I think I'm killing my orchids -- help!

[olivia333]

So yesterday I bought a $5 bargin-bin dendrobium from Lowes (clay pot in picture.) The plant girl told me to replant it in Miracle Grow soil, that the bark in it shouldn't be kept in it. So I listened to her and did (leaving some bark on top for decoration and stabilization) but now I'm reading up more on orchids and I should have left the bark in? I don't want the roots to rot. One of the stalks has started to turn a light yellow-green color, could that be from overwatering it (I watered it last night, but it has drainage so I thought it'd be alright) or from to much sun exposure? It was on my porch for most of today and I'm not sure how much sun it got. Should I keep it out of the sun tomorrow if it's been burnt?

Then today I bought two more today (bargin again from Lowes, a small $2 Phalaenopsis orchid, pink pot, and a larger $4 Phalaenopsis Orchid, the Blue Mystique, white pot.) My pink-pot is in moss and looks happy; should I leave it in there? My Blue Mystique (well, I guess it's a white orchid now) is in bark and clearly outgrowing its pot. I bought a pot 2x larger than the original size that the plant person recommended (different Lowes, different person) and want to replant it, so should I use moss or bark or is potting soil alright?

I really love plants and want to make them grow and live healthy, so any advice you can give me is much appreciated!

Thanks!

Edit: Also, should I cut off the stalks of the pink-pot one? I would assume so because they seem to have finished blooming, but I'd just like to check with some experts here first.

[Paul Mc]

Wow, you've got a lot going on here. First, do not use soil as the roots of orchids need to breathe. Remember that they grow on trees so heavy soil mixes are. It going to work. Go to repotme.com and look at their orchid mixes to see what you need for both orchids then see if you can find similar products where you are or just order from them.

F you reported your Dendrobium recently, then it should be fine as long as you get it out of the soil mixture. Do not use the orchid potting mixes from loses or home depot though as they are too heavy. Again refer to the mixes on that website and see how the mixes allow for holes and space. Yellowing of canes could be overwatering, too much sun, stress related or just the time of year. Some of mine do that on older canes. But the soil it's in is probably not helping, in fact it could be speeding things up.

Phals can be potted in high quality sphagnum and some people have success with that. However, there are several cons as well. Sphagnum needs to be replaced at least yearly as it gets highly acidic and as you water it compresses over time. It giving roots the air they need. Again, refer to that website for appropriate potting materials. If your phals are in bloom, I would just wait unt they are finished blooming to repot, just stick a bamboo skewer in to see if the inside is still wet before you water. They like to go dry a bit before rewatering.

Refer to the phal abuse stops here thread in the beginners forum for a ton of information on them.

And above all, stop listening to the people at lowes, lol... I don't think they know what they are doing when it comes to orchids!

[Paul Mc]

Wait until the stalk dries up before cutting in my opinion. Although some do cut after the last flower has fallen off.

[Paul Mc]

A bit more. I'd move your Dendrobium to a bit lower light until you are able to repot it. If its stress, you need to reduce the light a bit so it can focus on healing.

And yes, if your blue phal had blue flowers then they were white flowers died blue. They will be white when it reblooms. Sorry to tell you that. It's a marketing gimmick.

[Merlyn]

First rule, don't EVER listen to ANY sales person at a box store, that includes Lowe's, Home Depot, or any grocery store ! ONLY terrestrial orchids, and Phalaenopsis are NOT, should be in potting soil. 2nd, all your pots should have drainage holes. 3rd, When you water them the water should flow down through the media without backing up like a plugged up drain. If your one in sphagnum drains well, leave it in the sphag. Water again (this will be different timing in everyone's different environment) when it gets crunchy dry on top. Bark mixes are ok also but usually mean a more frequent watering schedule. You're going to hear different opinions but I don't cut any stalk (spike/inflorescence) until it's brown and dried up. IF you decide to cut it before it's dried up, sprinkle cinnamon on the cut to prevent fungus from entering. Hope I didn't make it sound difficult, it's not once you get the basics down you're on your way to becoming a full fledged orchid addict !!!!! Have fun, and keep us up to date !

I will mention again that there are MANY OTHER sites to get orchid supplies from and NO SINGLE ONE is the best !!! Quarter Acre Orchids, Kelley's Corner, and Orchid Enterprise to name a few ! It pays to shop around !

[olivia333]

Yeah, I read up on the Blue Mystique. I was at first expecting blue flowers, but at $6 for a beautiful large plant I'm not upset.

Thanks both of you for the site and advice! I'll wait for the stems to dry out a bit before cutting them; they're still very green and healthy looking. I have a new question about material:
I live near woods where there's a lot of bark and moss and woodchips, so would it be alright for me to put my own material together? If so, should I use any kind of fertilizer to go with it, and should I let it dry out before I use it? Also this might be a stupid question but would nut shells (almonds, peacons, walnuts) be a bad idea to put into the material? I also have a fertilizer patch where I've thrown scraps of food and such so now the soil is rich in nutrients; would it be a bad idea to add some to the material (as long as it's still mostly bark-like material?)
Thanks!

[Paul Mc]

True, true and true. Everyone has a different environment and growing style. Once you learn what works best for you you'll be an addict like the rest of us, lol....

Don't be intimidated though. It's not as hard as people think, it's just a different growing technique from your regular household plants. You can do it with a bit of patience and willingness to learn.

Welcome aboard btw! I completely forgot that part! I was dizzy from work when I responded, lol...

[Paul Mc]

I think those questions you asked while I was posting I'll leave to another person to answer as I don't honestly know. I'd think that it depends what the natural ph of the bark is, if there are any chemicals used on it and secretion from the bark that might be detrimental would be factors. I would also tend to think compost would be too strong for orchids. Just my initial thoughts there.

[Leafmite]

You could use tree branches and mount your orchids onto them. You have to make certain the wood is free of bugs/bacteria/fungus by some process (boiling, baking, or bleaching) but you do this with any materials that isn't purchased as potting material. I, personally, use lava rock as a potting material. $6.00 a huge bag from a local nursery/florist. You could pick up rocks/stones, bleach and rinse these (rinse a few times), then use. The trick is to use something that allows air to the roots while providing humidity to them as well.
Good luck!
Leafmite

[silken]

Welcome to a new and addictive hobby!
I noticed you mentioned you got a pot twice as big as the original to re-pot the blue Phal. That is WAY too big. It should only be large enough to accommodate the roots and often they can go back into their original pot. If it is actually pushing out of the pot because of too many roots, you may want to go 1 size larger but not likely any bigger.

I myself wouldn't recommend collecting bark chips etc. for potting as there is too much risk of bacteria and pests lurking in moist moss and decaying bark. A dry piece for mounting is a bit different. It is easy to find medium bark chunks and sphagnum moss specifically for orchid potting and these are usually sterile and they are easy to sterilize with some boiling water. Make sure the one in moss does not stay too wet as they usually can start getting root rot even before the flowers are done if not re-potted soon.