Newb question about a Phal. re-pot (Pics)

[Dracan6]

First off, I want to say This is my first post, but I have used this site for most of my education on orchids. As I am a budding biologist currently going through college, I do quite a bit of gardening, but I love "special needs" type plants, that are a bit more fickle.

Anyhow this is my first orchid, a pink phalaenopsis. I bought it early this spring, and came potted like most in a small ceramic pot with sphagnum moss medium. I thought it was kind of odd for an epiphyte to be in something that retains so much water and normally used for plants that need a nutrient deficient medium... After research I new that I was going to have to do a re-pot, but I wanted to wait until it finished blooming. After much reading I had decided that I would try and find some of the clear perforated pots that many people use. However, I couldnt find any of them in my area, but I did find some pretty nice ceramic pots for orchids on sale. So I bought them and did my re-pot.

Now, I am starting to question my choice. It seems sound to me but after looking everywhere, I cannot find any info on how to care for a Phal in a pot like this, and could use advice. It has been repotted for about 2 weeks and seems to be doing well, in fact its spiking. Though the bottom leaves seem to be dying up.

Now for the specifics.


This is the ceramic "orchid" pot on the left that I used for the re-pot. (I bought 4 of them on sale for 3$ a piece.) It's 4"X4" has holes on all sides, as well as a single hole in the bottom, with a 1/2" deep basin that holds water. The old 2" pot is on the right.




This is the potting mix that I used, and the fertilizer stakes that I intend to use for the new pot.


This is how it is looking at the moment. I have finaly moved it back into a few hours of full sunlight that it seems to like. I also mist it once a day.


My questions include any info on these type of pots, and how should I be watering in this situation? It always seems so dry that, I feel I need to water everyday, but I have tried hard not to. Would the ice cube method be good? Any info would be most appreciated. Once I feel certain that this guy is happy, I want to go purchase others for the other pots.

[RandomGemini]

Well, first thing's first: Miracle gro makes a lot of great products, but I don't use any of their products for my orchids. I have also found that, in general, fertilizer stakes don't seem to work as well as using a liquid fertilizer. I used the miracle gro stakes for my african violets and switched to the liquid fertilizer when I realized that they weren't actually doing anything for the plants. I think the fertilizer stakes just don't dissolve the way they're supposed to, particularly if they've been on the shelf for a while.

Love that orchid pot! I cleared Lowe's out of those last week when I saw them go on clearance! I line them with a clear plastic slotted pot of some kind (usually a recycled venti starbucks cup that I cut holes in. Just don't do this with a box cutter, I ended up with stitches over that one.)

As far as watering goes, apply the skewer method. Insert a bamboo skewer into the center of the medium and leave it there. Check it when the exposed roots look silvery, instead of like a green bean (you do have some exposed roots, right?). If it's damp, put it back and check again in a couple of days. If it's dry, time to water.

The ice cube method isn't how I do things. It doesn't make sense to me to drip ice cold water on plants that grow in tropical climates. I think you should probably start with this thread right here:

http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ends-here.html

Also:

[Kevin_PR]

Welcome to orchids and the forum. Where r u from? Here is a link to general care of orchids http://www.orchidboard.com/community...chid-care.html

Sphagnum is widely used in growing orchids. It can rot pretty quick and create stagnant conditions around the roots. Some people have great success with it.(not me) Overwatering has been the death of many an orchid, so resist the urge, or grow your orchids mounted and you can water it all you want. Mounting an orchid means to secure it to a piece of cork, wood, treefern, etc. and growing the plant more like an epiphyte. I grow the majority of my orchids mounted on treefern. Here is a link to one of my post so you can see how mounting looks. http://www.orchidboard.com/community...ing-areas.html Also here is a link to a youtube video about mounting.

Mounting Orchids - YouTube

good luck

[Bud]

Welcome Aboard !!!!

You need to provide us with your grow zone, your environment, humidity percentage, source of light is it south facing window or east....
you potted this in large bark so it needs to be watered often ....that fertilizer you have as Gemini said is inefficient in providing food for the plant. Better use the liquid or the granules you dissolve in water....
NEVER give ice to orchids....especially if they have aerial roots....these are tropical plants that never experienced frost or winter....maybe ice was useful for orchid pots covered with thick moss on the surface so the melting ice just become cold water as it melts but this is a very lazy and ineffective way of watering plants.... directly putting ice on the plant crown or roots is damaging. The plant needs to be put under a sink and drenched with water not just a few drip of cold water from melting ice.

[Dracan6]

Originally Posted by RandomGemini

Well, first thing's first: Miracle gro makes a lot of great products, but I don't use any of their products for my orchids. I have also found that, in general, fertilizer stakes don't seem to work as well as using a liquid fertilizer. I used the miracle gro stakes for my african violets and switched to the liquid fertilizer when I realized that they weren't actually doing anything for the plants. I think the fertilizer stakes just don't dissolve the way they're supposed to, particularly if they've been on the shelf for a while.

Love that orchid pot! I cleared Lowe's out of those last week when I saw them go on clearance! I line them with a clear plastic slotted pot of some kind (usually a recycled venti starbucks cup that I cut holes in. Just don't do this with a box cutter, I ended up with stitches over that one.)

As far as watering goes, apply the skewer method. Insert a bamboo skewer into the center of the medium and leave it there. Check it when the exposed roots look silvery, instead of like a green bean (you do have some exposed roots, right?). If it's damp, put it back and check again in a couple of days. If it's dry, time to water.


Also:

Generally as a rule of thumb I don't use any Miracle Grow products if I can help it, it was just all that I could find at the time for orchids, and only used it when it was int he old pot.

Are you saying that I should use some sort of insert in those pots instead of just feeling them w/ bark?

I haven't heard of the skewer method but I will look into it, and I do have a few exposed green roots, they just aren't very long.

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:58 PM ----------

+Kevin+

I live in North Carolina. Those are some really cool mounts you have there, and thanks for the vid. I would love to do something like that in the future! It's just that I would need to bring everything inside in the Winter, but I am debating a greenhouse.

---------- Post added at 03:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:02 PM ----------

Originally Posted by Bud

Welcome Aboard !!!!

You need to provide us with your grow zone, your environment, humidity percentage, source of light is it south facing window or east....
you potted this in large bark so it needs to be watered often ....that fertilizer you have as Gemini said is inefficient in providing food for the plant. Better use the liquid or the granules you dissolve in water....
NEVER give ice to orchids....especially if they have aerial roots....these are tropical plants that never experienced frost or winter....maybe ice was useful for orchid pots covered with thick moss on the surface so the melting ice just become cold water as it melts but this is a very lazy and ineffective way of watering plants.... directly putting ice on the plant crown or roots is damaging. The plant needs to be put under a sink and drenched with water not just a few drip of cold water from melting ice.

My growth/hardiness zone is 7b. The humidity here in the Summer is normally very high.
As far as environment, I live in a rural area within a temperate deciduous forest biome.
The only windows that I have are north and south facing. I have my phal positioned in a southern window so it gets Eastern light in the morning, and moves into the shade in the afternoon.

I am going to order some better fertilizer online, and I thought it sounded like a dumb idea to use ice as well. Thats why I never had, but I have just seen it so much during any type of search... (It's on the interweb, so it must be true! :facepalm: )

[RandomGemini]

Go read that thread I linked to in my post. It's got the answers to 90% of your questions already in it. Just focus on reading the posts by King of Orchid Growing. It's a LOT of info to get through, but it's very helpful and it will save you some money too.

I use the better gro orchid plus urea free fertilizer. So far, so good with it.

I have several of those "Just Add Ice" orchids. The plants are great. I've had excellent luck working with these plants so far and of my several orchids, these were the only ones that are growing new leaves and roots for me, until last week when I finally got some new root growth on my phal sogo yukidian v3.

I don't water them using the ice method. I treat them as I would any other phal and a lot of what I learned about how to treat them, came from that thread I linked to, so that should really be your first stop before you order anything or even do anything else.

As far as the pot goes, I use the clear containers inside the pots so that it's easier to water. I water using the bucket method and it's easier and less messy to dunk a cheap plastic pot in the bucket, than it is to soak an entire ceramic pot. I believe that you can use these pots without the liners, no problem, you'll just have to be a bit more careful when you water.

[Dracan6]

Ah, I see. I was thinking that dunking would be the best way to saturate the medium. I will keep the plastic insert in mind when I get a new plant. As for that link I am goin through it as we speak.

[kindrag23]

I used wooden shish cabobs to check my medium, I have some schomburgkia orchids in a net basket outside and in my climate the outer walls were dry to the bone but the inside was still wet.

I love better gro mix works great for me, I also like their orchid moss I use that for some of my water thirsty plants again due to the heat here during the summer.

there are several people who will tell you what type of fertilizer they use. I like the better gro as well on a weakly weekly basis. My plants have also thus far been happy happy happy good growing!
and Welcome.

---------- Post added at 03:02 PM ---------- Previous post was at 03:00 PM ----------

@Dracon6 you can go ahead and mount the chids of your choosing and create a type of shelving to hang them on. That is what I will be doing for mine when they come in. Metal holey free standing shelving by a bright window to hang all of mine on.

[Dracan6]

The more I hear, and look into mounting, the more I am liking the idea. It has the wheels in my head starting to spin. I have little to no window sill space, and most of that is already used by my carnivorous plants when they aren't outside or in dormancy. If I could make some type of framed wall mount, that would be ideal in the Winter, and could be moved to the porch on the North face of my house and catch the Westerly sun in the afternoon during the Summer.

[kindrag23]

@Dracon6 awesome idea. Would love to see what you come up with. I also find carnivores are good friends with orchids; also be mindful that some wood types break down 2 quickly. And some wood types have tanins(?) That are harmful to orchids. I have my phals for example mounted together on a reptile tunnel. You can find it at petsmart.