I've Been Bitten.....HARD

[rdh1079]

Hello All!

My name is ryan, i got my first orchid when my dad died back in Sept 09, it had blooms, they fell off, and it sat there.....leaves looked very pretty, but nothing else...i had it potted in miracle grow organic fertilizer...anyway, i did some research and found out that the thing was probably rotting away in that soil...so i dug it out, re-potted in bark about two weeks ago....and now it has sprouted a new leaf!!!


Anyway, i was so enthralled by my (small) success, that i did more research, and then i went out and looked....big mistake...i bought 11 more plants this weekend....so i guess i should join this community so that i can have others to support my addiction

I live in Portland, OR, btw.

Below is a link to most of my plants, some are NOIDs, if you have any names for me I would appreciate it!

[rdh1079]

Orchids - a set on Flickr

[Tropicgirl]

Hi, Ryan and welcome to the OB! You'll find tons of info here and everyone is so friendly! You have some beautiful flowers, very nice choices! Most of the phals will not be i.d., there are just too many hybrids that look identical. Someone may be able to i.d. your oncidium. If you haven't already, try posting a thread on the identification forum. Good luck!

[WhiteRabbit]

Hi Ryan
I'm so sorry about your dad.
Your orchids are lovely! This is a great place to learn about growing them

[plantguy44]

Hi Ryan-welcome to the world of Plant Addicts ! I am a veteran CPA ( certified plant addict), and when I'm not gardening at home, I oversee the horticulture in a public garden in Miami. Once you get the Orchid Bug, you're in for quite a ride. May I offer some advice ? Do some homework before you buy too many plants, ask a lot of questions of local growers, and belong to an orchid society; they're full of experienced people. Plant societies are wildly underused, and are great brain-trusts. They're cheap consultants !

Good luck, Craig Morell

[RosieC]

Welcome to Orchid Board Ryan

As Angela said your Phals are likely to remain as NoID, not only are there so many that look alike that you can't be sure even if you find one that looks the same, but many of the mass produced ones are hybrids which have never been registered/named.

Don't worry about that though, they look like wonderful flowers and if they are pretty and you like them that's all that matters. Their care will be the standard Phal care so you don't need more of an ID to work out that.

You Oncidium reminds me of my Sweet Sugar hybrid, although the top petals curve back on yours more than I've seen, but that might be a variety thing.
Here's a pic of a Sweet Sugar from a vendors site.
Oncidium Sweet Sugar*::*Odontoglossum*::*Easy Orchids

The shape of your den flowers reminds me of one of mine which I've seen referred to as a cross between a staghorn type and a phal type. This is not an exact identification but more that it show characteristics of both these two types of Den. If that is the case then it can be cared for like other Den phal hybrids, which I've found to be pretty like caring for Phals.

Just a note here... Phalaenopsis is a genus of orchids like the first ones in your pics, but Dendrobium phalaenopsis (note lower case p) is a species of the Dendrobium Genus. It is a species which has produced a lot of hybrids when crossed with other species for the mass market, many of which are not registered, so Den phal becomes a type of Den which coveres the crosses which have certain characteristics. (Hope that makes sence).

[rdh1079]

thanks for all the info!

[CTB]

Welcome, sounds like you got the bug alright. Congrats! on your new leaf, You'll find you get so excited about a keikis, a spike, a root eye, a leaf, a bud, a flower, and you'll need some place to share. This is a great time of year to get into orchids. , and a great website. Enjoy!

[rdh1079]

i used to be in to reef aquariums, and would stare at my tank for hours, looking for a new growth on a coral, or a new little critter crawling on a rock, this is very similar, but much less expensive (hard to believe, i know) i cant wait to see if i cant get these plants to bloom again!!

[LauraN]

Welcome Ryan!
Like you, I got into Orchids after my Mom passed away and the bug bit me hard also!
I used to raise African Cichlids, so my new addiction is more expensive than my old one, though there were some $50 fish that got flushed, so it probably evens out!