OT Orchids

This question is for the group.I have an orchid, and I would like to know
what you use in repotting the flower .Do you use potting soil ,or wood
chips or a mixture.Could someone let me know.Thank you so much.Stella

Stella Fenley wrote:

This question is for the group.I have an orchid, and I would like to know
what you use in repotting the flower .Do you use potting soil ,or wood
chips or a mixture.Could someone let me know.Thank you so much.Stella

Hi Stella!

I have a little (very little!) orchid collection and I would love to
help you. First of all, as different orchids have different needs, we
would need the name of your little one. Is there a label on your orchid?
Could you describe it?
Until you don´t know the name of the orchid, please avoid potting soil,
not so many "commercial orchids", so to say, require that and you would
kill your little one.

You can also check this lovely website, with a lot of useful tips and a
funny story about repotting (hope they didn´t take it away from the
website, it´s just too funny):

http://www.orchidlady.com

There´s also a ng dedicated to orchids:

rec.gardens.orchids

Please don´t think that I give you this other ng address because I don´t
welcome your question, on the contrary, it´s just to give you another
opportunity.

May I also ask why do you need to repot the orchid? Many of them just
love to live in a overcrowded pot :-)

Hugs,

Anna Maria

The orchid I have is called Phalaenopsis Orchid,also should I cut the spikes
and if so how far. It does not have any blooms on it. Stella
"Anna MCM" wrote in message
...
Stella Fenley wrote:

This question is for the group.I have an orchid, and I would like to
know
what you use in repotting the flower .Do you use potting soil ,or wood
chips or a mixture.Could someone let me know.Thank you so much.Stella

Hi Stella!

I have a little (very little!) orchid collection and I would love to
help you. First of all, as different orchids have different needs, we
would need the name of your little one. Is there a label on your orchid?
Could you describe it?
Until you don´t know the name of the orchid, please avoid potting soil,
not so many "commercial orchids", so to say, require that and you would
kill your little one.

You can also check this lovely website, with a lot of useful tips and a
funny story about repotting (hope they didn´t take it away from the
website, it´s just too funny):

http://www.orchidlady.com

There´s also a ng dedicated to orchids:

rec.gardens.orchids

Please don´t think that I give you this other ng address because I don´t
welcome your question, on the contrary, it´s just to give you another
opportunity.

May I also ask why do you need to repot the orchid? Many of them just
love to live in a overcrowded pot :-)

Hugs,

Anna Maria

Oh I forgot to say it was two plants in one pot.Stella
"Anna MCM" wrote in message
...
Stella Fenley wrote:

This question is for the group.I have an orchid, and I would like to
know
what you use in repotting the flower .Do you use potting soil ,or wood
chips or a mixture.Could someone let me know.Thank you so much.Stella

Hi Stella!

I have a little (very little!) orchid collection and I would love to
help you. First of all, as different orchids have different needs, we
would need the name of your little one. Is there a label on your orchid?
Could you describe it?
Until you don´t know the name of the orchid, please avoid potting soil,
not so many "commercial orchids", so to say, require that and you would
kill your little one.

You can also check this lovely website, with a lot of useful tips and a
funny story about repotting (hope they didn´t take it away from the
website, it´s just too funny):

http://www.orchidlady.com

There´s also a ng dedicated to orchids:

rec.gardens.orchids

Please don´t think that I give you this other ng address because I don´t
welcome your question, on the contrary, it´s just to give you another
opportunity.

May I also ask why do you need to repot the orchid? Many of them just
love to live in a overcrowded pot :-)

Hugs,

Anna Maria

Stella Fenley wrote:

The orchid I have is called Phalaenopsis Orchid,also should I cut the spikes
and if so how far. It does not have any blooms on it. Stella

Hi Stella!

Are you sure that you need to repot it?
One needs to repot Phals if the medium has decayed (looks whitish and/or
smells bad) or you suppose that bugs live in the medium (bleach!).
Overcrowded phals do happen, but not so often.
If you suppose to repot because of new roots, no problem, phal roots
love to hang around!
Don´t cut the spikes, let them dry the natural way (it takes quite a
long time), then cut them. This for minimizing infection risks.
Sometimes they will reward you making little keikis (babies), little
plants growing on the spikes (we´ll talk about it if it happens).
Some people tries to induce keikis and/or reflowering cutting spikes a
inch above the third node. I don´t like that and I prefer the plant to
decide by itself what it wants to do in the future after flowering.

Well, if you still want to repot it:

find a clean transparent orchid pot (roots love light), small-sized bark
and some sphagnum.
If you want to reuse the same pot, clean it very well.
Soak the bark for some hours.
Take away the phal from the pot. You will be surpised by the number of
roots thay can have. Cut bad looking roots with clean scissors.
Then put some bark on the bottom of the clean pot, then soak sphagnum
and take away excessive water (forgot the word for that, sorry). Place
the sphagnum beetween the roots of the phal, just in the middle. Put the
phal and the sphagnum in the new pot. It will be likely impossible to
put back all the roots on the pot, if some hang outside, don´t worry.
Fill the space beetween phal and the pot with soaked bark and maybe some
sphagnum more (keep the phal with your right hand and fill the spaces
with bark with your left one, tap a little bit to settle the medium
around the plant).
Please check that the plant sits about a inch under the rim of the pot
but that the base of the leaves is above the soil (they hate collecting
water beetween leaves).
Put the plant in a repaired place and don´t water it for about ten days.
That´s the way I was showed at a orchid planting lesson.
It´s not easy as it looks (for me at least), but if you have to redo
that once more, be sure that phals are resistant and forgetful plants
(one of mine is a surviving hero).

Hugs,

Anna Maria

In article ,
Stella Fenley wrote:
This question is for the group.I have an orchid, and I would like to know
what you use in repotting the flower .Do you use potting soil ,or wood
chips or a mixture.Could someone let me know.Thank you so much.Stella




In your local garden center, you should be able to buy actual orchid mix;
Black Gold makes a very good one, but there are several types available. I
work in the GC of a Home Depot-type store, and we carry three or four, so
I imagine they're probably not too hard to find.
I've never grown orchids, but we get so many gorgeous ones in at work,
I'm becoming very tempted. I have a couple of co-workers who are very
passionate about their orchids. Some of the colors are amazing!

Ellen

In article , Anna MCM wrote:

Stella Fenley wrote:

The orchid I have is called Phalaenopsis Orchid,also should I cut the spikes
and if so how far. It does not have any blooms on it. Stella
snip snip

I have an orchid as well, and find them a hassle....but with all this
great info, I may do better. It was an inpulsive buy, the flowers were so
pretty. My sister in law, has many and i thought that those two points
were enough for me to try it as well. So far no second time flowers. Yes
they are sitting in a North facing window, I water well once a week and
let the extra water drip out in the sink. I do not let the plant dry out
and do give it orchid vertisliser....So far only green leaves. I think
that the plant will be become part of my SIL's collection.

Els

find a clean transparent orchid pot (roots love light), small-sized bark
and some sphagnum.
If you want to reuse the same pot, clean it very well.
Soak the bark for some hours.
Take away the phal from the pot. You will be surpised by the number of
roots thay can have. Cut bad looking roots with clean scissors.
Then put some bark on the bottom of the clean pot, then soak sphagnum
and take away excessive water (forgot the word for that, sorry). Place
the sphagnum beetween the roots of the phal, just in the middle. Put the
phal and the sphagnum in the new pot. It will be likely impossible to
put back all the roots on the pot, if some hang outside, don´t worry.
Fill the space beetween phal and the pot with soaked bark and maybe some
sphagnum more (keep the phal with your right hand and fill the spaces
with bark with your left one, tap a little bit to settle the medium
around the plant).
Please check that the plant sits about a inch under the rim of the pot
but that the base of the leaves is above the soil (they hate collecting
water beetween leaves).
Put the plant in a repaired place and don´t water it for about ten days.
That´s the way I was showed at a orchid planting lesson.
It´s not easy as it looks (for me at least), but if you have to redo
that once more, be sure that phals are resistant and forgetful plants
(one of mine is a surviving hero).

Hugs,

Anna Maria

--
delete doba to email me.....:=))

Els van Dam wrote:

I have an orchid as well, and find them a hassle....but with all this
great info, I may do better. It was an inpulsive buy, the flowers were so
pretty. My sister in law, has many and i thought that those two points
were enough for me to try it as well. So far no second time flowers. Yes
they are sitting in a North facing window, I water well once a week and
let the extra water drip out in the sink. I do not let the plant dry out
and do give it orchid vertisliser....So far only green leaves. I think
that the plant will be become part of my SIL's collection.

Hi Els,

I hope this message will come through. I´m writing using another server,
which is quite a piece of crap.

No surprise that your orchid refuses to flower if you have put it in a
North facing window!
Best choice in Northern emisphere is a East facing window, second choice
a West facing one or a South facing with no direct sun in Summer (I have
a wonderful South facing place repared by upper floor balcony).
If the East facing window is too hot (you feel the leaves becoming
warn), put a screen between the plant and the window (I use a sort of
rattan decoration).
Maybe moving it on a Southern facing during winter could make sense for
us at high latitudes (Els, you live in Canada, isn´t it?).
Orchids need a lot of light hours a day to flower and they can´t get it
on a Northern facing window.
Somethimes just a little moving makes wonders.
You do the right thing not leaving it sitting in water, bravo Els!
Leaving them sitting in water is a very common mistake.
Try to move it to a East facing window before giving it to your SIL.

Good luck!

Anna Maria

I don't know how dry your climate is but coming from Arizona and
California, one of the things we have to do with our orchids is fill a
pan or tray with rocks and put water in that and then set the pot on
top of the rocks. It just creates some of the humidity they need. I
used to get a dish that was way to big for the pot, fill it with
pretty river rocks and when I water the orchid it would drain out into
that. Sitting on the rocks it didn't sit in the water.

Laurie
Washougal, WA (probably won't have to do that where I'm living now!)

Hi Els,

I hope this message will come through. I´m writing using another server,
which is quite a piece of crap.

No surprise that your orchid refuses to flower if you have put it in a
North facing window!
Best choice in Northern emisphere is a East facing window, second choice
a West facing one or a South facing with no direct sun in Summer (I have
a wonderful South facing place repared by upper floor balcony).
If the East facing window is too hot (you feel the leaves becoming
warn), put a screen between the plant and the window (I use a sort of
rattan decoration).
Maybe moving it on a Southern facing during winter could make sense for
us at high latitudes (Els, you live in Canada, isn´t it?).
Orchids need a lot of light hours a day to flower and they can´t get it
on a Northern facing window.
Somethimes just a little moving makes wonders.
You do the right thing not leaving it sitting in water, bravo Els!
Leaving them sitting in water is a very common mistake.
Try to move it to a East facing window before giving it to your SIL.

Good luck!

Anna Maria

uhhhhummmm, that sure is what I need ....good luck.....

OK, my east facing window gets way to much sun, and forget the south
facing window. At this moment it is very hot here and we have our drapes
closed. So East facing is not a choice, I think. But I am willing to try
it if you say that that is a good way of doing it. Do not forget that I
am most likely much more south located on the map than you are. I will
keep you posted.

Els

--
delete doba to email me.....:=))