New brassias, with a couple questions

[PhysicsMike]

True, I'll make sure they are well formed before moving them them.

[james mickelso]

Be careful of keeping these too wet as the thin roots rot easily. Lava rock works very well by keeping thewm moist but not wet. If the humidity is over 50% then be extra care ful with your watering. My Brassia Rex "Sakata" grows like a weded but years ago when I got it I almost kept killing it by watering it too much. Repot only when new growth starts to put out roots. Brassias do not like to be repotted too often. Any damage to their root system can set them back a season. Mine take near cattleya light level but I am on the coast. Feed them at every watering but only at 1/4 strength. If the foliage turns a pale green then shade them a little more. I like the orchiata type bark but in a medium size so it dries out a little faster. Here's a pic of when to think about repotting. The last pic shows a new growth that is still too young to think about repotting. Good luck. Nice plant you have there.

[PhysicsMike]

Thank you. It is fresh out of the greenhouse, so hopefully will be able to maintain its health. The humidity has been well over 50% since we got it, thunderstorms daily. It the flower's stem back to the spike get's soft, would that be a good clue to water? It never gets direct sun, just various amounts of indirect until around noon. I'll keep a batch of fertilizer made up, again thanks.

[james mickelso]

Learning when an orchid needs water is very easy to learn. Let it dry out completely (a week is ok) and lift it. It's pretty light weight huh? Now water the beegeezus out of it and then let it drain for a couple minutes. Now lift it up. Pretty heavy huh? It only takes a couple of times doing this simple exercise to learn when to water. Your hand learns pretty quickly how light weight it is when it needs to be watered. Even in LECA or lava rock there is a marked difference.