Hi Everyone, I'm new to the forum and also to growing plants in general. I bought two plants that I've never seen before and came with the stickers to identify them. I've lost those and can't remember the names. Problem now is that I haven't been taking very good care of them and they're not doing so well. Your help is greatly appreciated. KF
Yes togata57, its an Orchid and I'm thinking, in terms of caring for it, I can just treat it like any other orchid...not at all sure though. KF
Tyrlych, thanks that's it! Now I need to figure out how to save it. It looks pretty bad. It looks wilted like it need water, but from what I found online the soil should be moist to dry. Over watering causes the leaves to fall off! Afraid it might have a fungus as well. There are fuzzy white things on the stems. KF
#2 is a Dendrobium, specifically a hybrid of the D.phalaenopsis kind. When searching for info, do not confuse this with the Phalaenopsis genus. First, take it out of the pot and check the media it is potted in. Just to be safe, you should re-pot it. You should be able to buy a decent orchid potting mix at any garden centre or even Wal-Mart. The mix should be type of bark/perlite/sponge rock/moss mix. Make sure the pot you are using has drainage holes! Also, the pot should be just big enough to fit the roots snugly - they like the be pot-bound. Never over-pot! Carefully take all the media off the roots without breaking them, wash the roots, and check to see if any of the roots are soft and mushy. If so, cut them off with a sterile knife. Put a little of the new media in the bottom of the pot, then place the plant in the pot and pour the new media around the roots, so that all the roots are covered. Pack in the media in around the roots. Water well, so the water runs out the drainage holes. The plant likes strong light, as in a south or west window in the house, and normal house temperatures. Water once a week in winter, and more in the summer, making sure that the media never gets soggy, but needs to dry out between waterings. Try these links for help: http://www.orchidweb.com/dendcare.aspx http://www.canadianorchidcongress.ca/cculture/index.html click on Dendrobium http://www.aos.org/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Dendrobium&Template=/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID=7129 click on Dendrobium overview, English I hope that helps a bit. Good luck!
