I've recently gotten into a plant mood, and decided to try my hand in growing orchids. I live in colorado, so i'm sure the weather and humidity conditions aren't ideal.... and i'm not sure if my apartment is suitable for orchids. I recently bought 2 orchids, a oncidium orchid... and another orchid that was on sale... with no identification. i was told it might be a dendrobium? i included pictures of it above. the leaves look like the leaves of the oncidium, but it has a stock growing out of it and it is def. not the same. I was just curious if there is anyone who's has had any success with either of these types and would highly appreciate any information to be shared. I have searched the internet for information, but havn't really found anything beyond the typical care info. i would like some more indepth information if possible. my apartment faces north, northwest... so it's light in the morning, but usually gets most of the sun in the afternoon\evening. i put the oncidium orchid in my bedroom infront of a window and i put the other (perhaps dendrobium) right next to it in the corner (the corner to the right of the window). it's pretty sunny all day long (have 2 windows, that i usually keep them open with the blinds down). and instead of AC i usually have a fan going at night. How do you water orchids? i was told to submerge it in a tub of water to get the base wet? and since i live in such a dry climate i should mist it? just the leaves or the flowers as well? and do i use tap water? and i hate to say, but when i bought the oncidium, it is blooming (has 2 stocks with flowers on one stock) it was a hot day... and some of the flowers on the end of the stock got burned in the car driving home, and are dying. is it okay to cut off the end of the stock where the dead flowers are? ti's about the last 6 inches.... but there are some other flowers lower ont he stock that look droopy, but there are also a ton of stems with buds. what do i do? I put a picture above with the stock that has the damaged flowers on it above..is it a lost cause?.... and when the flowers are all done do i cut of the stock at the base? the oncidium orchid came potted in a terracotta pot, is that good? i saw they sell special orchid pots, that have holes on the sides... should i transplant into one of those? and if so do i get a pot that is bigger so the orchid has somthing to grow into? one last thing, since i live in colorado where the winters can get quite cold..... how should i care for it during winter months? just turn up the heat? i know they need lots of light, but near the windows during the winter is quite cold. sorry for so many questions, but i would highly appreciate any help anyone can give. thanks
The first is an Oncidium and the second a Dendrobium. Both enjoy bright, but not direct, sunlight. Your ambient humidity in Colorado will present a challenge but you can keep the plants happier with both a daily mist (several times a day if possible) and a humidity tray beneath them. That is simple to create. Just take a shallow pan (anything attractive) fill it with gravel and then fill that with water. Sit your orchids on top. The evaporating water will bathe the orchids in humidity. For the mist, use a regular spray bottle and put about 1/4 teaspoon of a good orchid fertilizer in the bottle each time you fill it up. Don't go crazy trying to add a lot of fertilizer to the plants. Orchids are foliar feeders. They gather the natural nutrients through the leaves. Flowers will die, that is normal. Just pluck them from the spike. If you care for the Oncidium well it may put out a second spike. Not from the save pseudobulb but often from another cluster if there is more than one. You're likely to get some individuals who will warn you not to mist the plants. Their theory is the water on the plant, and flowers, will kill the plant. Just think about that advice if someone should give it. These plants live in a rain forest! I know a gentleman who has an orchid nursery in Panama and it rains every day with the exception of one portion of the winter. The plants are wet all the time! They apparently love it! Besides, how in the world would nature make all those rain drops avoid landing on the flowers? It just does not make sense. He has sent me photos and there are often thousands of plants in bloom at the same time! I'm giving you a couple of links to articles I've written with the help of others far more knowledgeable than I am regarding growing orchids. Most of your questions will be answered within these articles. If you have questions, do continue to post them. Someone on here will know the answer. There are at least three others who often answer orchid questions that truly know their stuff! Also, before you spend a lot of money on orchids, invest in a good book. The Ortho company puts out one that is inexpensive and is fairly accurate all the way through. http://www.exoticrainforest.com/misting orchids.html http://www.exoticrainforest.com/caringforyourorchids.html Take good care of your plants and they will reward you for many years with blooms. My very first orchid lived more than 20 years and bloomed each and every year!
thanks for the info. just one thing, i noticed that sudden changes in temp can be harmful. so how should i help it survive during winter months? since low light can be bad too.... and placing it next to the windows is cold? so should i just crank up the heat?
I've grown Oncidiums close to fairly cool windows (not touching) in very low (sub-arctic winter) light with decent results. A couple of comments though: the addition of supplemental lighting esp. during winter months is almost always beneficial and balancing humidity and your plants watering needs during periods of lower light or temperatures requires more observation. Oncidiums can produce growths with 'accordion leaves' if humidity is too low or the plants suffers root rot (too much watering in too low light conditions). The higher you can keep the humidity around the plant the better but the plants watering schedule varies with light levels and household temps. I don't think you can spray or raise the humidity too much (at best it would be difficult and time consuming) but watering should be done when the roots have begun to dry out a bit but before they turn brittle. If you can give your plant more light then you can water it more (I drench heavily and drain). Oncidiums have fairly fine roots which should be white with green tips. You should probably plan on repotting into a fine/medium bark mix in the spring when you see new growth and roots. If your flowers have the scent of chocolate and vanilla during the day you probably have a variety of Oncidium Sharry Baby, I think that was the second orchid I got about 110 orchids ago :). Good luck. Shaun
