Loved Orchids For 5 Years...
 

Hello, I'm lcarmer and I'm from the South Central USA.
I've had a mad love for orchids for about 5 years or so, and I can not tell you how excited I am to meet new friends that I can have orchid talks with. I mean...my orchids make great friends but they can hardly keep up a conversation. I am a happy orchid mommy of 7 Phalaenopsis, and I am in the middle of an orchid care ebook. I wish to ensure other people that taking care of orchids is not rocket science, but it's not a matter of "just add ice" either.
I'm very interested in starting my own orchid growing business and I'm looking to find someone to spit-ball some ideas with. I'm on my computer about once a day, so I'll do well with responding promptly. Once again, it is an absolute delight to be a member of the board and I am so looking forward to meeting new friends. :waving

Welcome!

Thank you! How many orchids do you have?

Too many, but not enough.

Hello and welcome. I have too many as well, it's some where around 80 now and I can't keep up. But I still have a list.

I feel like I have a good amount for right now...but I love orchids so much, I wish I could have more lol. I want to have a Cattleya orchid one day, so I guess no matter what, I'll have at least one more. How did you discover orchids?

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Hey! Thanks! That's amazing that you have 80! Where do you put them all? In a greenhouse? Watering must take you a whole day to do, huh? I have to admit, I envy you lol!

Hi! South Central! I am in New Mexico! I have about 75 or so. I tend to buy a lot at a time. Carmella's orchids in Hawaii often has a Cattleya special where they send you a bunch of seedlings with free shipping for about 55 bucks. I love cattleya's. They are my favorite type. I also like Shombo-cattleya crosses, and paphipedilums.

Welcome to OB :) You're going to love it.

And you're going to end up with way too many orchids ;-)

I have a couple hundred. I have them in a sunroom. Some are mounted, some in semi-hydroponic containers, some in glass vases, and some are in pots, so they don't all need to be watered on the same day. You can read about all these growing methods here.

The mounted ones get sprayed with water or fertilizer every day, and I soak them for a few hours once or twice a week.

The Vandas and Phal in glass vases get their roots sprayed with water once or twice daily, and I soak them overnight 2-3 times per week.

The semi-hydroponic plants get watered about once a week.

The other plants in pots get watered when they are dry. I like to look at them every day. The little seedlings get watered almost daily, and others every 2-4 days this time of year.

Watering isn't a chore for me. It's something to which I look forward.

Wow! Thanks for the tip! Hi New Mexico! wow! 75 is a lot! How do you take care of them all?!

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Wow! That's a lot of orchids! That's really neat that you have them in different set ups! The ones in glass vases, do you mean you have them in like a terrarium? Those are really neat. I've been Pinterest them lately. Watering isn't a chore for me either. I get to look at my orchid's progress stuff :)