First Orchids, Newbie Questions.

[axelrod12]

I'm gonna keep my questions to this thread for now. Most of which I'm guessing would be considered newbie questions by most here.

I recently purchased my first two orchids, phals, from Lowe's. They were on clearance for a few dollars each so I figured they would be a good place to start and learn with.

First off here's a few pictures of my phals:

Phal 1:



Phal2:



Now for the questions.

1. I picked through the selection on the clearance shelves for the two best looking plants. However phal 1 still had some damaged leaves. One leaf has a small brown spot on the edge and on another leafs the whole end was brown and falling off. The question: Will these leaves recover? What can I do about them?

My experience with aquatic plants is to cut off dying leaves to allow the plant to use it's energy to produce new leaves instead of attempting to repair old ones. I don't want to do anything as my little experience with non aquatic plants already has told me this is not always the case.

2. Both Orchids came potted in what I believe is long fiber sphagnum moss. From what I've read so far this isn't typically the best option for potting media. I went to a few garden centers on Sunday to look for other options. The only options were the commercially prepared mixes. I looked for reviews of each one quick on my phone. The only one I found with good reviews was Fafard Orchid Mix. So I grabbed a bag of that.

Should I just repot them with the Fafard mix? Or should I look for other options? Maybe mix something in with the sphagnum moss? In my introduction thread someone told me about a reputable orchid farm very close to my house. Should I hold off and check there for other options?

3. I feel like most orchids I've seen have solid green leaves. All one shade. The second one I got has sort of a speckled pattern. 2 shades of green. I actually like the way it looks but was wondering if there was a cause for this. Genetics? Nutrient deficiency? etc.

4. Fertilization. I purchased two fertilizers when I was at the garden center. I couldn't find any that didn't have urea in them so I'm wondering if these will do and I supposed when I should use them? The first is a 20-20-20 with micros. Blue powder, made by the garden center. Nitrogen breakdown is 3.5% Ammoniacal, 5.5% Nitrate, 11% Urea.
The second fert I got is a liquid, Jack's Classic Orchid Bloom Booster. 3-9-6 with micros. Nitrogen breakdown is .42% Ammoniacal and 2.58% Nitrate.

Sorry for such a long post but hopefully some of you will take the time to read it and be able to help me out.

Edit: Hmm, I'm not sure why the pics are so small, if anyone could help me out with that it'd be nice too, for now just click for full size. I used the attachment function while posting rather than tinypic or photobucket.

[RandomGemini]

I won't go through all of your questions here, I can't answer them all. Still pretty new at this myself.

1. No the leaves will not recover. I would leave them as is, unless you hear differently from a more experienced person here. I don't THINK there's any bacterial damage, but there may be. If there isn't, leave them until the plant drops the leaves naturally on its own. They do tend to drop older, smaller leaves as newer, healthier ones grow.

2. Some growers swear by using moss. I don't because I feel like, as a newbie to orchids, I am at a greater risk of overwatering my plants. You can do this successfully though. I do have some orchids in moss that I simply haven't repotted yet. I use the skewer method (stick a bamboo skewer until the end reaches the center of the medium and leave it sitting there, then pull it out and check it once a week to see if it's damp. If it's damp, I check again in two or three days until the skewer comes out completely dry, then I water.) That said, big box store orchids often get potted SUPER tight in that moss, too tight for good air flow around the roots, so I would repot them in a bark mix.

3. Not sure what causes the speckling, but it is kinda neat looking. I hope it's just genetics and not a problem for it.

4. Can't help you there, but I have heard Jack's is a good brand.

Hope this helps!

[kindrag23]

1st. Welcome to the board everyone here is super helpful.
2nd. Read the thread the phal abuse ends here. read say the first 12 pages, it will help you out a lot. Trust me. lol.
3rd. The yucky leaves will fall off in their own time they are still helping provide energy and food to the plant.
4th. The plants that have the brown edges with pieces missing on the edge got bug munched. Sorry but it will never come back. But give it about a....6months to a year and it will drop and you will have pretty new leaves.
5th. I have never heard of this type of bark mix ever...I have used better gro mix. It has bark/charcoal(?)/sphagnum chunks/perlite I think. My memory is fuzzy.
6th. I have had experience with these clearance phals from lowes, and they are packed in there super super tight. Phals like to be able to breath.
I would also pull it out of there to check the roots for rot. When packed to tightly and not in a pot with good circulation the roots will rot.
Check to see if the roots are firm to the touch if not and they are mushy you will need to use sterilized tools to trim them up.

[Bud]

WELCOME ABOARD!

1. do not worry too much about the leaves it is merely a mechanical damage not fungi or bacterial infestation.

2. if you are not comfortable growing in moss then you may repot it on the same pot using orchid mix(can you read on the plastic bag or container what is the fafard mix made of?=bark, charcoal, lava rock, sponge rock, hydroton)

3. you must have a shilly parent on the Phal2 or a philippinensis....some Phal specie have pretty mottled leaves....your Phal2 looks happy and healthy and you are giving it the correct light.

4. you can alternate what fertilizer you have weekly weakly and in the winter months only every other week.

*your pictures are ok and better learn to use flikr or photobucket than direct posting.

---------- Post added at 07:17 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:06 PM ----------

I also googled fafard mix= it is composed of fir bark, chopped coir and perlite.... it is good for your orchid plants. Soak it overnight and wash it until the water is no longer dark.

[My Green Pets]

Originally Posted by axelrod12

I'm gonna keep my questions to this thread for now. Most of which I'm guessing would be considered newbie questions by most here.

I like your style! Welcome to the board.

Originally Posted by axelrod12

1. Will these leaves recover? What can I do about them?

No, they will not recover, but the plant will grow new ones. Typically, the plant grows new leaves in spring and summer, but thats not a rule. In the Fall it gets ready to bloom by slowing growth, and winter is its natural bloom season. The plants you bought have been forced to bloom out of season, which means they will need a few months to reset their growth cycles, start growing again, and bloom for you next winter.

Originally Posted by axelrod12

3. I feel like most orchids I've seen have solid green leaves. All one shade. The second one I got has sort of a speckled pattern. 2 shades of green. I actually like the way it looks but was wondering if there was a cause for this. Genetics? Nutrient deficiency? etc.

Just to give you an idea of what you've got there, my eyes just about popped out of my head when i saw your "mottled" leaf plant. Some wild phalænopsis species naturally have this speckled action on their leaves but nearly all hybrids have plain green ones. So that means that your plant could have a very strong species influence in its family tree. And thats cool because this plant will look more like a plant youd find in the wild. That really blows me away that youd find something like that at lowes.

Thats all i can do, hope it helped.

[axelrod12]

Wow thanks for the quick responses everyone.

If moss can be troublesome and chances are it's packed too tightly I will likely repot in something different. I wouldn't say I'm uncomfortable with the moss, just with my first phals I would like to do whatever is easier. I'm not sure I fully understand the differences with the different mixes though. Is it just that moss retains more water and needs more careful/less frequent watering? It doesn't seem too difficult using the skewer method you described RandomGemini.

@kindrag23, I have actually read through the phal abuse thread and did indeed find it extremely helpful. There was a lot of info in there and I'm sure I'll be referring back to it for some time. I don't think it touched on fertilization much though.

@Bud, I'm not sure what those names mean but I'm gonna look them up lol. Also its good to know that this is a genetic factor and the plant won't lose the pattern over time. Also thanks for looking up what the mix contains. Is this a good mix or would there be something that I'm better off with? Or is it a matter of preference type thing?

If I'm understanding you correctly I should water with the 20-20-20 at a reduced dose one week and then water with the 3-9-6 at a reduced amount the following week?

Also I tried using tinypic to post the images initially but got a message saying that I had too many urls or something. Is there a limit to the number of pics per post with other sources?

---------- Post added at 07:15 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:11 PM ----------

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

Just to give you an idea of what you've got there, my eyes just about popped out of my head when i saw your "mottled" leaf plant. Some wild phalænopsis species naturally have this speckled action on their leaves but nearly all hybrids have plain green ones. So that means that your plant could have a very strong species influence in its family tree. And thats cool because this plant will look more like a plant youd find in the wild. That really blows me away that youd find something like that at lowes.

Thats all i can do, hope it helped.

Very cool. Good to know I actually found something cool/slightly unique at Lowes, and for less than $5 too.

[My Green Pets]

google phalaenopsis schilleriana to see what im talking about with the leaves.

The idea with the mixes is that the orchids roots need air. Lots of constantly moving, humid air.

Tightly packed moss = very little air flow = suffocating, and eventually dying, roots.

Many growers here use completely inorganic potting material such as clay pellets or lava rock. These media dry quickly so you have to water more often, like every other day or so. Adding a little moisture-retaining media, like sphagnum, can lengthen the watering interval to a week or so, which could be more practical, it just depends on you.

I love to water mine, for example, so ive got them in media that is dry in 3-4 days, so i 'get' to shower them with water (and affection) more often.

[Dendy83]

Keep in mind that rescue orchids are tough to bring back to bloom, so don't expect blooms for another year (though it's happened where it's sooner than that) or new growth for a few months...or longer. It takes time for them to adjust to a new environment, new potting mix, and recovering from abuse. You'll get the feel of what the orchid wants and likes and change your habits.

All of what everyone said is great advice. My only other advice would be, don't get upset if one doesn't make it. I recommend new orchid owners start with a healthy orchid, not a rescue one for that very reason. It's very difficult to spend months and months of care just to have one shrivel up on you. A healthy orchid will be able to respond to your techniques either with new growth or lack thereof. But I do very much hope that these pull through and thankfully they were cheap too.

[axelrod12]

Originally Posted by CambriaWhat

google phalaenopsis schilleriana to see what im talking about with the leaves.

The idea with the mixes is that the orchids roots need air. Lots of constantly moving, humid air.

Tightly packed moss = very little air flow = suffocating, and eventually dying, roots.

Many growers here use completely inorganic potting material such as clay pellets or lava rock. These media dry quickly so you have to water more often, like every other day or so. Adding a little moisture-retaining media, like sphagnum, can lengthen the watering interval to a week or so, which could be more practical, it just depends on you.

I love to water mine, for example, so ive got them in media that is dry in 3-4 days, so i 'get' to shower them with water (and affection) more often.

Thanks, I will probably repot in the Fafard mix that I bought and see how that goes.

Originally Posted by Dendy83

Keep in mind that rescue orchids are tough to bring back to bloom, so don't expect blooms for another year (though it's happened where it's sooner than that) or new growth for a few months...or longer. It takes time for them to adjust to a new environment, new potting mix, and recovering from abuse. You'll get the feel of what the orchid wants and likes and change your habits.

All of what everyone said is great advice. My only other advice would be, don't get upset if one doesn't make it. I recommend new orchid owners start with a healthy orchid, not a rescue one for that very reason. It's very difficult to spend months and months of care just to have one shrivel up on you. A healthy orchid will be able to respond to your techniques either with new growth or lack thereof. But I do very much hope that these pull through and thankfully they were cheap too.

Thanks, I'm fine with it not blooming for a while. Hopefully neither dies on me though. I'm no stranger to losing plants after caring for them for a long time. I have several fish tanks and aquatic setups, all planted. I have had some somewhat sensitive plants doing very well and then melt down to nothing due to mistakes or equipment issues. It can be very frustrating at times, but quite rewarding at other times.

I'll have to do my best with these orchids and hopefully it will be a good learning experience and I will be able to move on to other phals and other types of orchids.


Another question: When potting using the Fafard mix should I just pour it into the pot and leave it loose or should I pack it down at all? I'm assuming loose is better since the roots like to breathe?

[RandomGemini]

You don't want the plant to fall out of the pot, so do pack it down a bit. Also, be sure to soak it overnight before you use it, new bark doesn't hold moisture well, soaking it overnight before potting helps it retain moisture a bit longer.