I have no idea what I'm doing... - Orchid Board

RubyRoo · #1 08-26-2012, 08:26 PM

Hi to all!
My name is Ruby, and I just received my first orchid a few days ago from my father as a gift. I've read a little about them and have always had a great admiration for all orchids, but never had the guts to take one home. My father gave me one, and I'm having a really hard time finding out what kind it is exactly. Hopefully I'll figure out how to use this site and find an answer to that mystery. ^_^ I am really excited to start learning more about these plants!

-Ruby

Paul Mc · #2 08-26-2012, 08:30 PM

Hello Ruby! Pictures are really helpful when it comes to identification, but as someone new here you will have to post a few times before you are allowed to add pictures. Can you tell us where your father got it from?

RubyRoo · #3 08-26-2012, 08:47 PM

Hi Paul! He bought it from Home Depot. The tag on it has a website (westernorchid. com), but the website doesn't work for me. I looked around and it's very similar to Phal Leopard Prince, only it has more of the thick purple viens and only a few spots. I made a post on the ID forum if you want to look at that. I'm pretty sure my link works and you can see a picture of it.

Paul Mc · #4 08-26-2012, 08:51 PM

Ah, well it's a Phal for sure then!!!!

Can you tell us what it is potted in, meaning both the actual pot(s) and the medium the base of the plant is in? The medium would probably either be sphagnum moss or bark, but HD orchids generally come in moss.

RubyRoo · #5 08-26-2012, 09:23 PM

The Phal is planted in sphagnum moss in a clear plastic pot which is placed in a ceramic pot. I'll make it as my avatar.

Paul Mc · #6 08-26-2012, 10:17 PM

Ok, so the best way to water sphag is from the bottom. Watering from the top will compress the sphag and suffocate the roots. Watering phals in sphag is different from bark, you need to water far less frequently. I'm not experienced with sphag so hopefully another will chime in here.

That being said, I always repot mine as I get them so I can check the roots and make sure they are good and healthy.

Paul Mc · #7 08-26-2012, 10:18 PM

If the moss is wet inside the pot then don't water. In the home maybe every two weeks is good.

RubyRoo · #8 08-26-2012, 10:33 PM

Thank you so much Paul!

RosieC · #9 08-28-2012, 09:57 AM

Welcome to Orchid Board

Looks like you have a Phalaenopsis from the avatar beside your name

It will probably be impossibly to get an exact ID as there are so many phals that look alike, many of which don't even have registered names at all, that even if you find one similar it might be different.

However that doesn't matter, because it will just need standard Phal care and they are just as pretty without names. A lot of mine don't have names (except ones I've made up). We call them NoID's here

WhiteRabbit · #10 08-28-2012, 11:56 PM

Glad you found us!