kiki-do

Hello Palvo! Welcome to OB! What kind of orchid do you have? There are too many different kinds of orchids to help you out without knowing what type. Give us a name and we can direct you to the correct information. A picture is always helpful too, but we can start with a name. Thanks!

Unfortunately, I'm not 100% sure what kind of orchids I have...oh I have two, but one seems to be doing ok aside from needed to be repotted.

This is the problem child...

This one is out of control. And I'm not sure what those white sprouts are that seem to tangle through the middle of the plant.

Here's a close up.



And this is the one that is doing ok (I think)...

The stems are only about 1.5 inches long and are hard to see, but they do look a little dried out. I want to re-pot this one with some new soil and a bigger pot.




What's the verdict?

[Royal]

All are Dendrobiums. I don't see any problems at all. That "tangle" is a bunch of healthy looking roots! No need for concern there, roots are a good sign. If you grow good roots, usually everything else will take care of itself.

You may not be getting blooms because of low light. It could also be that they are not getting a seasonal rest. Some Dendrobiums like to stay really dry during the coldest months, and some even need this rest to initiate flowering. If these types don't get that rest they can sprout new little plants along the "cane" or pseudobulb where the flowers would emerge. These are called keikis. The big tangle of roots leads me to think that this may have happened here. It was just treated too well.

[PolvoPelusa]

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

All are Dendrobiums. I don't see any problems at all. That "tangle" is a bunch of healthy looking roots! No need for concern there, roots are a good sign. If you grow good roots, usually everything else will take care of itself.

You may not be getting blooms because of low light. It could also be that they are not getting a seasonal rest. Some Dendrobiums like to stay really dry during the coldest months, and some even need this rest to initiate flowering. If these types don't get that rest they can sprout new little plants along the "cane" or pseudobulb where the flowers would emerge. These are called keikis. The big tangle of roots leads me to think that this may have happened here. It was just treated too well.

Cool. So any thoughts about fresh soil, orchid food, bigger pot? Is it normal for roots to grow above the ground like that? Its starting to get cold here...anything I can do to induce some dried resting? The orchid w/out the tangled roots did dry out last winter and thinking it was dying, I babied it and gave it special attention.

Thanks!

[Chubidubi]

PolvoPelusa

Royal gave you some great advise on your dendros

to the OB

[kiki-do]

Your plants look fantastic!!! Your dendrobiums look healthy and happy. More light perhaps. They tend to love being rootbound, which they are. They also like to dry out between waterings, which looks fine also. That one with the mass of roots....you have many keikis in that one. You....have a very green thumb.
I would suggest to find that book or do some research here on the orchid board about care of "hard cane" dendrobiums. I have a few that give me "fits & spats" about blooming, and sometimes they skip a year, but when they bloom, they are incredible!
Good luck and happy growing!

[Swamper]

PolvoPelusa, funny name, welcome aboard. Where do you live?

[Royal]

Originally Posted by PolvoPelusa

Cool. So any thoughts about fresh soil, orchid food, bigger pot? Is it normal for roots to grow above the ground like that? Its starting to get cold here...anything I can do to induce some dried resting? The orchid w/out the tangled roots did dry out last winter and thinking it was dying, I babied it and gave it special attention.

Thanks!

Like kikido said, Dends seem to like having their roots crowded. But if the current potting medium has broken down to a soil-like consistency, it may need repotting. Just don't go up in size too much, if at all. Also, you may want to think about waiting until after the "winter rest" so that you'll be repotting it when there's good, active, new root growth or hopefully after it blooms! It will probably be ok if you did it now, but conventional wisdom says that you should repot during active growth periods. If it's cooling there already, you may dicide to wait.

[PolvoPelusa]

UPDATE: had thanksgiving with my side of the family, and spent christmas with my wife's side of the family.

Sorry for the hiatus...

Originally Posted by RoyalOrchids

Like kikido said, Dends seem to like having their roots crowded. But if the current potting medium has broken down to a soil-like consistency, it may need repotting. Just don't go up in size too much, if at all. Also, you may want to think about waiting until after the "winter rest" so that you'll be repotting it when there's good, active, new root growth or hopefully after it blooms! It will probably be ok if you did it now, but conventional wisdom says that you should repot during active growth periods. If it's cooling there already, you may dicide to wait.

the orchid started blooming about a week ago.


thanks for everyone's advise...