Have no idea

[delmo]

I have just recently purchased 2 just add ice orchids from the grocery store and no I would never add ice to my plants, tepid or warm water for them. They are very small in 2 inch plastic pots and in bloom.

Problem #1 is I have never grow these in my life. I am great with house plants but very confused about orchids

#2 They are very potbound. The roots have gone aerial. When do I pot them up?

#3 There is no soil in one pot and looks like sawdust in the bottom of the other. What do I grow them in?

#4 How often do I water them and feed them? These seem to be dry every 2nd or 3rd day maybe due to lack of potting medium. I also have very hard water and my regular house plants get the nutrients they need from the minerals in the water. I have never feed my house plants and they grow and bloom often like weeds.

#5 They are in full bloom. Do I remove flowers as they die?

I have this overwhelming to pot them up and feed them and they are in full bloom. Please help and hurry.

Thank you Donna from NS.

[kaarthiik]

Delmo,

Welcome to the board.

If you add some pictures of your plants, people can be able to help you out.

I expect, you have brought Phalenopsis. But to be sure before any one can provide you some advise pictures would help.

[Paul Mc]

Hello and welcome! Quite the list of questions.

1) Orchids are like any other plant in that it takes time to learn. Patience and a willingness to learn are all you need. I would suggest reading through the thread "The Phal Abuse Ends Here" as it is filled with good information amount caring for your orchid. Generally though, place it somewhere that when the sun is fully coming in the window that the shadow from your hand has form, but you can barely make out the lines. They also like to dry between waterings, just remember that most orchids grow on trees so this is only natural for them.

[Paul Mc]

2) since they are just add ice orchids, I'm assuming its a phalaenopsis. You are correct to not add ice to your
Orchid. It is tropical and ice cubes don't fall from the sky. We tend to grow these pot bound though and aerial roots are normal. We try to get them wet when watering, but don't try to bury them in potting media unless we can without damaging them. A picture of your plant and another of the pot and roots would help greatly with determining if it should be repotted or not. Post a few more times and you should be able to upload those pictures for us.

[Paul Mc]

3) we usually grow Phal's in various airy mixtures but not in true soil. We use variations of sphagnum moss, bark chunks, charcoal and perlite generally. Again, pics of what they are growing in would be extremely helpful to figure out what you've got. Anything that looks like soil or is very fine is not generally a good idea for Phal's, again assuming that is what you have. I've only seen Phals with the just add ice tags though.

[Paul Mc]

4) it is hard to answer this as everyone's situation and water supply is different. Again, you do want Phals to dry out slightly between waterings and the potting medium used often dictates how often we water. To set a schedule of watering, per say, doesn't always work with orchids. It's more about keeping an eye out and seeing when it is dry. A bamboo skewer in the medium would tell you if it's still moist or not, and if you should water again. I know we avoid soft water, but I'm not sure about really hard water. Hopefully someone else can address this.

As a side note, if the orchid is in a plastic clear container, you can also see if there is humidity in the pot. If not, then water. Also, don't let the orchid sit in water. Be sure it is completely drained before putting it back.

To fertilize a Phal, we use a non urea based fertilizer at 1/4th the strength recommended. General rule for fertilizing is weakly weekly, with at least one good flush. Also, run water through the pot before using water with fertilizer to avoid burning the roots.

[Paul Mc]

5). We do remove the flowers as they wilt and fall off, but be careful to not accidentally break others off. That's easy to do and have done so many times myself. When the flower stalk has turned brown and dry, we cut it back to about 1 inch or less from the base.

[Paul Mc]

Lastly, generally we don't repot when orchids are in bloom as some don't like it and will abort the flowers. Phals are far less sensitive to this, but you do run the risk of breaking the delicate flower stalk. If the roots and leaves appear healthy, and you have no reason to suspect any issues, you might want to leave them as they are and enjoy the blooms. Repot once the bloom cycle has finished.

[Bill U.]

Donna, you have gotten great advice from Paul! If you follow what he has said- you should be well off! Good luck!

[delmo]

Thank you very much....you actually made it quite simple to follow...Im a show me don't tell me kinda gal so this was perfect. I am not simple but like simple instructions...Thank you Thank you Thank you!!
I have added an album called Ochids 1 here you can see my orchids and their root systems.

Donna