Easy (Indoors) Growing Orchids

[Tsuchibuta]

I can grow dens and phals really well, cats pretty good, bulbos, gongoras, paphinas all fairly easily, but I cannot grow onc's to save my life, yet my wife loves them and insists I purchase new varieties at every show we go to. Please do let me in on this secret, I've had some for years and they don't bloom, some grow well others don't look like they've changed for a few years. I've desiccated some and I've rotted them too. I've tried growing in moss, bark, coco chips, and a multiple mixes of the three including stones and or charcoal. The only thing I haven't tried is s/h, which I think will be the next experiment as I'm determined to figure out what makes them tick if my wife insists on purchasing more of them.

[Tommyr]

Originally Posted by Tsuchibuta

I can grow dens and phals really well, cats pretty good, bulbos, gongoras, paphinas all fairly easily, but I cannot grow onc's to save my life, yet my wife loves them and insists I purchase new varieties at every show we go to. Please do let me in on this secret, I've had some for years and they don't bloom, some grow well others don't look like they've changed for a few years. I've desiccated some and I've rotted them too. I've tried growing in moss, bark, coco chips, and a multiple mixes of the three including stones and or charcoal. The only thing I haven't tried is s/h, which I think will be the next experiment as I'm determined to figure out what makes them tick if my wife insists on purchasing more of them.

Well my Oncs go out side around the end of May, after all danger of frost is gone here. BRIGHT filtered light, early morning sun only. I feed them 1/4 strength Miracle grow every 2-3 waterings. I bring them in in the fall when temps start getting down into the low 50's for several weeks. That seems to induce spiking, shorter day length probably also plays a part.

[Tsuchibuta]

Originally Posted by Tommyr

Well my Oncs go out side around the end of May, after all danger of frost is gone here. BRIGHT filtered light, early morning sun only. I feed them 1/4 strength Miracle grow every 2-3 waterings. I bring them in in the fall when temps start getting down into the low 50's for several weeks. That seems to induce spiking, shorter day length probably also plays a part.

I tried that this summer and I still haven't noticed anything yet. Only one of the 8 I have has bloomed since bringing it in the greenhouse and it's spike was only a third of what it should be (according to what it was when I bought it). It had lots of blooms just very compact. It really bugs me.

[orchidexpress]

Tommyr......
keep the water out of the crowns of the phals and you will do better. Probally your phals are crown rotting. The best way to water is to water in the morning and on a sunny day. This way they have time to dry out before the sun goes down. Whenever you first see a rot...pour some hydrogen peroxide on the area to stop the rot. Then seal it with cinnamon...like what you have in your cuboard.

[Tommyr]

Originally Posted by orchidexpress

Tommyr......
keep the water out of the crowns of the phals and you will do better. Probally your phals are crown rotting. The best way to water is to water in the morning and on a sunny day. This way they have time to dry out before the sun goes down. Whenever you first see a rot...pour some hydrogen peroxide on the area to stop the rot. Then seal it with cinnamon...like what you have in your cuboard.

Thanks, I'll keep all that in mind!

[Jerry Delaney]

Personally, I find one of the great things about growing orchids is that they keep you humble. The orchid society back in the Midwest where I started growing used to have an AOS judged show every year. I had not been growing that many years when I put in a small display that contained an number of Dendrobium hybrids. I wound up taking first place in every color category but one. When the show rolled around the following year, I did not have a SINGLE living Dendrobium to put in my display!! I must be really dumb because after all these years, I have little trouble in killing some types of Dens,so you won't find many in my collection. I once had a long time grower tell me that every one eventually becomes more or less an expert growing their orchid collection because they have killed every orchid that doesn't grow well for them!! Truth be known, even the most experienced of us wind up killing a plant every now and then. Welcome and hang in there!