Any Orchid Growers Out There?
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cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: May-24-2005 at 12:34pm
Some time ago I said some dumb thing about the fact that I have never grown orchids so for my birthday one kid got me a dendrobium and on mother's day the other kid got me a phalaenopsis. Now what do I do? I have some questions.
Dendrobium: It finished blooming and I cut the spike off and it's base sitting like a small cork at the top of the leaved stem. Will it grow another flower spike from that opening? or is that a scape? It has a new stalk that is growing a half inch a week and looks fine, but there are two old short green stock sprouts tighly closed that look like they are capped with a woody coating and havent changed at all since January, will they grow again? This plant is is growing in bark and has several wandering roots growing over the top and clinging to the outside of the pot, is that okay? Does it need a new pot yet? I water it with orchid food every Tuesday.
So far the phalaenopsis is working on its fifth flower and it seems just fine. Any guidance you can offer will be very happily received.
Carol
Canuck
Location: British Columbia, Southwestern
Posted: May-25-2005 at 12:06am
If you go to the Orchid Mall , it provides links to lot of orchid sites . One of the better ones is the Orchid Source Forum , which I believe is linked to that site . You can also check out the American Orchid Societies web page .
Lisa A
Location: Oregon, Greater Portland Metro
Posted: May-25-2005 at 10:30am
I haven't taken up that addiction yet, but I'll bet there will be many to fuel your interest at the Oregon Orchid Society. Details of their Portland meetings can be found at the link I provided.
Word of warning, though, orchidists are avid collectors and huge enablers. Fertility and her mom took a trip to South America (can't recall which country) a year or more ago. It was an orchid expedition and everyone was an huge orchid enthusiast, except for fertility. She wasn't going to buy any but she got caught up in the excitement. I can't recall the exact number of orchids she had shipped home but it was somewhere between a dozen and 20. I don't recall if she kept them all or not.
sparklemama
Location: Western Washington
Posted: May-25-2005 at 5:17pm
I have a denbrodium also that look exactly like cj described. Leaves on mine turned brown and fell off so there are only two healthy leaves on it. The stems are also like Cj describes. I haven't seen any new growth from it yet. I've had it since Feburary. I read on Ortho book on Orchids but didn't find it very helpful.
These sites look promsing. I need to come back and look threw them when i have more time..lol.
cjmiller
Location: Oregon, Willamette Valley
Posted: May-26-2005 at 10:28am
I am not addicted yet, I just want those basic questions answered by someone who knows more than me (easy) as I cant stand letting something languish! I looked at the sites mentioned but didnt find anywhere to post a question like Rainy Side has. (what a great site!)
Carol
Susie
Location: Washington, Southwestern
Posted: May-26-2005 at 6:01pm
The phalaenopsis is the easiest orchid to grow, imo. It likes regular household temperatures and doesn't want a lot of light.
I grow mine near a south facing window during the cloudy months, then near an east facing window the rest of the year. They'll grow roots up out of the growing medium. Try to mist those roots every couple of days or daily, and water every 5 days or so (I do it twice a week with tepid water,) to keep the medium from becoming completly dry. (But don't let them get soggy!)
After the flowers fade cut the stem back to to just below the node that produced the first flower. The plant may put out some more flowers for you from the same stem. If not, you may have to wait until next February/March for the next flowers.

Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton