Coelogyne Ovalis Lindl - How do I care for it?
 

Hi Everyone:

I'm new to this forum. I attended an orchid show in our city and just bought a Coelogyne Ovalis Lindl 1838. It is mounted on a piece of bark in sphagnum moss. It only has leaves right now - no flowers. I have attached 2 pictures. I have it indoors hanging by a window. How often should I water this orchid and should I fertilize it regularly? I know nothing about this type of orchid and I have never had one that is mounted. I'm so worried that I will not give it the right amount of care that it needs.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Karin

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How do I care for it?
 

We must have passed each other at the Fraser Valley Orchid Society show.....greetings from a fellow Langley resident and I know you will get the answer you require.....:goodluck:


All the best.....Faz.

:hello Faz:

WOW - another "Langleyite". I am planning to attend the next FV Orchid Society meeting on Nov. 17. Will you be there? I am so looking forward to meeting and talking to other orchid fanatics. I believe I have become addicted and there is no turning back now.

Hope to see you there!

Karin

Meeting
 

Karin - I believe the next meeting is on the 24th of November. :scratchhead: They tell me it is the 3rd Monday after the first Wednesday....go figure. :biggrin:

Regards....Faz.

Faz - thanks for giving me the correct date! I would have been wondering where everyone was! Hope to see you there!

Karin

Karin, I am not a Langleyite but grow Coelogyne ovalis under very different conditions to you. You can leave it mounted as it is one of the Coelogyne species that has a very rambling habit and will quickly outgrow any pot that you put it in. As to watering you can water when it is warm. As you are growing it indoors with artificial temperature control (central heating etc.) the media is likely to become dry very quickly so I would recommend every second or third day. You can judge by the sphagnum if you should water or not. If you see that the sphagnum is bone dry then water and wait until the sphagnum is bone dry again before watering. Once the sphagnum has rotted away you can pay it by "feel". I would recommend fetilising only when the palnt is in an active growth phase and you can establish this from the tips of the roots. If the roots are tipped by about 4mm of green or brown then your plant is in a growth phase and I would fertilise. Once that green or brown tip disappears and the root becomes grey white or brownish throughout and you can no longer see the green or brown on the tip, then your plant is in a resting phase. Once every two weeks would be my recommendation and I would water well first to get rid of salt build up and then I would fertilise. Consider moving it out of doors to a bright spot in summer but bring it inside again when it starts getting cold. Good luck and enjoy

By the way Karin, is that a flower spike comig?:scratchhead:

Hi Mike:

Sorry I haven't been online for a while - busy working. Thank you so much for the information. After reading what you have told me, I believe that I am not watering my plant enough. I see the end of the leaves are turning a bit yellow. I will water more often. And YES - I have 2 flower spikes. I am so excited!

The roots are tiped with green so by what you say, it means that it is in a growing phase. Should I fertilze with 20-20-20 - 1/2 strength - every second watering?

Thanks for all your help!

Karin

I prefer a 30-10-10 (i.e. high nitrogen) when the plant is growing especially if you are growing in bark which breaks down and the organisms in the decaying bark compete with the plant for nitrogen. The tips of the leaves turning yellow/brownn/black may indicate that you are fertilising too much and that you are not watering (leeching out) enough so you get a build up of "salts" which migrate to the leaf tip and cause leaf burn. Water thoroughly between each fertilising and make sure that you leech out any excess fertiliser. Also be careful of the salt content of your water. Post us pictures when your plant flowers.