My introduction...
 

Hi everyone,

I'm not exactly sure how to introduce myself. I joined this forum because I have two orchids in trouble now, but last week, they were doing very nicely. One is a Phal I've had for 2 years now, pictured here from when it was in bloom...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v1...ebruary073.jpg

After the blooms fell off, I left the stem, and a new branch grew off it the following year, but only one bloom made it (crazy Georgia weather), the other blasted. This year I've decided to cut the stem, and hopefully a new one will grow. I'm not sure it will even make it at this point (see my other post for orchid trauma).

The other is a Cattleya which I purchased on clearance from Lowes last fall (one of those in a bag deals). The Cattleya has about doubled in pseudopods and leaves since I potted it, but so far no blooms. I've been told it may take a few years. I can't find the pictures I took of it a few months ago. According to the label, if it does bloom, it's going to be a pretty blue (which is my favorite color).

I'm really upset about both of them now, I am planning on moving next month, and with this recent trauma I'm not sure either of them will survive the shock of being transported. I'm hoping with the support of the forum I can do what's best for both of them.

Welcome to the forum!

From your other post I know you just went through trauma with your Phal, but please don't give up. I've personally gone from growing orchids many years ago to "giving up" and turning to cacti because they need no care, right? WRONG! After they all died of mites and aphids, I turned back to orchids (actually I bought a Phal for my wife and told her if she could keep it growing I'd buy her another.) She kept it blooming continuously for two years - never out of blossom - and growing new leaves also. Needless to say, I bought her another, then another, then pretty soon MY collection was quite large :blushing: . So just keep with it and follow these forum posts. Before you know it you'll be just as much a "senior" as some of the others. Again, welcome.

Thanks for the welcome :) Your wife is lucky, I used to have good luck growing things, but recently, everything I'm trying isn't going too well. These days I feel like my green thumb has turned as black as my Cattleya! When I was at the BBQ, the woman gave me some succulent cuttings (another thing I don't know ANYTHING about). She said all you've got to do is put it in the soil and leave it, and it will grow...but I'm not too sure it's doing well either. I'm not even sure what type of succulent it is...but it looks like a Crassulaceae.

Ross to the rescue! .. :)
Where is that man when you need him? :roll:
Will you wager on the succulent, too? :coverlaugh:

:D Thanks for making me smile Dorothy, I've been so worried all week.

Help me out here. Where are you located? The woman is correct. Just lay the cutting in contact with the soil in a medium (dappled) shade location and water ONLY when the soil appears dry on the surface. The cutting should send out roots. I just rooted 8 cuttings of Opuntia (Prickly Pear) and set them out. I was surprised by the volume of roots they had sent out in a month.

:welcome: Aboard Erin...great your here and am sure you will find the OB extremely informative. The members here are so helpful. Your phal in bloom is gorgeous, let me skip over to your other posts and give your :photo:s a look...settle in and enjoy :nod:

Thanks so much for the invite, I feel welcome already... I just wish I had more to contribute.

Stick around...before long it'll be YOU helping out somebody else looking for answers! :cheer:

I hope you're right :D

:scratchhead: For whatever reason, I didn't see this before. I'm currently located in Georgia, and totally unfamiliar with the growing conditions. Everything I've tried growing thus far (as well as a few plants I brought with me from up north) have died. One plant I had for 20 years :_( I don't even know what it was called, so I don't know how to replace it.

From what the woman was telling me, you can start a cutting just by using the leaves themselves, but what I've read online says you've got to let them dry out/use root on/ put it in moist soil...too many different opinions, and if she's done this successfully before I just wish she'd do it and give it back to me when it's grown roots...but I am moving again in a month, so who knows WHAT is going to happen to me and my little gathering of plants.

Yes, that's what I had heard as well. I figured I was doing a great thing giving my cat more sun by putting it outside for the day, and now it's a toasty shade of black. I think at this point I'd settle for a healthy non-blooming orchid than one that looks like a marshmallow left too long in a campfire ;)

Yeah, I found that out the hard way. I've never grown orchids before, and I keep learning that they respond VERY differently than other types of plants. Before last week, I had no idea a plant could even get sunburned, let alone die from too much sun. I thought I was being really smart by putting a sheet over them to block the sun, creating a nice shady spot for them...I guess I should have slathered on the sunblock too ;)

Well, it's a mistake I'll never make again, I just hope they forgive me.

in our area the problem is same .They never bloom .hi hi hi.They just sit and be green . Some one told me to transfer them to another spot. I did it .M y onc got a spike . Changing place will help you.thank you.