Orchid Culture Nightmares
 

I know how to keep them alive, but....

I live in coastal Massachusetts, do not have a humidifier, and have included a photo of the space that I use to grow my orchids (a southeasterly facing window with two huge trees directly to the south, which just lost all of their leaves). I set up a humidity tray with marble rocks in it to enhance surface area/evaporation, and I let it completely dry for about a day before putting more water in it. I also have a pump/spray bottle to mist them, which I will do with rain water or spring water only if the humidity drops below 50%. Cooler weathers like we are experiencing now can mean root rot if I'm not paying attention, so I leave them alone if the humidity is high and the medium is damp. I also set up a large hanging metal basket lined with coco fiber and filled with sphag and pete, for a succession blooming reticulated Phalaenopsis, a miniature Phal, and an Oncid, not pictured.

I know how to use the search function and have spent time reading the culture sheets, so I know I must create different types of environments for them to all thrive. My issue is this: I'm having a hell of a time doing it, yet I feel like I am making it too complicated.

I recently added a Neofinetia falcata (higashidemiyako), a Pleurothallis restrepioides, a Zygo, and a Tolumnia (genting leopard) to my collection, and this highlights my problem. Immediately, my Tolumnia is about to bloom, the Neofinetia (which has some red on it, possibly indicating light stress) looks like it has a spike coming out in the appropriate place (off season), and my Den. whatevers are in the initial stages of spiking (speciosum, or kingianum...not sure which). I love orchids, but they do not listen to me very well. Only Oncidiums and Howeara (Oncid. intergenera) 'listen' to me.

"Listening" is a good topic, because in order to get them to listen to me, I have to listen to them. I am at the stage where I am learning how to look at a plant and see what I'm doing wrong: most of my Phals were getting too much light, they had either a light plant tissue color at the edge of the leaf or were just red lined, and a lot of the Oncids I have were getting temperature specks at the leaf tips so I kept them cooler. As for my Cymbidiums, I have both underpotted, with one that's supposed to grow a bulb that never does (and don't know what to do about that), and one (semi-terristrial huge wide dark green leaves) that just keeps getting bigger and putting out more leaves while seeming to love hours of direct sunlight. That one I leave outside with my Dendrobium and Zygo if the temps are above 45 degrees. Anything lower than that yet above 32 degrees, I will leave the other ones out and take that one in.

I am trying to figure out
1.) the best light locations in my setup for my plants (humidity tray and rack have limited space, and the curtain offers roughtly 50% shade),
2.) which ones should really get a dip/short soak in room temperature rainwater,
3.) how to keep my Dens going in cool wet weather,
4.) what to do with the Neofinetia now that the spike has begun, and
5.) do I really need a fan for air circulation, or is the constant convection of heated air turning cooler against the windows and falling to the floor enough?

you may want to get one or 2 of these - as an example, for that window

4-Shelf 14 in. D x 36 in. W x 60 in. H Chrome Shelving Unit-SHF-01456 at The Home Depot

as it will give you flexibility in terms of where to place each orchid according to its light requirement. ( and give you space to buy more :rofl: )
My zygo's love dappled sunlight for example.......and we know cymbidiums do too. Your idea of reading up on culture sheets is good. Another useful site

Orchid Culture

There are also the AOS (American Orchid Society) culture sheets at AOS Culture Sheets. If you are an AOS member, there is even more information available.

I've found it useful to inventory my orchids in a spreadsheet and summarize their basic needs (e.g., medium light, must dry completely between watering, etc.) If find that this "crib sheet" is a great reference for me.

It sounds to me like you're off to a great start!

It's funny I just discovered the Cloud's Orchids data two days ago, and when I went to the AOS Greenhouse last October before they moved it, it was amazing! Not ready for a rack yet, LOL, but I will keep it in mind for down the road

'Crib sheet' seems to be a necessity, so I will work on that.

Still have a lot of questions from my first post, for commercial or advanced growers about neofinetia spiking off season, air flow, soaking vs. spraying, etc. but thank you both for adding.

My Neo is in bloom now. Spiked in late August maybe. So I don't think you're so "off season"

Oh ok! thanks Carrie that's great! I read something about them being spring bloomers, so I must have misread that during the inundation of new culture tips I have been getting. I assumed since the Orchid Jubilee (heh, they can't just call it a show around here) is in a week or so that the growers I got it from had tried to force a bloom, and the spike showed up a day and a half after I bought it (which aside from being just 1 plant is probably why it was $24 and not $50 or $60). How do you care for yours during that initiation/after it spikes?

Thanks,
Kevin

Mine is in a basket with loose large bark so it gets misted heavily daily with MSU/Superthrive fertilizer. Then about 2x a week it get drenched. I don't grow it in the traditional sphagnum ball, but when i started I had no idea that is how it was supposed to be done!

Take a look on the board. There have been several recent threads on Neos from people far more expert than I am, though I think one of them in in NYC so he probably won't be on line to respond to this thread for a while.

I really suggest that you invest in a portable electric 2 gallon humidifier ($35 at home depot) humidity trays just wont cut it....and a portable heater ($23 at walmart) this also have a fan that will circulate the warm air....that window will still be frozen cold even if you have central heat....

that Neo will be fine as long as you dont move it from its position while in bud....it can bud blast on you....just continue whatever you are doing and it will open its blooms

trust your instincts....the orchids you have are tropical plants....it needs warmth, moisture and light

I grow my larger neos in plastic basket pots and the smaller ones in little plastic vanda pots, all with lava rock. I soak them every 5-6 days in the winter (they dry quickly). Temps are cooler because the house is cooler in the winter. Some neos do bloom at different times. I only have one that is currently blooming size and it is the common type and blooms faithfully in early summer. I always fertilize any orchid when the new growths are forming (some of my bean and needle leaf are currently in growth while the two with regular leaves are not). Because I use lava rock and it dries quickly, I soak until the roots turn green. I don't mist orchids but I have many other plants and this makes my humidity high. Good luck!

One note, when using rain water (I do this as well), make certain your fertilizer has calcium, magnesium, and all those other trace minerals.
I have my plants in open, common areas of my home with plants that abhor drafts so I don't use a fan. I water early in the day and try to make certain water doesn't sit in the growths (except the pitcher plant). A fan is a better option as it prevents rot.

I'm surprised this hasn't been brought up yet but the Neofinetia falcata was used for a member project a few years ago. You may want to check here to see what other members of the OB tried for growing theirs as they were grown around the world in different climates. Member Projects-Neofinetia falcata Spring 2008

Thanks everyone, decent information can be searched out easily, but I've found it is always best when in conversation (or some such mimic) about things. I finished a spreadsheet and all the inventory details are absolutely necessary, I have a great memory for now but having the sheet keeps the ideas in different culture techniques comparatively active and organized, especially if you're going through a hyper-attentive stage like me and need to plan to forget your Dens.

Carrie, I have some superthrive, but also I read in some article that indole-3-butyric acid (the auxin in ST) does not affect any orchid, so I haven't been using it with them. I just saw your post in the fertilizer thread about it working at 2 drops/gal so I will try it out. Root soak or foliar application? All of your orchids get it? Does anyone know if any particular orchids are sensitive to ST even at this low concentration?

Bud, the plan is to put more distance between the plants and the double paned glass as it gets colder, with a space heater that doesn't have a fan in the corner two feet to the left of the rack. I didn't do it last year and they were ok, but I think this will create more of an insulating convection current as the air against the windows falls and pulls down the warmer air from the ceiling.

My culture sheet for Neo says very light feeding once a month, Carrie, yours seems like it gets more than that and is fine. I have the variegated Higashide miyako, and since I literally got it less than a week ago, Bud, and have never cared for a Vanda, I really can't "keep doing what I'm doing" since I'm trying not to shock it. The plan before I got a Vanda was to get some sort of small fountain set up. Oops, good thing these Neos like it cooler. I'm Just Saying, Thanks for the Neo link!

Leafmite, when using rainwater it usually has caught a leaf or seven or ends up in a bin that has dirt in it, if it's not from the bin I'll use it for mist, but otherwise I soak the less-sensitive-to-salt types for what I just learned from you is not long enough. Thanks for the roots tip. :) If I happen to get a lot of water on the leaves of the Pleurothallis, non-bulb part of Howeara, or any of the Phal's crowns, I dry the tops/central area. Only the Oncids, Tolumnia, and Neo get their leaves/bulbs sprayed. I flush the ones in clay pots when I see white crystals on the outside.

Also, I created a new rooting media this year which I think would be better for Phals since it improves airflow to the roots over the usual sphagnum moss, but I am using it with my Oncidiums and Dens and they both like it. Sound Good?

I'm applying Superthrive to the roots/medium of all my orchids with every watering (1-2 drops/gal). Watering is with Tap water since I won't buy anything that requires more pure water. So I cannot make any claim for water-sensitive orchids.

I used First Rays Fert calculator, and fert at almost every watering at a very low rate. (about every 6 weeks or more, I flush with water, but fert as if I never do this.)