Good beginning orchid
 

Hey,

I was bitten by the orchid bug about 2 years ago and now have quite a few in my collection.
Problem is my girlfriend tried her hand at a Paph (which I don't own) that died a horrible death.

Since I am constantly checking over mine, I can't tell which species are more tolerant to neglect.

Would you have any species in mind that would thrive in a S-E window and are more tolerant to uneven watering?

Was it it moss? If so, it might not have been the plant that was the problem - it might have been the media. You could try a paph again in a bark mix instead of something like sphag moss. Paph's are great for windows, in general. Do you know what kind it was?

I think Phalaenopsis hybrids are generally considered the easiest beginner orchids.

Totally off topic crusty- but I love your little icon/profile picture/avatar thingy.

---------- Post added at 09:20 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:19 PM ----------

Hahah oops ***CLUSTY.
My phone auto corrected to Crusty! >.<

Was moss. After I bought off more stuff from the vender, I noticed most plants had crappy roots, I replanted hers into medium coco chunks but it would not stop rotting. 1 month later it was done for.

I think it might have been some Chamberlanium hybrid.

---------- Post added at 09:23 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:22 PM ----------

Common mistake :)
Holy grail fan forever...

Burr. Nelly Isler is one I give as gifts and people that have a black thumb seem able to keep it alive. Soph cernua and ascocentrum pumilum are both amazingly tough. I have these two mounted and I confess that they get forgotten. The ascocentrum blooms often (though a magnifying glass helps greatly to enjoy the blooms). I think they are lucky if they get a dose of fertilizer once a year. They are both small, though.

---------- Post added at 09:28 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:27 PM ----------

....small enough to be missed and forgotten.

---------- Post added at 09:29 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:28 PM ----------

What conditions does your friend have for growing?

I'm biased... because slippers are my thing... but I think they are the easiest windowsill growers, they just need to be in the right media! In moss they stay soggy with people who over-water, and rot to death quickly. In a bark mix (or something 'open') they can be watered much more often and the roots can stay healthy.

How often does she 'Have' to water?

She has no compulsion to water :)
Problem is they can go for 2-3 weeks with no water, and then she remembers and overcompensates.

Philodendron ;)

I was an inch away suggesting as a comparison:
"mother in law tongue"-like plant :)

:rofl:

Aloe?

I've just started with orchids, but I think a good plant to start her off with might be one of the "just add ice" phals. I've had a tough time with phals that I've acquired from other sources as a beginner, but these plants seem pretty forgiving. Buy it for the plant, not the method. The method is stupid, IMO. Just cut the tag off and don't even let her see it. :D

They usually come in a clear plastic pot inside a decorative pot and the larger phals are usually potted in bark, not moss. The minis come in moss, but I just leave them in moss until the spike is done, then I repot them in bark.

Teach her to water via the skewer method. This might help her to keep track of when her plants need to be watered.

The minis have been thriving in my windowsill, I'm seeing new leaf growth and root growth, but I can't tell you if they'll rebloom well, just that they seem pretty tolerant of my inconsistent care while I figure out the best way to provide a good growing space for them.

Hope this helps!

Oh, I love the justaddice orchids! These are the other orchids I give as gifts. I put them in lava rock for people and then a couple of years later, people will tell me they are still alive and bloom faithfully...and they don't know why orchids are considered difficult. This company must find the most difficult to kill orchids and that is why they won't reveal the breeding behind them...just a theory. :)

---------- Post added at 12:56 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:53 AM ----------

I think the toughest house plant is a hibiscus. A certain family member that kills everything, even aloe, peace lilies, and cacti has yet, after six years, failed to kill the hibiscus I gave her. Just amazing.

If its a matter of inconsistent care, maybe you should start a S/H plant for her. Aren't Paphs suppose to be good S/H candidates?

I never understood why Phals are considered a beginner plant nor why a beginner would want to rescue one.:_(

(And I didn't say that to start anything. I really don't get it.)

Phials can be had cheaply are readily available and the roots are huge. I think that's probably why. It helps to be able to really see what's going on with the plant's roots. My other orchids are oncidiums and I'm praying I don't kill them. Their roots are so fine that I'm having a hard time knowing if I'm doing anything right. I'm just going with my gut and praying I don't kill them.


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Edited to add: And did I mention that I'm praying I don't kill them, enough? LOL!

:rofl:
I'm going to use that one!!!

I agree about just add ice orchids. The watering method is unworkable long term, but those things are very hardy. I think during a busy period I forgot to water it for like a month, and it's still alive. I pay attention more now and it is thriving. Plus the other day at Home Depot they had a new crop of the Just Add Ice and these plants were huge! The roots were almost as thick as my finger and the flower spikes were easily three feet long with multiple branches.

I was very close to buying some even though I have been trying to move in a different direction toward more diversity in my collection.

Those Justaddice orchids are always tempting! I only have one but I absolutely love it! And I love buying them as gifts!

If you are looking for orchids, the Greater Akron Orchid Society is having their plant auction on October 14th. Doors open at 6:30.

The Greater Akron Orchid Society

Not only can you bid on orchids (they go cheap, especially the ones no one bids upon) but you can ask how to grow them. The program is about orchid pests and diseases. Anyone is welcome to attend.
There is the West Shore Orchid Society in the Cleveland area, too. Just thought I'd mention it since I didn't know they existed until a few years ago. :)

---------- Post added at 09:50 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:49 PM ----------

Paul, your post was just great! Love it!

In my experience, Cyms are hard to kill (the bigger ones, anyway), but due to size, light required, and cool night temps needed may not be suitable - and while difficult to kill, might not thrive (and bloom) with poorer care.

Den kingianum is reportedly tough as nails - tho again may not thrive or bloom ...

Like I mentioned before, I think that Oeceoclades fit your criterion for the "perfect beginner's orchid".

Most Oeceoclades are desert orchids.

They tolerate periods of drought far better than either a Paph or a Phal.

I know that the flowers aren't large, but what they lack in flower size, they make up for in unique flower and plant morphology and all around hardiness. Some Oeceoclades even have patterned leaves. Some species are even miniatures.

Oeceoclades maculata is the invasive weed in Florida.

The orchid originates from Africa or Madagascar.

It will not become invasive in a place like Canada, (where "clusty" is from). Neither would it be likely to be invasive in a state such as Michigan.

I don't know how you guys feel about cattleya hybrids, but I've got three of them and I swear I have literally gone off and forgotten about them in the sweltering heat in a west window for a good week and a half and then gone "OH SHIT!" and watered them and they are perfectly fine. They have also been knocked out of their window sill so. many. times. by my cats it's unreal. Like...I literally just had to pull the vent cover out of my a/c vent and clean the bark chips out of it because my cats are like "TRA LA LA oh look at that squirrel!" *knock over plant* (The window sill is a good 4 feet off the floor, btw).

And yet my guys have each given me one new growth and are starting in on a second. They have been the most respondent to my black thumb, which is amazing.

Also I got a beallara from Lowes and after repotting it in CHC, having it sulk for several months, and shriveling all but 1 pbulb, I've got a new growth and a spike..seriously, wth? Lol, but apparently those things can take a beating too.

Ironically, so far the only thing I can't grow is phals. :P

I think Cattleyas are good. Some stay at a manageable size. Others are pretty big.

I think epiphytic Laelias are pretty sturdy too. Most have the disadvantage of being large.

---------- Post added at 09:59 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:18 PM ----------

Oeceoclades spathulifera doesn't look like a large plant at all.

I don't have numerical values to throw out, but it seems like a manageably sized orchid.

This species is rare in cultivation, but I think you might be able to run across it.

It also depends on where you live as to some of the other species. In Florida, Masdevallias are generally not going to be easy; however in Seattle, you can probably put them on your front porch and forget about them. Whereas Vandas would be the exact opposite, they'd love to be hung out in the full Florida sunshine and left their own devices.

But as a generic indoor plant, I'd still go with the Phalaenopsis.