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orchid question
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Posted by natives_and_veggies 10b (My Page) on Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 0:41
Ok, I'm one of those people who buys the $10 orchid in bloom at HD and is happy with it blooming in my kitchen window for as long as it will.
But one of them suprised me. It's common phalaenopsis, a pretty white one. And when all the blooms fell off, I kept watering it every so often when I was doing dishes. So it decided to send out another shoot, branching off the stick it first bloomed from. It never occurred to me I could buy an orchid with a beautiful full spray of blooms in May and then, when they were done, it would bud out again in October.
But it did. And they were lovely. I even moved it to my desk, so I could enjoy the second spray of blooms.
All I can figure is I lucked out with an orchid specially bred to survive my neglect. So my question is, does it need repotting at this point?
When the last bloom from the second spray fell off, I just put it back in the kitchen window and figured I'll keep watering it haphazardly, which it seems to like, to see if it can pull off that trick of blooming again.
I mean, that's a neat trick blooming twice in six months,, with lovely full sprays of eight or nine big blooms both times, right?
So do I repot it and give it some more room, figuring this is the orchid for me, or do I leave it alone in it's kind of root-bound pot, so I don't mess with a good thing? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: orchid question
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| A picture is needed of the full plant and try to include the stuff in the pot, type of pot, whether it's a plastic pot inside a clay pot. Generally speaking, (all I can do without pic) phales are winter bloomers. Some are crossed (hybridized) with summer bloomers and that causes varying blooming seasons. Commercial growers can also force these things to bloom whenever they can get the most money for them by adjusting/manipulating culture. A very healthy and strong phal (lots of pairs of leaves, healthy roots and fresh media) can easily re-sprout a flower spike and branch off of it and give you and extended blooming season. It can also throw a death throe spike just before it croakes, cause the plant wants to survive and if it can't, it want to propagate it's seed as a last means of trying to continue it's lineage. If your plant shows signs of the former condition (very healthy), then I would not mess with it. Seems you're doing a few things right. Note that the plant will return to it's normal blooming season, (winter/spring) and it is beneficial to let it rest and grow from June to winter to regain its strength for the next blooming season.
Enough rambling.... post a pic and I'll give you a few more cents worth... |
RE: orchid question
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| Orchids are air plants and rarely should be repotted. Most of the orchids sold by the big box stores are bred to bloom more than once a year and to survive under difficult conditions. (Remember, they will give you a refund if it dies.) Your best bet would be to tie the orchid into a tree where you can see it from a window. Dappled sun and out of the wind if possible. |
RE: orchid question
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hmmm. The camera's batteries are dead, but I can describe it a bit better. It's in a plastic pot inside a clay pot and the whole thing seems quite firmly stuck together at this point, with roots all over the clay pot. I can't get the plastic pot out without doing some damage to the roots. And I can't really see what it's growing in. I don't think it's in the death throes (wish all the orchids I've killed would bloom a second time first.) The leaves appear healthy and it has put out new ones since I've had it that got as big as the ones it came with. It's got another new leaf starting now. I like the idea of hanging it outside, but I have deep shade and broiling sun and almost nothing in between.
Hmmm. Guess I'll just leave it in the pot it's in in the window sill. Now's the time to fertilize it, right? |
RE: orchid question
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| Smash the clay pot and just break the plastic pot free. Don't worry about damaging the roots, they will recover. I've done this with hundreds of orchids in my garden and for friends and clients. Tie the freed orchid to a tree with jute twine. |
RE: orchid question
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- Posted by cjc45 9 Mount Dora FL (My Page) on
Sun, Nov 15, 09 at 13:53
| Most orchids like a chunky, airy mix and you repot when the mix breaks down and gets too dense. Phals can stand a finer mix and they like a lot of water (such as the water vapor from your kitchen sink). You probably don't want to put it in a larger pot, just cut off any roots that look dead (limp and/or hollow). Phals do well in plastic because of the need for water. You can then put it inside a clay or ceramic pot for stability. Feed it with a weak solution of 20-20-20 with micronutrients every week or when you remember. |
RE: orchid question
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| Attaching your PHALENOPSIS to a tree is certainly an option, however, note that phals have no pseudobulbs (just leaves and roots)and have a more strict requirement for moisture than most orchids (cattleyas, dendrobiums, oncidiums,etc) that people place on trees. You said you have a dark shady spot and that would be okay as far as light requirement. Once you take the phal out of its pot, the watering requirement will increase because of the exposure to air (a good thing). I would make sure that your automatic sprinklers water the plant and you may very well have to supplement with additional water to keep the plant in the same condition you have it in now. You will notice the lack of moisture as the older leaves start to fall off. I would buffer tween the plant and tree with some coco fiber (basket liners at HD garden centers, just cut some strips off ), place some coco fiber on top of the roots as well, more moisture retention and protection from cutting the roots when you tie to the tree. Sphagnum moss can also be used for same purpose. You want to attach the plant upside down (that's how they grow in nature)so that the crown of the plant will be self draining, tie the roots to the tree firmly, so that there is no wiggle. If you've never mounted orchid in your trees, I think a phal would be a poor FIRST choice. It seems you're doing ok with it indoors. I would recommend you keep it indoors and attach a cheap cattleya in late spring after it blooms. (is its a spring bloomer).
Note the cattleya should attached growing lead upwards. |
RE: orchid question
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- Posted by lellie z9 Anna Maria Island (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 16, 09 at 8:27
Native: Soak the plant in warm water for about a half hour. You may then be able to gently pry loose those roots that are stuck to the clay pot.
Here's how I grow my Phals, for the most part...in wooden baskets in sphag...they LOVE this potting method: 
When the moss dries out almost completely, I water thoroughly. The problem with Phals in trees is that you may not be able to provide enough water to them unless you hose them down daily. Post a pic when you can. :) |
RE: orchid question
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| I grow most of my phals like Lellie and agree with ben_in_sofla - mounting a phal is risky, unless you live in a very hot humid environment. It would not work for me in Tampa, but maybe more south, it will be Ok I like to grow phals either in baskets with sphagnum or in clay pots with sphagnum moss and packing peanuts on the bottom Some of the species I have mounted on treefern, as it retains a bit of water, and padded with sphagnum moss. While phals like to dry out fast, they LOVE water and humidity. Mounted on treefern: Sphagnum moss and clay pot:
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RE: orchid question
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- Posted by lellie z9 Anna Maria Island (My Page) on
Tue, Nov 17, 09 at 7:08
RE: orchid question
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| Thank you, Lellie Your orchid looks fantastic...to me, the look of a healthy orchid with nice juice roots is just as good as the flowers :) Great growing! |
RE: orchid question
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| Guess I'm buying baskets at Heathcote on Saturday. |
RE: orchid question
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hmmm. Sounds like outside isn't really a good choice for me. I don't irrigate much at all and don't have an automatic sprinkler system. I've put some dendrobiums in the boots of a cabbage palm and a few of them have survived to rebloom, but they get practically no attention.
For the moment I'm going to leave it where it is while I look for the right larger pot. The kitchen window is pretty narrow to to give it a bit more room there, I think I'm going to need something odd shaped. |
RE: orchid question
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Hi
Here's my two cents.lol I grow both ways and I'd be willing to bet money that the pot method will give you more flowers ,more often and of higher quality.with far fewer disasters lol
Phals in particular,especially the large flowered hybrids.
Recently had an interesting discussion on "What is the worlds best flowering pot plant".? Phals get my vote for many reasons. They also wanted to qualify it as also the worlds "Easiest" Gesneriads would get my vote for that.
particularly sinningia .Throw a tuber in a pot and jump back.lol Propagation alone puts them WAYYY ahead,tubers ,cuttings seeds.
Might add that BOTH make terrible garden plants for many reasons.IME gary |
RE: orchid question
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I have a couple of more cents to throw in...
Why do you feel the urge to repot? I help out growers in my local orchid society and I can't believe how many times I ask that question and get a blank stare. Why disturb the plant if you do not have to? The plant will go through a period adjustment and possibly knock it out of bloom cycle for 1 season or more, although phals/paphs/phrags are most forgiving of being repotted and usually don't suffer much if at all. Generally, repotting is indicated if one or more of the following conditions exist. 1 - Media is broken down to the point that roots are rotting and no air in the media, survival is at stake, must be done, pronto. 2 - plant is overgrown and most roots have no access to media moisture and looks unseemly, can be repotted, schedule it for appropriate time of year or growth phase. 3 - plant is in wrong type of pot or wrong type of media, bought with stuff that will not do well in your environment, schedule repotting for appropriate time, set aside and adjust conditions for whatever media and or pot that it is in. 4 - heavy scale/mealy infestation, remove plant, spray with water till all is gone, let air dry and treat with appropriate chemical, then repot with moist media. I would normally require at least one of these for having to repot anything. A picture would be great... |
RE: orchid question
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| I bought a bunch of out of bloom orchids at LOWES for 50 cents each!!!! |
RE: orchid question
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Ben,
My concern was that it was probably in an inappropriate pot, put there not because that was the right pot for it but because that was an easy way to sell it at HD. It appears I'm wrong on that count.
I was also concerned that it was in a quite small pot and had done quite a bit of growing and therefore needed more space.
The break-down of the growing medium doesn't appear to have happened yet, but it's a bit difficult to tell. That was a concern I wasn't aware of, but am looking for now.
And I bought another phal in bloom last week because I've decided I really like having one on my desk now. This might be the beginning of some sort of orchid obsession akin to my tomato obsession.
Oh dear. |
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