Suggestions for starting collection

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by IngieBee

LOL, yah, it might be doomed. Even with air it gets 90 sometimes. Maybe I can bring it into the bedroom if it's that bad, I'll try to stay up on that

There's nothing wrong with growing the orchid in a bedroom. I have mine in my bedroom. It does well because the temperature doesn't go over 80 F and I personally won't allow my room to go above 80 F. If it does, I put the AC on. I also have dart frogs in my room, so it is in my best interest to keep not only the orchids and the dart frogs cool, by myself cool as well.

[Rid]

ok, here's the information i've found so far.

I'm keeping everything outside until fall, with no direct sunlight. they are more or less at my tree line, so i believe the amount of indirect light is high. i can move any of them to a spot with more filtered light if that would be better. June/July/August Summers here in georgia are 85-90F+ with 90%+ humidity.

Onc. Sharry Baby - water when approaching dryness. This is about to bloom, and i plan on repotting after bloom (having a hard time keeping it upright in it's current 4" pot)

Maxillaria - keep wet. this is in a tiny 2.25" pot, so i'm planning to repot into a slightly larger pot. I think this has bloomed already

Den Nobile - water when approaching dryness. These bloom in the fall. Jeff gave me this one - thanks jeff!

Cattelaya Cg Roebling / Cattelaya noid (rainbeau orchids) let them dry thoroughly. Am planning on moving repotting these into a slotted pot.

Brassavola nodosa 'Mas Mejor' - let dry between waterings. This one might prefer a little filtered light? Jeff hooked me up with this one too, thanks again!

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Rid

ok, here's the information i've found so far.

I'm keeping everything outside until fall, with no direct sunlight. they are more or less at my tree line, so i believe the amount of indirect light is high. i can move any of them to a spot with more filtered light if that would be better. June/July/August Summers here in georgia are 85-90F+ with 90%+ humidity.

Summer daytime temperatures are fine. Because nighttime temperatures were not mentioned, I cannot advise on this.

Humidity is fine.

Originally Posted by Rid

Onc. Sharry Baby - water when approaching dryness. This is about to bloom, and i plan on repotting after bloom (having a hard time keeping it upright in it's current 4" pot)

Your idea for the amount of watering to do is about right. Be ready to dial back the watering if need be. Your growing area is very humid, it may not need as much water as places such as Los Angeles (our city was built over a semi-arid desert).

Tie the orchid to a stake as best as possible.

Originally Posted by Rid

Maxillaria - keep wet. this is in a tiny 2.25" pot, so i'm planning to repot into a slightly larger pot. I think this has bloomed already.

Sounds about right. Don't keep sopping wet though.

Originally Posted by Rid

Den Nobile - water when approaching dryness. These bloom in the fall. Jeff gave me this one - thanks jeff!

This particular hybrid (it technically isn't Den nobile, it is a hybrid that has lineage from species that are closely related to the species Dendrobium nobile), has a dormancy period starting in fall. The leaves on these will drop leaving behind bare canes. Don't worry when you see this.

If you are talking about the species, then what I just said still holds, but to avoid confusion as to what it really is, if I may suggest, please be mindful of how the binomial name is written and observe the proper way of writing the binomial name. I am not trying to be a "police", but if I'm gonna give you advice, I'd prefer to give you the correct one - but I also have to know the correct information. The further along in this hobby you go, you will start to understand why I'm a stickler for writing orchid names correctly. You will eventually want to know the difference between hybrids and species to give or get correct information. It is not possible to do so by being "loosey goosey" with the names. If it doesn't matter to the respective person, then please politely say so, and I will make the adjustments in advice (I will have to tiptoe around giving advice for that particular orchid if I'm unsure of its identity).

Originally Posted by Rid

Cattelaya Cg Roebling / Cattelaya noid (rainbeau orchids) let them dry thoroughly. Am planning on moving repotting these into a slotted pot.

Your idea of how to water these sounds about right.

Originally Posted by Rid

Brassavola nodosa 'Mas Mejor' - let dry between waterings. This one might prefer a little filtered light? Jeff hooked me up with this one too, thanks again!

Brassavola nodosa have been found growing on trees or rocks in the wild. They do need to dry out between waterings.

Here's a link to a photo that shows how Brassavola nodosa grows on trees in the wild:

Brassavola nodosa (Orchidaceae) image 35389 at PlantSystematics.org

Here's a link to a photo that shows how it grows on rocks (please scroll down to the 2nd photo on the page):

Lady of the Night Orchid (Brassavola nodosa) – The Firefly Forest

This should give you a little idea of how these grow.

If you'd like to know why I dropped the 'Mas Major' when talking about this orchid and just used Brassavola nodosa when giving advice - it is because in this particular context the 'Mas Major' name is not that important for giving the right advice. It is just the name of this particular individual of this species and all subsequent divisions that come from that individual of this species. With species, this name is not that relevant unless you are going to join an orchid society where you are putting your orchid up for judgement for a prize.

[Rid]

thank you, I appreciate your detailed response and explanation very much!

nighttime temps max out here at 70F for about 2 months.

Originally Posted by King_of_orchid_growing:)

Summer daytime temperatures are fine. Because nighttime temperatures were not mentioned, I cannot advise on this.

Humidity is fine.



Your idea for the amount of watering to do is about right. Be ready to dial back the watering if need be. Your growing area is very humid, it may not need as much water as places such as Los Angeles (our city was built over a semi-arid desert).

Tie the orchid to a stake as best as possible.



Sounds about right. Don't keep sopping wet though.



This particular hybrid (it technically isn't Den nobile, it is a hybrid that has lineage from species that are closely related to the species Dendrobium nobile), has a dormancy period starting in fall. The leaves on these will drop leaving behind bare canes. Don't worry when you see this.

If you are talking about the species, then what I just said still holds, but to avoid confusion as to what it really is, if I may suggest, please be mindful of how the binomial name is written and observe the proper way of writing the binomial name. I am not trying to be a "police", but if I'm gonna give you advice, I'd prefer to give you the correct one - but I also have to know the correct information. The further along in this hobby you go, you will start to understand why I'm a stickler for writing orchid names correctly. You will eventually want to know the difference between hybrids and species to give or get correct information. It is not possible to do so by being "loosey goosey" with the names. If it doesn't matter to the respective person, then please politely say so, and I will make the adjustments in advice (I will have to tiptoe around giving advice for that particular orchid if I'm unsure of its identity).



Your idea of how to water these sounds about right.



Brassavola nodosa have been found growing on trees or rocks in the wild. They do need to dry out between waterings.

Here's a link to a photo that shows how Brassavola nodosa grows on trees in the wild:

Brassavola nodosa (Orchidaceae) image 35389 at PlantSystematics.org

Here's a link to a photo that shows how it grows on rocks (please scroll down to the 2nd photo on the page):

Lady of the Night Orchid (Brassavola nodosa) – The Firefly Forest

This should give you a little idea of how these grow.

If you'd like to know why I dropped the 'Mas Major' when talking about this orchid and just used Brassavola nodosa when giving advice - it is because in this particular context the 'Mas Major' name is not that important for giving the right advice. It is just the name of this particular individual of this species and all subsequent divisions that come from that individual of this species. With species, this name is not that relevant unless you are going to join an orchid society where you are putting your orchid up for judgement for a prize.

[Jeff214]

My apologies - I should have been clearer. That was a Dendrobium nobile hybrid (No ID) I gave you- I believe it was Dendrobium Spring Dream 'Apollon' but I've lost the tag.

I water mine a few times a week, letting it dry out between waterings. I do this year round without rest and it blooms incredibly well each spring (and sometimes a smaller flush in fall). Since I grow mine indoors, you may find that it needs adjustment to thrive outdoors.

I've gotten many great tips from the members of this forum and it's helped me tremendously. I'd, however, stress that you need to use that as a point of reference to figure out what works for you. I keep a notebook with culturing notes/observations about each plant. Perhaps this is my chemistry training talking... but I find that it helps keep things organized when starting off.

[Rid]

Do I need to bring my orchids inside or cover them if I start to get consistent or prolonged rain?

[King_of_orchid_growing:)]

Originally Posted by Rid

Do I need to bring my orchids inside or cover them if I start to get consistent or prolonged rain?

Whichever way is convenient for you. Too much rain is not good. In cultivation, water and gas exchange needs to be controlled for.

[Rid]

This Cattleya is ccurrently in fir bark and I’m think about converting it to s/h when I repot it.

I’ve read that orchids grow a new set of roots when transitioning to s/h. would it be a good time to do that, as it is apparently in poor health now? or should it be in better health before transitioning?

[camille1585]

Originally Posted by Rid

This Cattleya is ccurrently in fir bark and I’m think about converting it to s/h when I repot it.

I’ve read that orchids grow a new set of roots when transitioning to s/h. would it be a good time to do that, as it is apparently in poor health now? or should it be in better health before transitioning?

2 important points about s/h:
* It is not a miracle cure for orchids in poor health, but simply another way of growing.
* Orchid roots grow tailored to their environment, and if they are put into a different one (dry to wet in this case) they will eventually die, leaving the plant rootless.

Therefore it is extremely important to transfer orchids to s/h when new root growth is visible, that way those roots grow into the wet environment and are adapted to it. S/h does not cause new root growth. Transferring a struggling orchid will make it struggle even more.

[Rid]

Ok I repotted it into fir bark, perlite and charcoal. It seemed like everything I removed was dead, either brown and mushy or white and brittle. Fingers crossed