Newbie needs help

Discussion in 'Orchidaceae (orchids)' started by freakle46, Feb 25, 2008.

  1. freakle46

    freakle46 Member

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    Hi i am completly new to the orchid species i dont know much about them at all. at first this didnt seem to matter because i bought an orchid over the summer on sale and brought it home and it was doing fine. I planted it in peat moss and sphagnum moss becasue i didnt know any better. now my orchid is acting wierd. it flowered and had 6 or so buds and 3 of them bloomed and then they all fell off about 2 days later. All except for one flower and that died a day later.
    That was just one orchid, for christmas my couson sent me a Cattleya from Kauai and i decided that i should find out a little more on these plants, so i read up on them. This is a very hard species to look up information on because there are so many different things said i dont know what to go by.
    Well what i wanted to know was i read the back of the bag of this orchid mix that i brought from wal mart how to plant the plant and use the mix. i used it today to replant the two orchids. Now i just read on a websie that i should have mixed that with bark. Do i have to have bark in the mix. This mix says it is made of, Western Fur bark, horticultral charcoal and a natural mineral that has been kiln fired to allow permanent ceramic nuggets containing thousands of pore spaces, that hold water and oxygen for improved moisture and nutrient retention. Now do you think that, that sounds good and that i wouldnt need anything else to go in with them. Im just trying to keep them alive hear...and thats doing fine they just arent blooming. Also about the first orchid which is a dendrobium i was moving fro the window the one day to clean and the flower stalk broke. about half way down. A new one grew from the side of that one right underneath where the old had been is that bad or going to harm the plant in the future.
    One other thing, do i need to prune my orchids? If so how would i go about doing that?
     
  2. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    the soil that you got is fine - all the orchids you have should do well in it. make sure you've got them in 'orchid' pots, though. orchid pots have holes in the sides to increase air flow to the roots. you also want a drain hole on the bottom so that the excess water can flow through/out.

    don't worry about the broken stalk on the dendrobium - obviously it's okay if it put another one out below the break.

    i never had a cattleya, so i can't advise anything about that other than basic orchid care.

    the different species do have some differences - if you treat them according to the basic needs (which are virtually the same for all the different kinds) then they should thrive for you.

    you've got them in the correct soil. water frequently enough to keep the roots moist - not totally soggy, just moist. bright light is needed. and they generally like warmer temps (not anything under 50) and they also like humidity.

    my dendrobium did very well when i misted it every day. it held on pretty good when things here got too hectic and i ended up not misting it every day. sad to say that the misting has slowly dwindled down and it hasn't been misted in a while...leaves are starting to turn. so, i'd recommend misting - just get a spray bottle from the dollar store.

    as for water, some people swear by distilled water. i've just used plain old tap water that i've let sit for at least overnight (so the chlorine could dissipate). for fertilizer, use something specifically for orchids. if you do opt for distilled water, you're going to need to fertilize much more often than if you use tap water (the distilled has the minerals removed).
     
  3. freakle46

    freakle46 Member

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    Alright thank you so much i am going to see if its health changes now i hope it does. As for the rchid pot, thanks i had no clue i am going to drill holes in the sides of the pots they are in. Do you think that would have the same effect? Also the room i keep them in always stays at least 83 degrees because i have reptiles and there are about 7 heat lamps running at all times, also for the lighting i have a shop light and the orchids sit right underneath it in window do you think that that would be fine lighting?
     
  4. joclyn

    joclyn Rising Contributor

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    that heat may be a bit much - especially if it's dry. which i think it needs to be for the reptiles? definitely put the pots on dishes filled with gravel/marbles/small pebbles and keep some water in the dish - that will provide humidity right around the orchid. iirc, they will need some lower temps at some point to rebloom and the high temp in the room may be why the blooms you did have didn't completely open as well as died off quickly.

    if you've got them in plastic pots, yes, put holes in the sides - about 1/2 inch wide and do at least a half dozen - spaced out around the sides of the container.

    what kind of bulb is in the shop light?
     
  5. Lora F

    Lora F Member

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    It's good to drill holes in the sides of the pots, I alwais do it with red-hot awl. Make sure that the pot has enough holes on the bottom. Won't damage the roots.
    your room temperature is high, I think. Majority of orchids need variation of temp. if you want them to bloom.
    Cattleyas prefer lot of light. If your cattleya is placed on the window-cill plus the highlight - it's more than enough. But in the summer avoid very hot direct sun.
    Make sure that mixture in the pot gets completely dry before watering.
    I used a mix with polyfoam, pine bark, charcoal, and a little of sphagnum moss. The bark is most important, so if you miss another ingridients - don't panic.

    Good luck!
     
  6. freakle46

    freakle46 Member

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    a regular florescent bulb is in the shop light and thanks a lot i am going to put them over pebbes or something to increase the humidity. How big of a temperatre difference do they need to bloom.
     
  7. Lora F

    Lora F Member

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    The temperature difference should be at least 5 degrees, but 10 degree difference will be better. Several hybrid Cattleyas do not requires big temperuture differences.
     
  8. freakle46

    freakle46 Member

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    i looked the cattleya up on the internet and the picture that i found of it was from a hawaiin distributing store online. But the picture is the same as the one on the package i got mine in and they called it a hawaiin cattleya? Is that really what its called. Its going to be Fusia...like a really bright, really dark pink. It looks like its going to be amazing once it blooms. How long until it blooms would you say? Today i put my two dendrobiums above water so that they can get the humidity that they need. If i have them on either side of the cattleya will it get the humididty that it needs even if its not over water itself. I am still misting them and how can you tell if its hybrid? What does a non hybrid look like. Also how long do they need the temperature change and when? For example could i put them in a cooler room over night or does it have to be for weeks, and by hybrid cattleyas does that mean that they only need a 5-10 degree change or does that mean that they need less of a temp change than that? And will they not bloom if the temp doesnt change or will they bloom but die without there full term (2weeks i heard for how long the flowers last) completing.
     
  9. lorax

    lorax Rising Contributor 10 Years

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    For the Cattleya, I always had to abuse mine a little before they'd bloom. Let the Cats dry out each day in full sun, mist them lightly at night, and give them at least a 5 degree centigrade change overnight to encourage them to bloom.

    If you're curious about what species Cats look like; I was growing some in the south, and the pictures should be kicking around in this forum somewhere.

    And my blooms lasted almost a month before getting ugly, although I was growing them exclusively outdoors.
     
    Last edited: Feb 27, 2008

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