New to orcids need basic advice
 

My mother just gave me two orcids from a family memeber that just passed, though i have always admired these beautiful plants i have never owned one. I do consider myself to be a bit of a green thumb, i had over 40 house plants at one time but when i moved here we moved into a trailer and it is surrounded by 130 ft pine trees and i get very little light in the house so i gave many of them away after they were getting sick. The only steady light that i do get is of a southernly nature and from about 6 am to 3, that is where they are now.To my untrained eye they look like they need to repotted, (Oh i have a Phal Sogo Yukidian 'v3' and a epidendrum. at leat that is what the tags say.)Niether of them are blooming but the plants look good to me, nice and green though the epidendrum needs help standing. They were bone dry when i got them so i let the sit all night in water then removed them, i did give them a little miricle grow for good measure.My question is if i need to repot, what do i use? Do they like pinched feet?Do they have roots that need air? Will they rebloom? Do i cut back the now not blooming stalk on them both, leaving just the leavesor reed like stems? I think that i will leave it at that for now. Thank you for any help that you can give...Here is hopeing that i dont kill the poor things.

Assume your two new plants have no tags. Since you have a Phal Sogo, assume your new plants are not phals. The one with 'leaves', do the leaves sprout from 'pseudobulbs' ? Reed like stems, ie canes, sounds like it may be a dendrobium, do not remove the canes. A picture would be really helpful.
Most orchids like pinched feet. But after a few years the potting mix breaks down and holds too much moisture for too long leading to root rot. And they need to be repotted more to replace the mix than to increase the pot size.
Potting mix - everyone has their favorite based on type of orchid, growing conditions, etc. As a novice I use clear plastic pots (to see inside to know when to water); packing peanuts in bottom third for air flow; and store bought bagged mix of fir bark, charcoal & pearlite. This allows me to water (perhaps too often as now, plants are outside with days of rain) but the roots are damp but not sitting in water.

As you said, enough for one post :0

Charlie

I admit to being a novice and having killed a good number of orchids in the last year - all from ignorance. First bit of advice is to keep reading on here and orchid information provided by the American Orchid Society. AOS | Home In the short time I've been on this board I have learned more about taking care of orchids than any other website I've found and the best part is the people on here, they don't make you feel like an idiot or laugh at asking the most basic question or stupid question (like me thinking a dying Dendrobium was suddenly coming to life when in fact I had a mushrooms growing!!! :blushing:

While I could be wrong, I've never heard of using Miracle Grow on orchids, while I don't know if it would hurt them, but I would go to a local gardening center and pick up a fertilizer specifically made for orchids.

There are tons of posts on this board with different fertilizers that people swear by. You may want to ask your Mom if she ran across any fertilizer etc when retrieving the orchids from your relative to see what they are used too.

Most orchids do not like being in standing water (I learned this the hard way) and need growing medium that allows for good drainage and air circulation. Phals for example like to drain well and dry out prior to watering, epidendrum being a Cattylea like being a bit moist and not drying out as much. (someone correct me if I'm wrong on those two points)

If you get a chance, take a pic of the plants and post them on here. With all the help available on this site someone will give you more specific information based on the type of orchids you were given. You can always use the search function on this board to find informataion specific to your orchids.

btw, welcome to the world of orchids, be forewarned, these plants are more addictive then crack!!! :)

I am no orchid expert, only having been growing them for a bit over a year now. I have been the 'green thumb' type all my life and I had quite an adjustment to orchids. First, forget everything you know about other types of plants! Most orchids require only a fraction of the water other houseplants do. Go to HD, Lowe's or another big box store and buy some orchid specific fertilizer ($4). There are also many good books on orchids, but the best information is right here on this board. So many helpful peoplehere and in the chatroom. This board is a BIG reason my collection has grown to over 50 'chids. I know I didn't address many of your questions, but be patient, the answers will come.

Gregg

P.S. I spent many an hour just using the SEARCH function looking things up. There are now a lot of care sheets on the board and internet for specific orchids.

Good luck and welcome aboard!

Welcome,
You will get all the answers you want soon and there is a lot to learn.

Enjoy

It sounds to me like you have two of the easiest plants to grow. Phalaenopsis is a beginners orchid. Do you know how to grow an african violet? If you grow your phalaenopsis the same way it will do well. The other plant you called an epidendrum is probably one of the Epidendrum radicans or reed stem varieties that is also a beginners orchid and sometimes called the weed orchid because it is so prolific. Get a small bag of orchid potting mix and re-pot both of them. Give the epidendrum all of the light that you can, being careful not to sunburn it. Touch the leaves to make sure they are not very hot if you place it in the sun. Of course the phalaenopsis likes african violet light. The other two members won't agree but your Miracle Gro will work fine. Since you already have it, use it at one tsp. per gal of water and during winter months, once every two weeks is adequate. Hope this helps.